The Lute Society: Home Page (original) (raw)

Welcome to The Lute Society's website

The Lute Society, now over 60 years old, exists to promote the lute and its music. Members get a new member's pack of 100 pages of lute music, a quarterly magazine, Lute News, with music supplement, an annual journal, The Lute, discounts on our growing range of publications and other benefits. Even if you can't make it to our meetings, playing days, and residential weekends in Britain, joining is an excellent way of building up your music library, and keeping in touch with other lute players, and with news in the lute world.

Not sure if it's for you? For a FREE COPY of our magazine Lute News, just contact the secretary

News

Beginners' lesson - 55 - Ricercar Dietro - Piece 15 in the society’s ‘158 early cinquecento preludes and ricercars’ publication, by Lynda Sayce

Issue 151 of Lute News is now out - see its colour front coverand ezine. See a gallery of previous front covers on the publications page, under Lute News back issues.

Next meeting: Saturday 15th February at the Dutch Church, London. At our first meeting of the year Nigel North makes a welcome return to lead a masterclass of excellent young players and ensembles and to give a recital of renaissance lute music from the earlier German lute books; there will be concert performance of very seldom heard early 17th century airs from an entertainment given before King James I four centuries ago, plus mini-recitals of lute songs and of baroque music for flute and lute. Don't miss this day of first-class music making! See meetings for details.

Bach Solo Lute Discography - Updated discography v3.1, listing all solo music by JS Bach recorded on instruments of the lute family, currently covering over 139 recordings. Collated by John Reeve. See Bach Solo Lute Discography

5 pieces from the Fiztwilliam Virginal book Arranged for renaissance lute by Jeremy Jones - see free-downloads

New listings - Listings of upcoming lute events and lute interest links compiled by our internet correspondent, Melody Packard; UK concert listings can be found at links-lute events

Figured bass sharing network - contributed by members - a sharing library of continuo parts that can be borrowed.

Summer Schools If you haven't booked a lute holiday yet, here are our listings of summer school listings.

New films from recent meetings on our Youtube Channel; Sara Salloum, Matthew Spring, Galliarda, and Thomas Langlois: www.youtube.com/@thelutesociety8964

Dowland 400th anniversary: plans and pipedreams The year 2026 will be the 400th anniversary of the death of the greatest lutenist of them all, John Dowland, and we and many others are already planning special events and creative projects to commemorate and celebrate his unique genius; all that we know of will be listed on a special page, Dowland 400

For previous news items, see Old news

Recent pages on this website

New Music Editions

See our catalogue for details and to purchase online:

Listings and services

As well as our online shop where you can purchase our publications, our website contains a number of listings of lutes for sale, makers, teachers, publishers, summer schools and other links.

Contact the secretary

The Secretary, Christopher Goodwin
3 Dolcey Way,
Sharnbrook,
Bedfordshire, MK44 1LE
United Kingdom
Tel: (+44/0)1483 202159 / (++44/0)7510 254106

or if your email bounces back from this, try

Donations

The Lute Society’s finances are reasonably secure with the present membership fees and it is breaking even in a safe and steady manner. But we would like to be able to fund occasional additional activities without having to raise the general membership fees to a level which would put off some from joining. If you feel able to help in this way, it will be greatly appreciated.

There will be an opportunity for UK tax payers to gift aid their donation after they click the donate button.

General Fund Donation
Donating with this button will enable you to add an amount of your choice to our general fund.

Student Bursary Fund Donation
Donating with this button will enable you to add an amount of your choice to our Student Bursary Fund which will enable us to fund deserving students for places on short term music courses such as Benslow.