Re: Period vs Modern instruments?

In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
Peter T. Daniels <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Dr.Matt wrote:
>> 
>> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
>> Sightreader <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >
>> >"Jerry Kohl" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>> >news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> >> > It's already been done; it was called the Arpeggione.
>> >>
>> >> Yeh, but wouldn't it be cool to do it *again*? (And again, and again
>> >> ...?)
>> >
>> >I would say it has not been done successfully.  If it
>> >were successful, then we'd still have Arpeggiones.
>> >It's worth a try if there's a better chance of success
>> >than there was last time.
>> >
>> 
>> 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.
>-- 
>Peter T. Daniels                       [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Separate problem from the fact that many such categories of
instruments have been in continuous use for ages. The methodologies
for making them were, in many cases, quantified and written about
extensively so there's not a lot of guesswork in making new ones which
are "historically authentic".

Similarly, we don't speak of paper having gone out of use, though
over the centuries, many books have perished.


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