{"id":4956,"date":"2023-05-24T18:13:30","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T16:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/?page_id=4956"},"modified":"2023-06-05T14:46:33","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T12:46:33","slug":"interview-mit-andre-burguete-fuer-die-zeitschrift-zillo-medieval","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/interview-mit-andre-burguete-fuer-die-zeitschrift-zillo-medieval\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview mit Andr\u00e9 Burguete f\u00fcr die Zeitschrift \u201eZillo Medieval\u201c"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=\u00a0\u00bb1&Prime; _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.21.0&Prime; _module_preset=\u00a0\u00bbdefault\u00a0\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00a0\u00bb{}\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_row _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.21.0&Prime; _module_preset=\u00a0\u00bbdefault\u00a0\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00a0\u00bb{}\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_column type=\u00a0\u00bb4_4&Prime; _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.21.0&Prime; _module_preset=\u00a0\u00bbdefault\u00a0\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00a0\u00bb{}\u00a0\u00bb][et_pb_text admin_label=\u00a0\u00bb\u00dcberschrift Interview mit Andr\u00e9 Burguete f\u00fcr die Zeitschrift \u201eZillo Medieval\u201c\u00a0\u00bb _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.21.0&Prime; _module_preset=\u00a0\u00bbdefault\u00a0\u00bb global_colors_info=\u00a0\u00bb{}\u00a0\u00bb]<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Entretien avec Andr\u00e9 Burguete (Zillo Medieval \u2013 mars 2012)<\/h1>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\u00a0\u00bb4.21.0&Prime; _module_preset=\u00a0\u00bbdefault\u00a0\u00bb hover_enabled=\u00a0\u00bb0&Prime; global_colors_info=\u00a0\u00bb{}\u00a0\u00bb sticky_enabled=\u00a0\u00bb0&Prime;]<\/p>\n<p>Questions pos\u00e9es par Christopher Kutzer<br \/><span id=\"more-4659\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>C. Kutzer :<\/strong>\u00a0Vous avez re\u00e7u \u00e0 Paris en 1999 le \u00ab\u00a0 Prix Europ\u00e9en de l\u2019innovation pour les instruments de musique\u00a0 \u00bb, qui consacre votre concept du \u00ab\u00a0 Liuto forte\u00a0 \u00bb).<br \/>Ce luth est-il vraiment la premi\u00e8re d\u00e9marche s\u00e9rieuse pour moderniser un instrument tomb\u00e9 en d\u00e9su\u00e9tude\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A. Burguete\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Oui, c\u2019est bien le cas. Car malgr\u00e9 leur corps en forme de luth, les \u00ab\u00a0 luths\u00a0 \u00bb du mouvement Wandervogel du d\u00e9but du 20\u00e8me si\u00e8cle \u00e9taient en r\u00e9alit\u00e9 d\u2019une conception semblable \u00e0 celle d\u2019une guitare. Par cons\u00e9quent, leur son n\u2019avait pas grand-chose \u00e0 voir avec celui des luths des 16\u00e8me, 17\u00e8me et 18\u00e8me si\u00e8cles.<br \/>En revanche, notre conception du Liuto Forte, c\u2019est-\u00e0-dire d\u2019un \u00ab\u00a0 luth puissant\u00a0 \u00bb repose sur des \u00e9tudes minutieuses et approfondies portant sur la fabrication des luths historiques, donc de leurs qualit\u00e9s comme de leurs lacunes. Loin de renier cet h\u00e9ritage, nous y avons ancr\u00e9 nos racines. <a href=\"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/willkommen\/laute-und-gitarre-ein-dilemma\/forschung\/\">(voir \u00ab\u00a0 A propos du Liuto forte &#8211; Recherche\u00a0 \u00bb)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Selon une interpr\u00e9tation courante de l\u2019histoire, le luth aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 remplac\u00e9 par la guitare parce que celle-ci \u00e9tait plus facile \u00e0 jouer et plus puissante. Partagez-vous ce postulat\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0A la lumi\u00e8re des faits historiques, cette interpr\u00e9tation naturellement admise par les guitaristes est tout simplement fausse. Tout d\u2019abord, la petite guitare romantique \u00e9tait \u00e0 peine plus puissante que le luth baroque. Les luths utilis\u00e9s pour la basse continue dans les ensembles, tels que le th\u00e9orbe ou l\u2019archiluth, auraient facilement \u00ab\u00a0 couvert\u00a0 \u00bb plusieurs guitares romantiques. Il est un fait que le piano-forte, avec son essor rapide, a remplac\u00e9 les luths dans la seconde moiti\u00e9 du 18\u00e8me si\u00e8cle. En effet, cet instrument, comme son nom l\u2019indique, pouvait \u00eatre jou\u00e9 aussi bien \u00ab\u00a0 piano\u00bb que \u00ab\u00a0 forte\u00a0 \u00bb, contrairement au clavecin utilis\u00e9 auparavant.<br \/>Jusqu\u2019\u00e0 l\u2019apparition du piano-forte, les instruments \u00e0 cordes pinc\u00e9es \u00e9taient les seuls pouvant produire des accords, et dont le volume sonore pouvait se moduler consid\u00e9rablement.<br \/>C\u2019est donc \u00e0 la suite de l\u2019\u00e9volution historique du piano-forte que luths et guitares baroques avaient d\u00e9j\u00e0 presque disparu au milieu du 18\u00e8me. Dans ce contexte pratiquement sans luths, la guitare romantique a connu une \u00e9volution \u00e9tonnante. Ses caract\u00e9ristiques \u00e9taient d\u2019une part ses cordes simples plus commodes \u00e0 accorder et \u00e0 jouer que les doubles cordes (ch\u0153urs) traditionnelles. D\u2019autre part, sa sonorit\u00e9 plus chaude et riche semblait mieux correspondre au go\u00fbt sentimental de cette p\u00e9riode romantique, en opposition au luth aristocratique, d\u2019un jeu plus exigeant et d\u2019une sonorit\u00e9 un peu plus s\u00e8che. Cependant, comme je l\u2019ai dit, la guitare romantique n\u2019a ni d\u00e9tr\u00f4n\u00e9 ni remplac\u00e9 le luth gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 sa manipulation ais\u00e9e et sa sonorit\u00e9 douce. Elle n\u2019a pas \u00e9t\u00e9 en mesure, m\u00eame avec le temps, de remplacer le luth et sa polyvalence. Au cas o\u00f9 vous souhaiteriez en savoir plus \u00e0 ce sujet, et si vous lisez l\u2019allemand, je vous recommande mon article \u00ab Weniger ist mehr \u2013 Grenzen und Aussichten der klassischen Gitarre\u00a0 \u00bb. <a href=\"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/willkommen\/laute-und-gitarre-ein-dilemma\/weniger-ist-mehr-grenzen-und-aussichten-der-klassischen-gitarre\/\">(voir \u00e9galement \u00ab\u00a0 A propos du Liuto-forte \u2013 Moins, c\u2019est plus \u2013 Limites et perspectives de la guitare classique \u00bb)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Il est rarement pris en compte que l\u2019apparition de la guitare a \u00e9t\u00e9 accompagn\u00e9e d\u2019inconv\u00e9nients majeurs, tels qu\u2019une tessiture limit\u00e9e des basses (si je peux me permettre cette r\u00e9flexion de profane en mati\u00e8re de luth). Cela n\u2019aurait-il pas d\u00fb inciter les musiciens \u00e0 essayer de combiner les avantages du luth avec ceux de la guitare\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0D\u00e9j\u00e0 aux alentours de 1800, alors que luths historiques et guitares pouvaient encore \u00eatre compar\u00e9s, des critiques sur la forme de la caisse de la guitare, ainsi que sur ses cordes, ont \u00e9merg\u00e9. Ind\u00e9pendamment les uns des autres, plusieurs auteurs ont estim\u00e9 que la caisse de la guitare n\u2019\u00e9tait pas id\u00e9ale pour un instrument \u00e0 cordes pinc\u00e9es. Ils ont propos\u00e9 de donner au dos de la caisse le galbe arrondi des luths et th\u00e9orbes traditionnels. Il y avait de bonnes raisons \u00e0 cela\u00a0 : le corps du luth, avec ses deux parties (la table d\u2019harmonie et la caisse) peut \u00eatre compar\u00e9 \u00e0 un haut-parleur. Il transforme en son la vibration de la corde beaucoup plus efficacement qu\u2019une \u00ab\u00a0 bo\u00eete\u00a0 \u00bb. Dans ce cas, l\u2019impulsion sonore ne peut se propager directement de la table d\u2019harmonie au dos de la guitare, elle est absorb\u00e9e par les c\u00f4t\u00e9s (les \u00e9clisses) se trouvant entre les deux. Les guitares \u00e0 dos plus convexe peuvent g\u00e9n\u00e9rer un son un peu plus doux, mais la transformation de l\u2019impulsion d\u2019\u00e9nergie en son n\u2019en est pas pour autant am\u00e9lior\u00e9e, car la table et le dos restent s\u00e9par\u00e9s par les \u00e9clisses. Il semble que les concepteurs des guitares \u00ab\u00a0 Ovation\u00a0 \u00bb aient pris ce param\u00e8tre en consid\u00e9ration. Cependant, l\u2019architecture typique de la guitare apporte toujours une rigidit\u00e9 inutile qui emp\u00eache invariablement la propagation de l\u2019\u00e9nergie sonore entre la table et le dos.<br \/>La pr\u00e9pond\u00e9rance de la guitare \u00e0 6 cordes ne tient pas tant \u00e0 des raisons musicales qu\u2019\u00e0 des strat\u00e9gies de profit de la part des \u00e9diteurs. Ces \u00e9diteurs du 19\u00e8me si\u00e8cle s\u2019adressaient principalement aux amateurs passionn\u00e9s de guitare et de chant. Pourtant, nombre d\u2019importants guitaristes du 19\u00e8me jouaient sur des guitares \u00e0 7 ou 8 cordes, voire plus. Mais il y eut moins de compositions pour ces guitares que pour la guitare \u00e0 6 cordes. Cela a totalement fauss\u00e9 et orient\u00e9 l\u2019opinion du public quant au nombre optimal de cordes, qui en fait est de 7, ou 9 d\u2019un point de vue musical. Je pense toutefois qu\u2019au-del\u00e0 de 9, l\u2019instrument est soumis \u00e0 de s\u00e9v\u00e8res limites acoustiques et esth\u00e9tiques.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Vous avez cr\u00e9\u00e9 un instrument plus puissant et plus facile \u00e0 jouer que le luth ou la guitare. Pourriez-vous d\u00e9crire bri\u00e8vement comment ces deux qualit\u00e9s sont apparues\u00a0 ? Le Liuto forte me semble plut\u00f4t \u00ab\u00a0 normal\u00a0 \u00bb. Par exemple, il n\u2019est pas significativement plus grand ni plus arrondi (volume sonore), et son manche n\u2019est pas plus \u00e9troit (confort de jeu).<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Le Liuto forte contraste avec le luth historique de la m\u00eame mani\u00e8re que le son des violons modernes (ou modernis\u00e9s au 19\u00e8me si\u00e8cle) diff\u00e8re de celui des violons baroques originaux. Soit dit en passant, sur les quelques 300 violons av\u00e9r\u00e9s comme \u00e9tant des Stradivari, un seul est toujours dans son \u00e9tat d\u2019origine, construit \u00e0 Cr\u00e9mone au 17\u00e8me. Bien que le corps de ces violons modernis\u00e9s soit toujours conforme \u00e0 l\u2019original, des d\u00e9tails significatifs \u2013 comme le barrage de la table d\u2019harmonie, la pression exerc\u00e9e par les cordes sur celle-ci, la tension des cordes elles-m\u00eames \u2013 ont ensuite \u00e9t\u00e9 modifi\u00e9s pour permettre d\u2019augmenter la pression et l\u2019intensit\u00e9 sonore, par cons\u00e9quent une plus grande dynamique. Ces modifications ont non seulement rendu ces instruments plus adapt\u00e9s \u00e0 un public nombreux, mais aussi offert de nouvelles possibilit\u00e9s d\u2019expression musicale.<br \/>Le Liuto forte ne p\u00e8se pas plus lourd que le luth historique, donc beaucoup moins que la guitare classique. Mais c\u2019est un loup d\u00e9guis\u00e9 en agneau. La pression acoustique est consid\u00e9rablement am\u00e9lior\u00e9e gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la nouvelle construction brevet\u00e9e de la table d\u2019harmonie, gr\u00e2ce aussi \u00e0 des cordes simples d\u2019une tension plus forte, \u00e0 la place des ch\u0153urs. Cela est mis en \u0153uvre sans trop solliciter l\u2019instrument, sans devoir revenir \u00e0 la facture plus robuste et bien connue du d\u00e9but du 20\u00e8me si\u00e8cle. Au final, les am\u00e9liorations du son qu\u2019apporte le Liuto forte r\u00e9sultent de nombreux \u00e9l\u00e9ments sp\u00e9cifiques, d\u2019un assemblage nouveau et d\u2019un travail de d\u00e9veloppement intensif. C\u2019est plut\u00f4t complexe\u2026 mais il n\u2019y a pas de \u00ab\u00a0 truc\u00a0 \u00bb particulier.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Vous souvenez-vous de \u00ab\u00a0 l\u2019\u00e9tincelle initiale\u00a0 \u00bb, de la motivation particuli\u00e8re qui vous a conduit \u00e0 d\u00e9velopper le Liuto forte\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0C\u2019\u00e9tait pour moi une \u00e9volution toute naturelle, plut\u00f4t qu\u2019un \u00ab\u00a0 appel du Ciel\u00a0 \u00bb \u2026 Comme beaucoup de luthistes contemporains, j\u2019ai commenc\u00e9 par l\u2019\u00e9tude de la guitare classique. Comme je me sentais mal \u00e0 l\u2019aise avec le r\u00e9pertoire quelque peu restreint pour cet instrument, j\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 attir\u00e9 comme par magie par le luth, son immense potentiel et les possibilit\u00e9s qu\u2019il offrait, et cela d\u00e8s mes jeunes ann\u00e9es. A 19 ans, j\u2019ai commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 jouer sur des copies de luths Renaissance et baroques historiques. Mais la plus grande expressivit\u00e9 sonore de la guitare me manquait. Mes r\u00e9serves quant aux luths historiques \u00e9taient dues principalement aux cordes doubles, et au son relativement t\u00e9nu de ces instruments. Ce n\u2019est que plus tard que j\u2019ai d\u00e9couvert la tradition des luths historiques \u00e0 cordes simples, comme le th\u00e9orbe et l\u2019ang\u00e9lique, entre autres. J\u2019ai d\u00e9couvert que les \u0153uvres pour luth de J.S Bach avaient \u00e9t\u00e9 compos\u00e9es pour un puissant instrument \u00e0 cordes simples. De cette d\u00e9couverte est n\u00e9e l\u2019impulsion d\u00e9cisive de vouloir poursuivre avec cette lign\u00e9e prometteuse de luths, avec cette tradition instrumentale. D\u2019une certaine fa\u00e7on, J.S. Bach pourrait \u00eatre nomm\u00e9, \u00e0 juste titre, \u00ab\u00a0 p\u00e8re du Liuto forte \u00bb. (Voir aussi\u00a0 :\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bach-lautenwerke.de\/fr.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.bach-lautenwerk.de\/fr.html<\/a> et <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musica-longa.de\/Bach.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.musica-longa.de\/Bach<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Au cours des ann\u00e9es pr\u00e9c\u00e9dentes, j\u2019avais d\u00e9j\u00e0 beaucoup travaill\u00e9 avec les mus\u00e9es et jou\u00e9 sur des instruments historiques originaux. J\u2019\u00e9tais donc bien inform\u00e9 sur la structure interne, la lutherie et le fonctionnement de tels instruments. J\u2019ai donc pu prendre comme point de d\u00e9part les diff\u00e9rentes tables d\u2019harmonies des luths baroques tardifs pour d\u00e9velopper des id\u00e9es sur la mani\u00e8re de les modifier afin d\u2019obtenir un instrument puissant, avec des aigus chantants, des m\u00e9diums clairs et des basses impressionnantes. Mais en soi, cela n\u2019aurait gu\u00e8re suffi.<br \/>Heureusement, \u00e0 ce stade, j\u2019ai rencontr\u00e9 \u00ab\u00a0 les bonnes personnes, au bon moment\u00a0 \u00bb. Gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l\u2019aide et \u00e0 la comp\u00e9tence visionnaire de l\u2019ing\u00e9nieur Benno Streu, de Fribourg, j\u2019ai pu pr\u00e9ciser mes id\u00e9es concernant la conception et la r\u00e9alisation de la table d\u2019harmonie. Enfin, le luthier G\u00fcnter Mark est venu, comme le \u00abTroisi\u00e8me Mousquetaire\u00a0 \u00bb pour ainsi dire, compl\u00e9ter l\u2019\u00e9quipe. Avec son acuit\u00e9 imaginative, il a cr\u00e9\u00e9 les premiers prototypes du Liuto forte. Sans ces deux collaborateurs, il n\u2019y aurait eu aucune chance de concr\u00e9tiser la vision d\u2019un luth moderne combinant le meilleur du luth historique et celui de la guitare classique. Il est peut-\u00eatre int\u00e9ressant de noter qu\u2019avant m\u00eame d\u2019avoir entendu un tel instrument, j\u2019avais d\u00e9j\u00e0, \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9vocation du mot \u00ab\u00a0 luth\u00a0 \u00bb, l\u2019id\u00e9e d\u2019un son sp\u00e9cifique. Ce son ne ressemblait ni \u00e0 celui d\u2019une guitare classique, ni \u00e0 celui des copies de luths historiques que j\u2019ai pu d\u00e9couvrir par la suite. C\u2019est assez \u00e9trange\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Vous travaillez avec des scientifiques de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de technologie de Dresde. Pouvez-vous nous parler du r\u00f4le et de l\u2019importance de cette coop\u00e9ration\u00a0 ? Cela marque-t-il une avanc\u00e9e cruciale par rapport \u00e0 vos pr\u00e9c\u00e9dentes tentatives de d\u00e9veloppement du luth\u00a0 ? Quelle est l\u2019importance qu\u2019offre la possibilit\u00e9 d\u2019appliquer une technologie de pointe afin d\u2019obtenir des r\u00e9sultats optimaux\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>AB\u00a0 :<\/strong> Jusqu\u2019\u00e0 pr\u00e9sent, les \u00e9tudes d\u2019analyse mod\u00e9lis\u00e9es en laboratoire n\u2019ont malheureusement pas fourni de \u00ab\u00a0 recette\u00a0 \u00bb pour la construction de l\u2019instrument parfait. Cependant, elles contribuent de mani\u00e8re significative \u00e0 une meilleure compr\u00e9hension de certains processus acoustiques, et des fonctionnements de base des instruments de musique. Pour exemple, certains clips vid\u00e9os sur notre site Web vous donnent un bon aper\u00e7u des parties de l\u2019instrument qui sont particuli\u00e8rement actives dans certaines gammes de fr\u00e9quences. (Voir\u00a0 :\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/willkommen\/laute-und-gitarre-ein-dilemma\/forschung\/\">A propos du Liuto forte \u2013 Recherche<\/a>). Ce n\u2019est pas l\u2019outil le moins utile pour analyser les erreurs\u00a0 ! Depuis le d\u00e9but, notre collaboration avec l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de technologie de Dresde a \u00e9t\u00e9 con\u00e7ue comme un projet \u00e0 long terme. Cela \u00e9tait n\u00e9cessaire, ne serait-ce qu\u2019en raison du temps consid\u00e9rable que demande la recherche d\u2019un langage commun entre physiciens, luthiers et instrumentistes. Il faut toutefois noter que les mesures effectu\u00e9es dans les laboratoires acoustiques de Zwota et Dresde n\u2019ont jamais constitu\u00e9 un pr\u00e9alable \u00e0 l\u2019excellente qualit\u00e9 sonore de nos instruments, qui est le fruit de la collaboration entre Michael Haaser, G\u00fcnter Mark, Benno Streu et moi-m\u00eame. Ces mesures nous ont principalement aid\u00e9s \u00e0 mieux comprendre, r\u00e9trospectivement, les caract\u00e9ristiques vibratoires de nos luths. Il se peut n\u00e9anmoins que les r\u00e9sultats des analyses en laboratoire fournissent des indications susceptibles d\u2019am\u00e9liorer encore la qualit\u00e9 de nos instruments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CK\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Concernant la lutherie des violons, les ma\u00eetres luthiers du pass\u00e9 sont consid\u00e9r\u00e9s comme la r\u00e9f\u00e9rence, en tout point, que ce soit \u00e0 propos de la qualit\u00e9 sonore, de la conception de l\u2019instrument ou du vernissage (si toutefois on peut s\u00e9parer ces aspects particuliers). Les ma\u00eetres anciens sont-ils \u00e9galement respect\u00e9s dans le domaine de la fabrication des luths? Comment vous positionnez-vous par rapport \u00e0 cette norme\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0J\u2019aurais aim\u00e9 disposer d\u2019un tel \u00ab\u00a0 \u00e9talon-or\u00a0 \u00bb, un tel standard pour d\u00e9finir des crit\u00e8res de qualit\u00e9 sans \u00e9quivoque, comme cela est possible avec les violons des c\u00e9l\u00e8bres luthiers des 17\u00e8me et 18\u00e8me si\u00e8cles, des instruments toujours utilis\u00e9s de nos jours Malheureusement, la situation est compl\u00e8tement diff\u00e9rente avec les luths historiques pr\u00e9serv\u00e9s aujourd\u2019hui. Selon les connaissances actuelles, il existe encore environ un millier de luths historiques de conception europ\u00e9enne, dont 95% ne sont plus jouables. En ce qui concerne les rares instruments utilisables restants \u2013 comme un luth de Sebastian Schelle (1744) qui fut en ma possession \u2013 il n\u2019est pas certain que leur son soit toujours le m\u00eame qu\u2019il y a 300 ans, quand ils \u00e9taient jou\u00e9s r\u00e9guli\u00e8rement. Les luthiers actuels copient g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement des instruments muets depuis longtemps, qui tra\u00eenent dans les mus\u00e9es. En r\u00e8gle g\u00e9n\u00e9rale, quand un m\u00eame instrument historique est copi\u00e9 par diff\u00e9rents luthiers, vous obtenez des caract\u00e9ristiques sonores diff\u00e9rentes. Et cela m\u00eame lorsque toutes les cotes, les mensurations sont identiques, ainsi que les essences de bois utilis\u00e9es. Car m\u00eame si la qualit\u00e9 de fabrication peut tr\u00e8s bien \u00eatre excellente et tout \u00e0 fait identique au niveau du mod\u00e8le original, nous ne pouvons affirmer qu\u2019il en est de m\u00eame pour les qualit\u00e9s sonores, l\u2019original \u00e9tant \u00ab\u00a0 mort\u00a0 \u00bb depuis longtemps en raison des circonstances d\u00e9crites. En cons\u00e9quence, nous n\u2019avons d\u2019autre alternative que de \u00ab\u00a0 r\u00e9inventer\u00a0 \u00bb le luth, en ce qui concerne le son. Malgr\u00e9 de telles limites, il reste une caract\u00e9ristique clairement identifiable et commune \u00e0 de nombreux luths anciens, c\u2019est leur \u00e9tonnante et facile r\u00e9activit\u00e9. Cela est d\u00fb \u00e0 un savoir cach\u00e9 qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 perdu \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9poque de la production en s\u00e9rie, et qui n\u2019a \u00e9t\u00e9 red\u00e9couvert qu\u2019au 20\u00e8me si\u00e8cle par Benno Streu de Fribourg. Cela est li\u00e9 au bon assemblage des bois de la table et de la coque, et ce savoir est appliqu\u00e9 \u00e0 tous les Liuti forti.<br \/>Pour le moment, nous gardons cela comme le secret de fabrication de notre entreprise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Votre id\u00e9e a-t-elle \u00e9t\u00e9 accueillie avec enthousiasme d\u00e8s le d\u00e9but\u00a0 ? Ou bien avez-vous fait face au scepticisme ou m\u00eame \u00e0 la moquerie\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Tous les experts en marketing connaissent le concept de \u00ab\u00a0 premiers adeptes\u00a0 \u00bb. Cette expression d\u00e9signe les personnes qui attendent depuis longtemps une innovation et qui l\u2019adoptent sit\u00f4t qu\u2019elle devient disponible. Ces clients prot\u00e8gent ainsi l\u2019inventeur de la banqueroute lors de la phase de d\u00e9marrage. Ils lui permettent conserver l\u2019estime de soi, et l\u2019illusion qu\u2019il sera en mesure de rembourser ses dettes bancaires \u00e0 l\u2019avenir\u2026 Un second groupe, en principe tout aussi bienveillant, attendra de voir comment les choses \u00e9voluent et si l\u2019innovation survit \u00e0 sa phase de d\u00e9marrage. Ces personnes apparaissent g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement \u2013 de mani\u00e8re inattendue \u2013 pendant la travers\u00e9e du d\u00e9sert qui suit le temps des premiers adeptes. Cette p\u00e9riode se caract\u00e9rise par un avenir tr\u00e8s incertain pour l\u2019innovation, pouvant \u00e9ventuellement conduire le concepteur \u00e0 la tentation de renoncer. Le troisi\u00e8me groupe, et le loin le plus grand, suit le principe de la majorit\u00e9. Une fois qu\u2019un nombre suffisant de personnes des deux cat\u00e9gories pr\u00e9c\u00e9dentes ont exprim\u00e9 leur satisfaction, alors ces gens initialement h\u00e9sitants d\u00e9cident de ne plus rester \u00e0 la tra\u00eene, peut-\u00eatre par crainte de para\u00eetre d\u00e9mod\u00e9s. En ce qui concerne le Liuto forte, il semble que nous nous approchons de ce stade.<br \/>Les innovations suscitent g\u00e9n\u00e9ralement le scepticisme. A ce sujet, il est int\u00e9ressant de noter que la plupart des innovations durables ne sont accept\u00e9es qu\u2019apr\u00e8s une p\u00e9riode d\u2019environ 20 ans. Pour citer quelques exemples probants, cela vaut notamment pour le violoncelle, le piano-forte, le moteur Diesel, le stylo \u00e0 bille ou la fermeture \u00e0 glissi\u00e8re\u2026 Cela semble \u00eatre une p\u00e9riode d\u2019incubation qui peut difficilement \u00eatre raccourcie et s\u2019av\u00e8re n\u00e9cessaire pour vaincre la r\u00e9sistance des forces d\u2019inertie les plus puissantes qui soient, \u00e0 savoir les habitudes et les pr\u00e9jug\u00e9s. Je n\u2019ai jusqu\u2019ici subi aucune moquerie. Cependant, je dois prendre acte des signes ind\u00e9niables de malaise, voire de peur, de la part des acteurs du jeu des luths \u00ab\u00a0 historiques\u00a0 \u00bb.<br \/>Je leur assure invariablement que jamais je ne renierai la validit\u00e9 du luth historique, mais que je compte plut\u00f4t ouvrir un nouveau chapitre de ce bel instrument. Ce qui, \u00e0 mon avis, suppose avant tout que les luthistes s\u2019ouvrent \u00e0 tous les styles de musique, et qu\u2019ils accueillent les guitaristes plut\u00f4t que de les exclure.<br \/>De plus, l\u2019art de jouer du luth dans la tradition historique peut lui-m\u00eame tirer profit de nos exp\u00e9riences avec le Liuto forte. Par exemple, notre luthier G\u00fcnter Mark vient de recevoir le \u00ab\u00a0 Prix allemand des instruments de musique\u00a0 \u00bb (Deutscher Musikinstrumentenpreis), qui r\u00e9compense un luth Renaissance en sol (alto). Dans la fabrication de ce luth, il a appliqu\u00e9 plusieurs proc\u00e9d\u00e9s d\u00e9velopp\u00e9s pour le Liuto forte, comme les m\u00e9thodes d\u2019harmonisation pr\u00e9cises de la table ou les principes de s\u00e9lection des bois. L\u2019instrument a \u00e9t\u00e9 expos\u00e9 au Salon de Musique de Francfort (\u00ab\u00a0 Frankfurter Musikmesse\u00a0 \u00bb) en mars 2012.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Voyez-vous une chance d\u2019\u00e9tablir durablement le luth dans le paysage musical d\u2019aujourd\u2019hui, apr\u00e8s une absence de plusieurs si\u00e8cles\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B:<\/strong>\u00a0Je crois fermement en cette perspective, pour peu que les gens soient pr\u00eats \u00e0 examiner et r\u00e9viser de mani\u00e8re critique un instrument qui est rest\u00e9 fig\u00e9 sur ce qu\u2019il \u00e9tait au 18\u00e8me si\u00e8cle. Il faut par ailleurs \u00eatre pr\u00eat \u00e0 surmonter tous les obstacles qui emp\u00eachent l\u2019utilisation du luth dans les styles musicaux des 19\u00e8me et 20\u00e8me si\u00e8cles, et jusqu\u2019\u00e0 pr\u00e9sent.<br \/>Au cours des 10 derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es, nous avons non seulement fondamentalement r\u00e9vis\u00e9 l\u2019ensemble de la famille des luths, mais \u00e9galement mis au point des cordes sp\u00e9cialement con\u00e7ues pour nos nouveaux instruments. Elles sont adapt\u00e9es sp\u00e9cifiquement \u00e0 chaque instrument, et sont bien plus \u00e9quilibr\u00e9es que les cordes de luth et de guitare habituelles. De plus, j\u2019ai d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 une nouvelle technique de jeu particuli\u00e8rement adapt\u00e9e \u00e0 ces instruments. Les techniques de jeu traditionnelles des luths Renaissance et baroques y sont combin\u00e9es et s\u2019int\u00e8grent \u00e0 celles des guitares des 19\u00e8me et 20\u00e8me si\u00e8cles. Par exemple, comme pour le piano, j\u2019utilise le petit doigt de la main droite. Cela n\u00e9cessite une position de la main parfaitement d\u00e9tendue, entre la position standard pour le luth baroque et celle de la guitare classique. Les instrumentistes exploreront l\u2019\u00e9norme potentiel sonore du Liuto forte dans les ann\u00e9es \u00e0 venir\u00a0 : toutes les propositions sont les bienvenues.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0La musique rock fait partie du paysage musical contemporain. Ingo Hampf, de \u00ab\u00a0 Subway to Sally\u00a0 \u00bb, a attir\u00e9 mon attention sur vous. Pouvez-vous imaginer cr\u00e9er des instruments \u00e9lectro-acoustiques sp\u00e9ciaux, \u00e9quip\u00e9s de capteurs adapt\u00e9s aux contraintes extr\u00eames d\u2019un spectacle rock ? Les exigences en mati\u00e8re \u00ab\u00a0 d\u2019ext\u00e9riorisation de soi\u00a0 \u00bb, de pr\u00e9sence et de jeu sc\u00e9niques, sont bien plus grandes dans ce contexte que dans une configuration de musique de chambre\u2026 De plus, la chaleur g\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9e par les projecteurs, bien plus \u00e9lev\u00e9e que pendant un concert de luth habituel, risquerait d\u2019avoir des cons\u00e9quences \u00e9tant donn\u00e9 la vuln\u00e9rabilit\u00e9, la fragilit\u00e9, bien connues de beaucoup d\u2019instruments dans de telles circonstances\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Nous sommes ouverts \u00e0 tout et nous aimons exp\u00e9rimenter \u2013 vous trouverez sur notre site Web des exemples sonores d\u2019un Liuto forte amplifi\u00e9, jou\u00e9 par Peter Autschbach\u00a0(LINK Autschbach). Cependant, le Liuto forte est avant tout un instrument acoustique, con\u00e7u pour exploiter et optimiser la r\u00e9sonance naturelle de l\u2019air plut\u00f4t que les qualit\u00e9s d\u2019un amplificateur. En raison de mon manque d\u2019exp\u00e9rience dans ce domaine, je ne peux dire si cette puissance \u00ab\u00a0 naturelle\u00a0 \u00bb du Liuto forte pourrait pr\u00e9senter un quelconque avantage dans la musique rock. Il faut essayer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Derni\u00e8re question\u00a0 : consid\u00e9rez-vous le Luth-forte comme une \u00ab\u00a0 pierre philosophale\u00a0 \u00bb musicale, ou plut\u00f4t comme un jalon dans un axe de d\u00e9veloppement continu\u00a0 ?<\/p>\n<p><strong>A.B\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Il semblerait que la \u00ab\u00a0 pierre philosophale\u00a0 \u00bb\u00a0 ait d\u00e9j\u00e0 \u00e9t\u00e9 trouv\u00e9e, \u00e0 en croire certains protagonistes de la sph\u00e8re du luth historique qui redoutent tout changement comme le diable d\u00e9teste l\u2019eau b\u00e9nite. Cet instrument, autrefois si polyvalent, est loin d\u2019avoir atteint ses limites.<br \/>Je serais heureux de le voir quitter le royaume des mus\u00e9es pour \u00eatre remis en libert\u00e9. Je serais pleinement satisfait si l\u2019histoire future de la musique nous mentionnait en tant qu\u2019artisans de ce processus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.K\u00a0 :<\/strong>\u00a0Merci pour cet entretien.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zillo Medieval, Ausgabe M\u00e4rz 2012<\/strong><br \/>(Der Abdruck erfolgt mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Zillo Medivial)<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Entretien avec Andr\u00e9 Burguete (Zillo Medieval \u2013 mars 2012)Questions pos\u00e9es par Christopher Kutzer C. Kutzer :\u00a0Vous avez re\u00e7u \u00e0 Paris en 1999 le \u00ab\u00a0 Prix Europ\u00e9en de l\u2019innovation pour les instruments de musique\u00a0 \u00bb, qui consacre votre concept du \u00ab\u00a0 Liuto forte\u00a0 \u00bb).Ce luth est-il vraiment la premi\u00e8re d\u00e9marche s\u00e9rieuse pour moderniser un instrument tomb\u00e9 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=\"1\" _builder_version=\"4.21.0\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_row _builder_version=\"4.21.0\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\" _builder_version=\"4.21.0\" _module_preset=\"default\" global_colors_info=\"{}\"][et_pb_text admin_label=\"\u00dcberschrift Interview mit Andr\u00e9 Burguete f\u00fcr die Zeitschrift \u201eZillo Medieval\u201c\" _builder_version=\"4.21.0\" _module_preset=\"default\" hover_enabled=\"0\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"]<\/p><h1 class=\"entry-title\">Interview with Andr\u00e9 Burguete in \u201cZillo Medieval\u201d<\/h1><p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.21.0\" _module_preset=\"default\" hover_enabled=\"0\" global_colors_info=\"{}\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"]<\/p><p>Questions posed by Christoph Kutzer<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0In 1999, you were awarded the \u201ePrix Europ\u00e9en de l\u2019innovation pour les instruments de musique\u201c in Paris, in appreciation of your development of the Liuto forte. Is this lute really the first serious attempt at modernizing the instrument after it fell out of fashion?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, in actual fact it is. In spite of their lute-shaped body, the \u201elutes\u201c in the Wandervogel movement at the beginning of the 20th century were actually of a guitar-like construction, thus their sound had little to do with the sound of 16th- to 18th -century lutes. In contrast, our development of the liuto forte is based on very careful and thorough studies of historical lute construction, including an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. Rather than negating that tradition our own ideas tie in with it (see also About the Liuto forte \u2013 Quality Control).<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0A common interpretation of history holds that the lute was replaced by the guitar because the latter was both easier to play and louder. Do you share this view of the matter?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0This narrative, though understandably popular with guitarists, is simply not true in light of the historical facts. First of all, a small romantic guitar was hardly louder than a baroque lute. Lutes for figured bass such as the theorbo or the arciliuto which were used in orchestras would easily have drowned out even several romantic guitars. It was actually the rapidly developing fortepiano that replaced lute instruments in the second half of the 18th century. That was because this instrument could be played softly (piano) as well as loudly (forte), in contrast to the harpsichord as it was in use before then. Until the advent of the pianoforte, plucked instruments were the only chordal instruments that could be considerably varied in volume.<\/p><p>It was in consequence of this sketched historical development that baroque lutes and baroque guitars were already edged out by the middle of the 18th century. In this virtually \u201elute-free\u201c space, the small romantic guitar had its astonishing career. Its main characteristics were, firstly, its single strings, easier to tune and play than the traditional double strings, and secondly, its warmer and richer tonal colour which seemed to fit the taste of that sentimental period better than the aristocratic lute with its higher demands on the player and its somewhat drier sound. However, as I said, the romantic guitar neither dislodged nor succeeded the lute in any strict sense. It simply became the new favorite plucking instrument after the lute had disappeared. This happened because of its easy handling and sweet sound. It was not able to even remotely replace the lute with its manifold functions.<\/p><p>In case you would like to learn more about the subject and can follow German, I recommend my article \u201eWeniger ist mehr \u2013 Grenzen und Aussichten der klassischen Gitarre\u201c (see also <a href=\"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/en\/weniger_ist_mehr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">About the Liuto forte \u2013 Contributions, Andr\u00e9 Burguete<\/a>).<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0It is seldom taken into account that the introduction of the guitar was accompanied by several serious drawbacks, such as the limited range of basses (if I got this right as a layman in lute things). Wouldn\u2019t that have forced musicians to try and combine the advantages of the lute and the guitar?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0Already around 1800 \u2013 when historical lutes and romantic guitars could still be compared \u2013 some criticism of the guitar\u2019s body shape and stringing emerged. Independently from one another, several authors held that the box-shape of the guitar was not ideal for a plucking instrument. They proposed to vault the back again in the manner of traditional lutes and theorbos. There were good acoustical reasons for this.<\/p><p>The body of the lute, made up in principle of two parts, soundboard and shell, can be compared to a loudspeaker. It transforms the touch of the string much more effectively into sound than a \u201ebox\u201c. In the latter the impulse cannot travel directly from soundboard to back but is actually \u201eeaten up\u201c by the sides in between. Guitars with more convex backs might produce a somewhat softer sound. However, the transformation of the energy impulse into sound is not at all improved here as long as top and back are separated by sides. It appears the developers of the \u201eOvation\u201c-guitars considered this. However, the indentation of the edge of the body typical of the guitar still brings unnecessary stiffness here, invariably impeding energy transmission between top and back. <a href=\"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/en\/2019\/02\/12\/franz-bathioli\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(See also the contribution by Franz Bathioli)<\/a><\/p><p>The dominance of the six-stringed guitar today is not so much due to musical reason but rather results from the profit-oriented strategies of publishers of guitar sheet music. These 19th-century publishers mainly targeted the mass of amateurs and guitar fans keen on singing. In contrast, quite a number of important 19th-century guitarists played instruments with seven, eight, or even more strings. However, the corresponding compositions were far less widely published than those for the six-string guitar. This quite distorted the public impression of the optimal number of strings for a guitar, which is actually seven or nine from a musical point of view. I hold however that, beyond this number, the instrument would face severe acoustical and aesthetical limits.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0You have created an instrument which is both more powerful and easier to play than either lute or guitar. Could you sketch briefly how these two effects come about? The Liuto forte looks rather \u201enormal\u201d to me, all in all. For example, it is not significantly larger or more rounded (volume), its fretboard is not significantly narrower (playability) \u2026<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0The Liuto forte contrasts with the lute in much the same way that the sound made by modern violins, or by violins \u201cmodernized\u201d in the 19th century differs in comparison with original baroque violins. By the way, only one of the about 300 recognized violins by Stradivari is still in its original state as built in the 18th century in Cremona. Though the body of these modernized violins is still original, significant details \u2013 such as the barring of the soundboard, the pressure exerted on it by the strings, the string tension itself \u2013 were later modified to allow for increased sound pressure and intensity and thus a broader dynamic. These modifications not only made them more suitable for concerts in front of a larger audience, but offered entirely new possibilities of musical expression.<\/p><p>The Liuto forte does not weigh more than a historical lute and therefore far less than the common guitar. However it is a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing. Sound pressure could be significantly enhanced due to a novel patented construction of the top as well as the single strings at higher tension instead of double strings. This could be done without placing too much of a strain on the instrument and thus by avoiding the more robust construction which is well-known from early 20th-century lutes. Ultimately, the Liuto forte\u2019s improvements in sound are brought about by many individual components, a new manner of assembly, and rather intensive work in its development. It\u2019s rather complex, there is no particular \u201etrick\u201c.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you remember the initial spark, or the first specific plan to start developing the Liuto forte?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0It was a natural evolution rather than a call from heaven. Like many contemporary lutenists I first studied the classical guitar. As I felt uncomfortable with the rather restricted repertoire for this instrument, I was magically drawn to the lute and its immense potential and resources already at quite a young age. At nineteen I began to play copies of historical Renaissance and Baroque lutes. But I missed the greater range of sound expressiveness possible on the classical guitar. These restrictions were mainly due to the double strings and to the relatively fleeting sound of the historically designed instrument. Only later I came to recognize the tradition of single-stringed historical lutes such as the theorbo and Angelique, among others. I discovered that Johann Sebastian Bach\u2019s lute works were composed for a powerful single-stringed instrument. From this discovery came the decisive impulse to continue with this promising line of lute instrument tradition. In a sense, Johann Sebastian Bach might thus rightly be named the \u201efather\u201c of the Liuto forte (see also:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bach-lautenwerke.de\/en.html\">www.bach-lautenwerke.de\/en.html<\/a>).<\/p><p>In previous years I had already worked intensively with museums and played on original historical instruments. I was well informed on the internal construction and the functioning of such instruments. Therefore I was able to take the top bracings of late-baroque lutes as a starting point for developing ideas how these should be modified in order to achieve a more powerful instrument with singing trebles, clearer middle voices and impressive basses. In itself, this would hardly have been sufficient. Fortunately enough in this situation, I met \u201ethe right people at the right time\u201c. Thanks to the help of the ingenious engineer Benno Streu from Freiburg I was able to specify more closely my ideas regarding the design of a new construction of the top. Finally the luthier G\u00fcnter Mark completed the team, as the \u201eThird Musketeer\u201d so-to-say. With his sensitive imagination he created the first prototypes of the \u201eLiuto forte\u201c. Without these two collaborators, there would have been no chance of realizing the vision of a modern lute that combined the best of the historical lute and the classical guitar.<\/p><p>It might be of some interest that before ever having heard such an instrument, I already had a distinct sound idea in connection with the word \u201elute\u201c. This sound neither resembled that of a guitar nor that of copies of historical lutes as I got to know them later on. Now that is quite strange.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0You work with scientists at the Dresden University of Technology. Could you tell us about the role and significance of this cooperation? Does this mark the crucial advance over your earlier attempts at lute development? How important is the option of applying state-of-the-art technology in order to achieve optimum results?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0So far, modal analysis studies in the lab have unfortunately not supplied a \u201erecipe\u201c for constructing the perfect instrument. However, they do significantly contribute to a better understanding of certain acoustical processes and basic operation principles of musical instruments. As an example, some video clips on our website give you a good impression which parts of the instrument are particularly active in certain frequency ranges (see About the Liuto forte \u2013 Research, LINK). That is not the least useful tool in error analysis. From the beginning, our collaboration with the Dresden University of Technology has been conceived as a long-term project. This was necessary if only because of the considerable time period which is needed to find a common language between physicists, instrument builders, and musicians. It has to be said however that the measurements in the acoustic labs in Zwota and Dresden never constituted a prerequisite for the excellent sound quality of our instruments, which emerged from the collaboration of Michael Haaser, G\u00fcnter Mark, Benno Streu and myself. Primarily, these measurements helped us better understand the vibration characteristics of our lutes in retrospect. It may well be, however, that results from lab analyses will provide useful clues on how to further improve the quality of our instruments.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0In violin making, the old masters are considered the measure of all things, be it regarding sound quality or instrument design, including varnishing (if these domains can be separated at all). Are the old masters equally revered in the area of lute making? How do you deal with that standard?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0I wish we had such a gold standard to derive unequivocal quality criteria in the way it is possible with violins by famous craftsmen of the 17th and 18th century, which are still in use. Unfortunately, the situation is completely different with preserved historical lutes. According to current knowledge, there still exist about 1000 historical lutes of European design, of which an estimated 95% are no longer playable. Regarding the remaining few \u2013 such as a lute by Sebastian Schelle (1744) in my former possession \u2013 it is completely uncertain whether the instrument\u2019s sound is still the same as 300 years ago when it was in continuous use. Today\u2019s luthiers generally copy instruments which have long fallen silent and hang in museums. As a rule, if one historical instrument is copied by different luthiers you get quite different sound characteristics. This even holds true when all construction measurements and all the woods used are identical. The level of craftsmanship might be excellent and well on a par with the original model. However, we cannot tell if the same holds good for sound characteristics, because, due to the circumstances described, the original has long ago died. In consequence, we have no choice but to \u201creinvent\u201d the lute in regard to its sound.<\/p><p>Despite such limitations, there is a clearly recognizable characteristic of many ancient lutes, namely their astonishingly effortless responsiveness. This is due to some hidden knowledge that was lost in the age of mass production and was only rediscovered in the 20th century by Benno Streu from Freiburg. It has to do with the correct pairing of woods for top and back and is used in all Liuti forti. For the time being, we keep it a company secret.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0Was your idea greeted with enthusiasm from the beginning? Or did you face scepticism or even mockery?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0Every marketing expert is familiar with the concept of \u201eearly adaptors\u201c. This expression refers to people who have long awaited a certain innovation and take it on immediately it becomes available. These customers keep the inventor from ruin in the startup phase. They stabilize his self-esteem and allow him the illusion that he will be able to re-pay his bank debts in the future. A second group, in principle equally benevolent, will wait and see how things develop and whether the innovation survives the startup phase. They usually emerge \u2013 by and large unexpectedly \u2013 in the dry period that follows the early adaptor phase. This is the period characterized by a very uncertain future for the innovation, bringing with it the occasional thought of capitulation. The third and by far the largest group follow the majority principle. Once enough persons of the first and second category have gained and expressed their satisfaction, these initially hesitant people decide not to hang back any longer, maybe even fearing to look old-fashioned. As for the Liuto forte we seem to be approaching this point.<\/p><p>Innovations are, as a rule, met with scepticism. In this connection it is of interest that most lasting innovations are only accepted after a period of about twenty years. To name some telling examples, this was true for the cello, the fortepiano, the diesel engine, the ballpoint pen and the zipper, among others. This seems to be a kind of incubation period that can hardly be shortened and may be needed to overcome the resistance of the strongest forces in the world, namely habit and prejudice. I did not encounter any mockery so far. However, I have to realize unmistakable signs of uneasiness and even fear on the part of protagonists of \u201chistorical\u201d lute playing. I usually assure them that I would never deny the validity of the historical lute, but rather intend to open a new chapter in the history of this beautiful instrument. From my point of view this entails, above all, that lutenists open themselves up to the whole range of musical styles and welcome guitarists rather than exclude them.<\/p><p>Moreover, even the art of making lutes within the historical tradition can benefit by our experiences with the Liuto forte. For example, our luthier G\u00fcnter Mark just received the German Award for Musical Instruments (\u201eDeutscher Musikinstrumentenpreis\u201c) in appreciation of a Renaissance lute in g (alto lute). In the making of this lute he applied several principles that were developed for the Liuto forte, such as methods of fine tuning and principles of wood selection. The instrument was on display at the Frankfurt Music Fair (\u201cFrankfurter Musikmesse\u201c) in March 2012.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0Do you see a chance to firmly establish the lute in today\u2019s musical landscape, after a lag of several centuries?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0I strongly believe in that prospect as long as people are ready to critically examine and revise the instrument, which has remained stranded in the 18th century. One should be ready to remove any obstacles impeding the use of lutes for 19th- and 20th-century musical styles and up to the present.<\/p><p>Over the last ten years we have not only fundamentally revised the whole lute family but have also developed special strings for our new instruments. They are individually attuned for each model and much better balanced than customary lute and guitar strings. In addition, I have developed a new playing technique, which is especially adapted to these instruments. Traditional playing techniques for Renaissance and Baroque lute are combined and integrated with 19th- and 20th-century guitar playing techniques into something new. For instance, as in piano technique, I apply the little finger of the right hand on an equal basis. This requires a fully relaxed hand position somewhere in the middle between the standard positions for baroque lute and classical guitar. Players will further explore the enormous potential sound quality of the Liuto forte in the years to come. Any proposals are welcome.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0Rock music is part of the contemporary musical landscape. My own attention was drawn to you by Ingo Hampf of \u201eSubway to Sally\u201c \u2026 Could you imagine creating special electric instruments with pickups that are suitable for the extreme stresses of a Rock show? The demands on assertiveness are much bigger here as compared to a chamber music setting \u2026 Also the heat of spotlights strongly exceeds the heat production during a normal lute concert, which would provoke the well-known oversensitive reaction of many instruments in such circumstances \u2026<\/p><p>A.B: We are in principle open to everything and like to experiment. Sound examples from an amplified Liuto forte, played by Peter Autschbach, can be found on our website (LINK AUTSCHBACH). Primarily however, the Liuto forte is obviously an acoustic instrument, which is constructed to exploit an optimized air resonance rather than the quality of an amplifier. Due to my lack of experience here I cannot tell whether this \u201enatural\u201c strength might be of any advantage in the area of Rock music. One has to try.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0Final question: Would you consider the Liuto forte a musical \u201ephilosopher\u2019s stone\u201c or rather a milestone in a continuing line of development?<\/p><p><strong>AB:<\/strong>\u00a0As it seems, the \u201ephilosopher\u2019s stone\u201c has already been found by certain protagonists of historical lute playing who fear any change like the devil hates holy water. This instrument, formerly so versatile, is far from having reached its limits. I would be happy to see it leave the realm of museums behind and be set free again. I would be fully satisfied if future music history would mention us as protagonists in this process.<\/p><p><strong>CK:<\/strong>\u00a0Thank you for this interview.<\/p><p><strong>Zillo Medieval, March 2012<br \/><\/strong>(Printing with kind permission of Zillo medivial)<\/p><p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4956","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4956"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5176,"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4956\/revisions\/5176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liuto-forte.de\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}