Music, me and lutes

Updated 29.7.2008.

I am mainly interested in the so called "art music". I still keep my ears open to other genres, too. I play different types of European lutes; late renaissance and early baroque are closest to my heart. The most interesting period for me is around year 1600 - the time when late renaissance turned into early baroque. The extreme time limits for the types of lutes I play are 1500-1750. Well, sometimes I break these limits, though... ;-)

I especially enjoy playing continuo (improvising harmonic texture on a written bass line, an example ) for a singer or a melody instrument player. That's why I wrote 1994 a small manual for those, who want to start this tremendous art: Basics of the basics of lute continuo.

Here are some pictures of me and my lutes:

10-course lute (end of 80's)

Archlute (beginning of 90's)

6-course lute (beginning of 90's)

Theorbo (beginning of 90's)

Continuo playing for violinist Minna K. and recorder player Johanna V. (beginning of 90's)

Theorbo played in "bottleneck style" by a mobile phone (summer 2001)

Me and the mould of the new Tieffenbrucher theorbo that I ordered in autumn 2001...

Photographs of The Nordic Baroque Music Festival in summer 2001

Singer, theorbo and me - a woodcut by Sanna Kohonen 2002 (this jpg-file is published with the artist's permission)

Photographs of the Early Music Course of Karjaa (Finland) in summer 2002

Mezzo-soprano Sanna M., theorbo and me (Autumn 2002) (The same persons as in the woodcut above!)