Liuto forte in d
(German baroque lute)

Repertory: all compositions for d minor lute from 1630 to about 1800, including three lute compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach in arrangements of the 18th century, music of the 19th to 21st century, continuo

13-stringed: A B flat C D E F G A d f a d‘ f‘

(9 fingerboard strings, 4 bourdon strings)

14-stringed: G A B flat C D E F G A d f a d‘ f‘

(9 fingerboard strings, 5 bourdon strings)

  • String-length fingerboard strings 66 cm, String-length bourdon strings 88 cm
  • a’ = 440 Hz or 415 Hz
  • Single stringing
  • Strongly curved fingerboard
  • 19 fixed frets
  • One rose, narrow body, 11 ribs
  • Traditional or geared pegs
  • Wood: Rosewood, Maple, Yew
    (recommended: Maple or Rosewood)
Purchase (E-Mail)
Pricelist (PDF)
Trying out (E-Mail)

Liuti forti are delivered directly from the manufacturer and are not available from music shops.
If you would like to order a Liuto forte or need advice please send us an email.

If you wish, we can also put you in touch with Liuto-forte players in your area.

Guitarists who would like to play Weiss, Bach, Reussner, Mouton or Gaultier in the original tuning can now take the plunge – since their plucking style no longer needs any radical change – with the D minor Liuto forte. Having once taken the trouble to learn the reading of tablature, they will be able to play baroque lute pieces (from tablature) and Spanish guitar pieces concurrently on guitar or E liuto forte (from staff notation), without fearing risky conflicts between memory and motor centres.
The comparatively big step, from the guitar or tenor lute tuning to the Liuto forte tuning in D minor with its basses, can be eased by at first using the transitional tuning of the Archiliuto in e.

We offer Liuti forti in d with double head pegbox or bass rider only on special request, because the swan neck lute with two straight pegboxes brings clear acoustic advantages over these two constructions. The advantages of a swan neck lie mainly in stronger middle registers, a longer sustain of the treble strings and more impressive basses.

Samples

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.

S.L. Weiss
„Fantasia from Sonata No. 11 D Minor“
Oded Melchner, Guitarist, Israel
Liuto forte in d, Rosewood

„Celtic Music“ (Arr. Ronn McFarlane) 
Liuto forte in d, Rosewood
Christophe Rocher, Lutenist, France

S.L. Weiss
„Allemande from Sonata No. 11 D Minor“
Oded Melchner, Guitarist, Israel
Liuto forte in d, Palisander

„Sonata in D minor“ 
Liuto forte in d, Rosewood
Christophe Rocher, Lutenist, France

Walking in the Air (From „The Snowman“)
Ronn McFarlane, Lutenist, USA
Liuto forte in d (amplified), Rosewood