A Method for the Baroque Lute Based on Historical Sources

A Method for the Baroque Lute Based on Historical Sources

This comprehensive method is intended for lutenists and guitarists wishing to explore the interpretation of Baroque repertoire according to the historical practices of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It emphasizes rhetorical expression, instrumental technique, and a physiologically balanced approach to playing.

Written by Peter Croton, an internationally renowned lutenist and former professor at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the book is structured in several parts: it addresses musical language, biomechanics, mental and physical preparation, and the development of technical and expressive tools essential for confident playing. One section is also devoted to an introduction to basso continuo on the Baroque lute.

Progressive exercises, based on historical sources, guide the student toward increasing autonomy. Supplementary instructional videos provide valuable resources to refine interpretation and cultivate an expressive and historically informed style.

Peter Croton – Lutenist

Originally from the United States and now based in Switzerland, Peter Croton is a renowned performer on various lutes and the romantic guitar. He teaches lute and basso continuo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, as well as historical performance practice and basso continuo for guitar at the Basel and Bern Conservatories. His activities extend beyond early music: from the age of six, he performed as a folk guitarist and singer before exploring classical guitar with Leon Atkinson and jazz in various ensembles.

He studied lute and classical guitar with Dr. Loris Chobanian, Eugen Dombois, and Hopkinson Smith. Winner of the first prize at the Erwin Bodky Competition for Early Music (1984), he has also won several international competitions. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has recorded numerous CDs, collaborated with singers Derek Lee Ragin and Theresia Bothe, and participated in international festivals.

Author of several pedagogical works, he published Figured Bass on the Classical Guitar (2005), as well as the manuals Performing Baroque Music on the Lute and Theorbo (2016) and Performing Baroque Music on the Classical Guitar(2015), praised by artists such as David Russell. In 2019, his Method for Renaissance Lute with a supplement for archlute was published by LLD. His compositions for lute and voice, including adaptations of Shakespeare texts, have been published by the German Lute Society and Tree Edition.

Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions

Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions publishes scores that remain faithful to historical sources, carefully designed for both musicians and musicologists. Our editions combine meticulous engraving, practical layout, durable materials, and detailed critical commentary in multiple languages.

Each score is rigorously prepared, note by note, to ensure an authentic rendering of the works, including original fingerings, ornamentation, and stylistically relevant suggestions.

Produced by experts, our editions provide clear readability and support an informed and insightful interpretation of the early music repertoire.

• Publisher: Roger Harmon & Peter Croton
• Musical period: Baroque
• Instrument(s): Baroque Lute
• Notation: French Tablature
• Modern edition: Urtext
• Publisher: Le Luth Doré Urtext Editions
• Year of publication: 2022
• Collection: Didactic Music Collection
• Pages: 350 pp.
• Dimensions: 230x310 mm
• Weight: 0.000g
• Binding: Sewn perfect binding
• ISMN: 377-0-0017-8840-1

I. Tools of Rhetorical Expression
Rhetoric as the guiding principle, The improvisatory tradition, Consonance & dissonance, Phrasing & articulation, Rhythmic inequality & tempo, Dynamics & timbre, Expression through movement, Ornamentation & passagework, Grace notes in 17th & 18th century music

II. Introduction to Anatomy & Biomechanics
General considerations, Bones & joints, Muscles

III. Preparing to Play
Mental imagery & processing, Motor performance & learning, Mental training, Repetition & muscle memory, Tactus & time, Breathing, Body awareness & warm-ups

IV. Learning the Baroque Lute - Stage 1
Tuning, stringing & fretting, Tablature, Right-hand position, Observing the right hand, Supporting the lute, Thumb & bass lines, Right-hand fingers, Arpeggios on open strings, Left-hand technique, Coordinating both hands, Melodic playing (one & two hands), Slurring, Grace notes, One-voice melodies, Two-voice exercises & pieces, Multi-voice techniques, Shifting, Additional slur exercises, Scale exercises, Practice routine, Additional pieces & exercises, Doubles

V. Learning the Baroque Lute - Stage 2
Body movement while playing, Intermediate exercises (parallel motion, campanella, flourishes), Bar chords, Separations & 'raking', Historical fingering (17th century), The unmeasured French Prelude

VI. Learning the Baroque Lute - Stage 3
Advanced pieces

VII. Introduction to Basso Continuo on the Baroque Lute
Accompanying in good style, The baroque lute in basso continuo, Voice-leading, Realizing figures, 'Rule of the octave', Cadences & suspensions, Sample realizations