The Lute in the Dutch Golden Age: Musical Culture in the Netherlands ca. 1580-1670 (Amsterdam Studies in the Dutch Golden Age)

Closely associated with the social elite, the lute occupied a central place in the culture of the Dutch Golden Age. In this first comprehensive study of the instrument’s role in seventeenth-century Netherlands, Jan W. J. Burgers explores how it functioned as the universal means of solo music making, group performance, and accompaniment. He showcases famous and obscure musicians; lute music in books and manuscripts; lute makers and the international lute trade; and the instrument’s place in Dutch literature and art of the period. Enhanced by beautiful illustrations, this study constitutes an important contribution to our knowledge about the lute and its Golden Age heyday. The lutes cultural impact throughout the Dutch Golden Age can be compared to that of the piano in the 19th century. It was the universal instrument for solo music-making, as well as in ensembles and to accompany singers, mainly associated with the social elite - the aristocracy and the prosperous burghers. This richly illustrated book is the first to showcase famous and obscure lutenists, professional musicians and amateurs, the lute music in books and manuscripts, the lute makers and the international lute trade, while also exploring the place of the instrument in the Dutch literature and art of the period. Content: The lute and its music in Europe -- Prelude: the lute in the Netherlands before 1600 -- Music in the Dutch Republic -- Lutenists of the Golden Age, c.1580-1670 -- A lutenist of standing: Constantijn Huygens -- Lute music -- Infrastructure: lute building and the lute trade -- The lute in the arts of the Golden Age -- Postlude: the lute in the Dutch Republic, 1670-1800.