Re: Period vs Modern instruments?

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
Michael Haslam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Peter T. Daniels <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> Dr.Matt wrote:
>> > 
>> > We DO still have chitarrones, gambas, and arpeggiones.
>> > And kotos, qins, shos, rebabs, detars, reyongs, and even accordions.
>> 
>> Still; -- or _again_? Do _any_ historic examples of those instruments
>> exist that are playable? One of my Old New Grove volumes has an article
>> on an instrument (I don't recall its name) of which exactly one example
>> has survived from the 17th century or so, and it has been reproduced so
>> we get an idea of its sound; and not one example of a Lautenwerk, of the
>> kind JSB seems to have written some of his "lute" pieces for, has
>> survived from the 18th century, and only recently have reconstructions
>> been attempted.
>> 
>> I heard or read somewhere (maybe right here?) that there are virtually
>> no guitars that are over 50 years old -- they simply fall apart after
>> lots of use.
>
>There are plenty of viols/gambas around dating from the 17th century.
>And they are pretty much unaltered unlike Strad violins.

Some organs too. And bells.


-- 
       Matthew H. Fields http://personal.www.umich.edu/~fields
                        Music: Splendor in Sound
  Brights have a naturalistic world-view. http://www.the-brights.net/