Archlute

What it means

Archlute (German Erzlaute) is a collective name for large lute instruments with a second, extended neck to which additional bass strings are attached. These strings run beside the fingerboard and are not fingered but only plucked open; they extend the tonal space downward considerably. To this group belong, depending on construction and usage, theorbo, chitarrone, and archlute in the narrower sense. The designations were not used uniformly in history, which is why attributions in sources and catalogues differ from one another.

Musical use

In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries these instruments belonged to the core stock of the figured bass. Their advantage lies in the combination of sustaining, long-ringing basses and a mobile fingerboard for chords and inner voices: thus a single player can supply bass and harmony at once without weighing down the sound of an ensemble. Besides continuo playing there is a solo repertoire of its own. They differ from the ordinary Renaissance lute in size, extension of the neck, and often also in a different tuning of the uppermost strings, which follows from the scale length.

Performance practice

Allow for considerable instrument length and adjust seating and strap so that the long neck rests securely and the right hand lies relaxed above the sound hole. The bass strings are plucked with the thumb; plan which string sounds when and when it must be damped, otherwise a harmonic mush results. Retune the basses regularly, because they are long, thin, and sensitive to changes of temperature. In continuo playing it is worthwhile to practise the bass line alone first and add the chords afterwards. Gut strings need protection from moisture and from direct sun.

Remember that the basses are not fingered and therefore only the notes they are tuned to are available: with pieces with far-reaching harmony, check beforehand whether the required basses are present, and retune if necessary. Plan such retunings between movements. In continuo it is worthwhile to arrange the bass line with an eye to the available strings instead of taking it over literally. Keep the chords slim, because the instrument lives from clarity.