Stay Tuned: Temperament for Solo Lute 1600–1750

Abstract:Most lutenists still tune in equal temperament, despite all the evidence that the best lutenists in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries tuned in some version of meantone temperament. Baroque keyboard players, on the other hand, routinely tune in unequal temperaments, usually one of the many irregular keyboard temperaments available to them. Once the frets are arranged, the lute is extremely flexible in terms of pitch choice, whereas the keyboard is not. The lute's ability to play the same pitch in multiple locations and other idiomatic features allow it to access many key areas with few compromises. Nevertheless, many lutenists still mistakenly believe that regular unequal temperaments such as meantone temperaments are impossible or extremely difficult on the lute, despite all the informational and technological resources available today that facilitate the arrangement of meantone temperaments on lutes. Thus, they do not enjoy the many sonic benefits that unequal temperaments provide.The aim of this essay is to demonstrate that by understanding a few basic principles, first on lutes in vieil ton (the old Renaissance tuning) and then in the standard baroque tuning on baroque lute, tuning and playing in meantone temperaments can become second nature and greatly enhance the beauty of music played on baroque lutes. This essay begins with a description of the universal issues that impact temperament on lutes, then considers meantone temperaments in vieil ton as an introduction to the more challenging issue of their use in standard baroque tuning. Considerable attention is given to harnessing strategies typically used by plucked-instrument players that can be repurposed to access the few pitches even a well-chosen fret arrangement cannot provide. Practical case studies drawn from the solo archlute and theorbo repertoire accompany these explanations, followed by solutions for several examples drawn from the solo baroque lute music of Silvius Leopold Weiss and Johann Sebastian Bach. Included is an explanation of the factors that can determine which variety of meantone temperament is most practical for the music to be played. The essay concludes with a discussion of how to leverage the use of meantone temperaments in everyday practicing, recordings, and concerts. Throughout the essay, the primary goal is to demonstrate that lutenists can play better in tune with a minimal investment of time and effort.