May be you wonder about that, but after constructing the european lute for more than 25 years, I came to the aoud
through a repair, the replacing of a soundboard. That gave me an interesting new working area, where I now put all
my enthusiasm and energy into.
It is really impressing how great are the parallels between the arabic and the european lute. In spite there was not
found a direct developing line from the Aoud, from the al-ud to the european lute. And it is remarkable, that the only
european printed source, the Treatise by Arnauld of Zwolle from 1450, only gives a short technical description how to
make the outlines of medieval kute. Nothing is said about the used wood, the usability and especially about the
sound. In the old persian and arabic sources by Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, before 252 / 866, and as-Safa,
4./10. century, Ibn at-Tahhan al Musiqi,
449 /1057 cairo, Kanz at-Tuhaf, 8./14. Jhd. persian, printed about 750 /1350,
Kanz at-Tuhaf, 9. 15. Jhd. in turkish translation, it is really different. You get there a lot of detailed informations
about the construction, materials and the sound. It may definitively interesting to make a reconstruction after such
an old description, probably in combination with including an old painting or mosaique.
You are interested in my work? You are invited to visit me in my Workshop. In general I have one or more instruments
on stock. Please contact me through my contact form. If it is not possible for you to come here, plaese contact me
anyway. Often I am travelling around and I will inform you where I do go. Furthermore there will always be some
concerts with my instruments and I will send you informations about them.
