Liuti forti with Courses

Models:

Liuto forte in g (Alto Lute)
Arciliuto forte in g (Italian baroque lute)
Liuto forte in d (French baroque lute)

Length and stringing by arrangement

The use of Liuto forte construction principles lends instruments with double courses not only perceptibly more volume, but also a fuller sound, capable of subtler inflections and more richly facetted tone. Yet string tension is only minimally higher than on instruments with traditional construction.

The volume of air within the body, in contrast to the historical lute construction, is here not merely partially and superficially stimulated but is brought to resonate thoroughly and equally all over. The instrument is able this way to carry and project further into the distance. It can, moreover, easily assert itself in ensemble playing.

The lute pictured here (Liuto forte in d, with double courses and moveable frets) has a string length of 69 cm (stopped) and 94 cm (unstopped). It is tuned at A=415 Hz.

Players who need in the same concert to pass from a continuo instrument, like theorbo or archlute, to a solo instrument with double courses will notice how the transition is considerably less problematic than in the case of double-strung instruments having the soundboard construction of historical lutes.