We will be happy to answer your questions about Liuto forte!
Affordable demo instruments on offer!
Liuto forte – the “new lute” – also for guitarists!
What exactly does "liuto forte" mean?
“Liuto” means “lute” in Italian, so a liuto forte is a “strong lute”.
The liuto forte is the further development of the European lute into a powerful and brilliant plucked instrument. It combines the best elements of a rich, four hundred year old instrument-making tradition, is suitable for playing all music in all styles from all periods and can rightly be called the “Lute of the 21st century“.
Video: Liuto forte in g | Wood: Maple | Player: Éric Bellocq, Lutenist, France | Technique: Fingertips
Liuti forti have fascinating tonal characteristics that neither historical lutes nor classical guitars have. Because they are strung with stronger single strings, they can be played with fingertips or fingernails. They therefore do not exclude guitarists but invite them to use their skills on a lute again. The constant work of tuning the historical instrument, which was often criticised in the past, has come to an end with the liuto forte, as have the movable frets which we put on our instruments only on request.
Liuti forti are not a mixture of lute and guitar but real lutes, which are 100% in the context of the great European lute making tradition. Thanks to their lighter construction and slimmer strings, their playing requires much less physical effort than that of the classical guitar, but delivers considerably more tone with less effort. This is seen as a great relief especially by those players for whom the high string tension of the classical guitar causes physiological problems. In contrast to the lighter-strung historical lute, the “new lute” does not impose limits on the dynamic creative will of its players and does not restrict their range of expression.
(See: FAQ)
What can you play on a Liuto forte?
On the various models of the liuto forte you can play the entire lute repertoire as well as music of the 19th to 21st centuries – including guitar music. This enormous wealth of repertoire and its amazing ability to assert itself in an ensemble make it the most versatile plucked instrument on the market today (see: “Seven Reasons“)
Video: Liuto forte in d | Wood: Rosewood | Player: Oded Melchner, Guitarist, Israel | Technique: Fingertips
Since the most important lute compositions of the 16th to 18th centuries are now available both in new editions and in transcriptions, it is up to the musician to decide whether to play these works from the tablature or from normal musical notation.
(See: Sheet Music & Tablatures)
Becoming a liuto forte player means joining a noble, old family, but without the obligation to be predominantly preoccupied with the past. On the one hand, these instruments allow access to the entire heritage, on the other hand they open up the possibility of enriching it by not limiting oneself to what has been handed down, but by continuing a great tradition with the means of the present. This innovative approach has distinguished all the great lute makers and lute players of the past, and we see ourselves as their creative successors.
Beyond nostalgia - why we need a new lute
Lutes have a fundamentally greater acoustic efficiency than guitars due to their body shape. For this reason, they were the dominant plucked instruments in Western music for several centuries. The patented construction of the Liuto forte takes full advantage of the superior resonance of the lute body and at the same time eliminates the causes that led to stagnation in the development of these instruments at the end of the 18th century.
(See: Why the lute died out und Musicians’ responses)
Reproductions of lutes from the 16th to the 18th century – similar to those of harpsichords and gambas – have acquired a respectable place in historical performance practice today. There is no doubt, however, that in attempting to transcend the scope of this practice, they will come up against the same limitations as they did in the 18th century.
Video: Liuto forte in d | Wood: Rosewood | Player: Christophe Rocher, Lutenist, France | Technique: Fingernails
The adaptation of the European lute to our times, which has been overdue since the end of the 18th century, has now created the conditions for its full reintegration into contemporary musical life, even outside the realm of historical performance practice. Their long tradition in European music history is thus not only preserved but also continued.
Different models – suitable for every player
Guitarists should not be confused by the variety of models.
It is a guarantee that every player will find the instrument that suits them exactly. Since some of the Liuti forti can be also used in a different tuning by changing the stringing, you do not commit yourself definitively to a certain tuning when buying such an instrument.
You can find help in choosing the most suitable model for you here: (See: Selection). We will also be happy to advise you personally.
We invite you to participate in this exciting development and wish you interesting reading and inspiring listening experiences.
With best regards
Liuto-forte team
Video: Swan neck lute in e | Wood: Yew | Player: Saulius S. Lipčius, Guitarist, Lithuania | Technique: Fingernails
Model groups of Liuto forte
Liuti forti can in principle be built in all tunings. The models offered here select from the historical lute tunings those with which the largest part of the traditional repertoire of over 50,000 individual pieces can be reproduced.
Guitarists should not be confused by the variety of different lute models. This diversity is a guarantee that every player will find the instrument that suits them best. You will find information on instrument selection under the menu item “Selection & Purchase” .
The easiest way to classify lutes is by the different shapes of their pegboxes. These are referred to in the following as the angled neck, swan neck and neck with straight extension.
Lutes with
angled pegbox
Swan Neck Lutes
Arciliuto forte
Tiorba forte
Liuto forte in g, Maple,
Éric Bellocq, Lutenist
France
Swan Neck Lute in d, Rosewood
Oded Melchner, Guitarist
Israel
Archiliuto forte, Rosewood
Luciano Còntini, Lutenist,
Austria
Tiorba forte, Maple,
Mauro Pinciaroli, Guitarist,
Italy
Further sound examples can be found with the respective models under the menu item “Models & Sound“.
Please note that when recording with Liuti forti, there is no difference between the sound of the instrument in the recording and the sound of the instrument in the original. If you wish, compare the sound of the respective pieces with recordings of the same piece on copies of historical lutes that can be found on the Internet.
Seven reasons to play a Liuto forte
If you are a player of the historical lute:
- a Liuto forte frees you from the restrictions of particular musical epochs.
- the liuto forte enables your access, beyond all nostalgia, to a broad field of new sound possibilities and playing techniques. These will add a scarcely imaginable richness to all the pieces you interpret – including the traditional lute repertoire.
- you can now approach and master – in addition to music for the lute – the whole repertoire for classical guitar, of six or more strings – without having to change instruments or alter your fingertip right hand style.
- you can perform in larger halls, audibly, and participate in all kinds of music making beyond the bounds of historical performance practice. The voice nightmare of historical lutes comes to an end with the Liuto forte.
- Johann Sebastian Bach’s compositions for the lute, which were envisaged for a modified version of the Angelique, can now be played in their entirety, note for note and in their absolutely original form, using a Liuto forte in d (“Bach-Laute”), which has been especially developed from this instrument. (see also bach-lautenwerke.de)
- it proves rather easier to inspire contemporary composers to write for the Liuto forte than to fire their enthusiasm for a historical lute.
- you are investing in an instrument full of a future, unlimited in repertoire and appealing to a wider and younger public than the historical lute.
If you are a guitarist:
- Liuti forti are considerably easier to play than classical guitars. They produce more sound with less effort but do not require any fundamental changes in playing technique. Due to the medium string tension they are equally suitable to fingernail and fingertip players and allow not only a completely relaxed, but also aesthetically sophisticated posture of the instrument.
- a Liuto forte provides you with access to an enormous and under-exploited repertoire of lute music of the highest quality, which can only be less than satisfactorily performed on the guitar. These pieces can be read directly from the original tablatures or from transcriptions into conventional score.
- whether guitar music or lute music comes into question, the Liuto forte can comfortably surpass all the restrictions imposed in the bass range by the 6-string guitar. There is now no need to resort to massive, multi-stringed guitars, hard to hold and clumsy to play, and whose brightness in the deep basses leaves a lot to be desired.
- the prevailing clarity of the Liuto forte allows your participation in performances with large musical forces, in churches or the opera. At the same time it improves the conditions for taking part in every kind of chamber music.
- with a lute instrument to hand, your compatibility in the baroque and classical field is immediately enhanced.
- it is a clear market advantage, and certainly more attractive to an audience, for you to be able to present a performance using both guitar and lute, particularly with a lute that opens up totally new sound worlds.
- You are betting on a rising, developable instrument with a high stability of value.
Prix Européen de l’innovation pour les instruments de musique, Paris 1999
”…one of the century’s most outstanding musical innovations. A gift to music.“
(Le Monde, Paris 1999)
Craft and Science
Fertile collaboration with the Technical University Dresden has been of indispensable assistance over many years in the constant improvement in the sound quality of the Liuto forte.
Liuto forte worldwide
Liuti forti are played all over the world. Here you can get an overview of selected locations and read reports from Liuto forte players.