The Lute in the Netherlands in the Seventeenth Century

Book excerpt: The lute played a central role in the rich musical culture of the seventeenth-century ‘Golden Age’ of the Dutch Republic. Like the piano in the nineteenth century, the lute was not just a popular instrument for solo music making, but was also used widely in ensembles and to accompany singers. Though mainly an instrument of the social elite and the aristocracy, it was also played by the numerous and prosperous burgher class. The first part of the book deals with psalm settings for the lute; the way professional lutenists coped with the harsh rules of the free market; Leiden as a veritable international lute centre; and the different types of lutes that can be reconstructed on the basis of the Dutch paintings of the period. The second part of the book is dedicated to Constantijn Huygens (1596–1687), the well-known poet and statesman, and avid player of, and composer for, the lute. The third and final section deals with Dutch sources of lute music, printed as well as those in manuscript. Taken together, this volume provides a broad and many-layered overview of the lute in the seventeenth century. Collectively, the articles will further the reader’s understanding of the lute in its social and cultural context, not only in the Netherlands, but also on the wider European canvas.