english text
Guitar Cittern Lute
A Collection of Historical Instruments
Ulrich Wedemeier
Author: Ulrich Wedemeier, mail@guitarcollection.de
Photography & Layout: ©2012 JBrinkmann.de
Preface
In 1983, I bought my first early nineteenth century guitar at an auction in London. At that time, I concentrated on playing the lute and neglected the classical guitar, the instrument I had played at first. My interest centred on the music of the Renaissance and Baroque and, as a consequence of this, the historical informed performance. I was convinced that instruments which are contemporary to the music played on them are important for the understanding of this music.
By then I had not been much interested in early nineteenth century guitar music, possibly because the modern classical guitar – which was the instrument I had been playing these works with – had been developed for a quite different musical repertoire. The instruments of composers like Carulli, Giuliani, Sor, and Aguado were considerably smaller and more lightweight than the classical guitar of today, a difference similar to that between the forte piano and the modern concert grand. I began to look for an old instrument. After all, I knew that there were old guitars in a still playable condition, contrary to the lutes, where one depended almost completely on copies of instruments in museum collections.
In the early 1980s, historical informed performance was still in its infancy among guitarists. The erroneous assumption that plucked strings did not mature and improve in sound with time like the bowed strings, but were on the contrary worn out by the strong energy impulse when plucked, was also widely spread. As a result, historical plucked strings were not much sought after by players, and in contrast to violins, there were only few people interested in old guitars.
All this made it easy for me to obtain my first old guitar. With this instrument, a whole world of new experiences opened up. I was considering nineteenth century guitar music less in a retrospective way, but more as having developed from the earlier repertoire of lute and guitar music. The original instrument, historical strings, and a right-hand technique without the use of the fingernails together produced a singular beautiful sound and caused a fascination in me, which in the end reveals itself in this collection.
My objective to play a specific repertoire as authentic as possible very often caused me to look for an original instrument, e.g. for a metal-strung English Guittar from the mid eighteenth century or a Lyre guitar. But once I discovered a forgotten repertory after I had obtained an instrument: A guitar which had belonged to the formerly important guitarist Catharina Pratten encouraged me to research this musician’s biography and play her compositions. The CD “velvet touch”, which contains recordings of Catharina Pratten’s music played on this special guitar, appears simultaneously with the book which describes my collection.
If one finds a nineteenth century guitar today, it will usually be in need of restoration, not having been played for more than 150 years. The attempt to bring such an instrument back into a playable state may result in the irretrievable loss of some of its original substance. That is why most museums tend to refuse such attempts. The instruments in this collection have been restored and documented with the utmost respect for the historical original, so that later researchers will still be able to learn from them.
With the book I would like to offer to friends of the guitar, musicologists, instrument builders, and colleagues a look into my collection. The impression of it can only be momentary, as the collection’s structure depends not least on musical projects and the use of the instruments. The order in which the instruments are described is predominantly chronological, and the size of total views is determined by the book size. Front views of all instruments reproduced true to scale are to be seen e.g. in the front and back pages of the book. In addition to this English version of the book text, this site contains additional data and measurements of the instruments. In the descriptions of the instruments I have not attempted to come up to scientific standards, but have written from my personal point of view and kindly ask the reader for his forbearance. My heartfelt thanks go to the instrument restorers Bernhard Kresse and Steffen Milbradt, and to the researcher James Westbrook for their work and friendly help.
Index of instruments
8 Chitarrone, Wendelio Venere (Padua, seventeenth century)
10 5-course cittern, anonymous (Germany, eighteenth century
12 Guittar, John Preston (London, ca. 1770)
14 Guittar, John Preston (London, ca. 1770)
16 Guittar, Beck & Pinto (London 1764)
18 Guittar, anonymous (England, ca. 1770)
20 Guittar, anonymous (England, ca. 1770)
22 5-course guitar, anonymous (France, eighteenth century)
24 Lyre guitar, Henry Lejeune Fils (Paris, ca. 1800)
26 Lyre guitar, anonymous (France, ca. 1800)
28 Guitar, anonymous (France, after 1800)
30 6-course guitar, Josef Pages (Cadiz, 1809)
32 Guitar, Johann Gottlieb Thielemann (Berlin, 1809)
34 Guitar, Carl David Kursch (Berlin, 1814)
36 Shield-shaped guitar, Eduard Lieves (Königsberg, ca. 1820)
38 Guitar, Scherzer (1819)
40 Guitar, anonymous (Vienna, ca. 1840)
42 Guitar, Louis Panormo (London, 1822)
44 Guitar, Louis Panormo (London, 1828)
46 Guitar, Louis Panormo (London, 1829)
48 Terz guitar, Augustin Claudot (Mirecourt, ca. 1820)
50 Guitar, Blaise le Jeune (Mirecourt, ca. 1830)
52 Guitar, Coffe a Mirecout (Mirecourt, ca. 1830)
54 Guitar, Mauchant Frerres (Mirecourt, ca. 1830)
56 Guitar, anonymous (Mirecourt-London, ca. 1840, Chappell)
58 Guitar, D & A Roudhloff (London, ca. 1850)
60 Guitar, René Lacôte (Paris, 1833)
62 Guitar, René Lacôte (Paris, 1847)
64 Guitar, anonymous (Mirecourt-London, guitar of Catharina Pratten)
66 Catharina Pratten
68 Guitar, François Brugère (Mirecourt, ca. 1860, Catharina Pratten)
70 Guitar, François Brugère (Mirecourt, ca. 1860)
72 Guitar, C.F. Martin Company, size 2 ½ - 17 (Nazareth, ca. 1890)
74 Guitar, C.F. Martin Company, size 0 - 28 (Nazareth, ca. 1890)
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Page 8:
Chitarrone – Wendelio Venere
Padua, seventeenth century
This lute instrument is the earliest and the most extensively played instruments in the collection. It is in constant use for both playing continuo and seventeenth and eighteenth century solo literature.
Like most old lutes, this instrument was several times modified and repaired. The bowl is in maple and was made in the seventeenth century. A dendrochronoligal examination has shown that the spruce soundboard was replaced in the eighteenth century. Another result of the examination is that the soundboard wood comes from the same tree which provided wood for several important bowed strings bei Klotz, Widhalm, and successors of Stainer.
The last but one conversion was made by Samuel Fritsche in Leipzig in 1808. After that, the instrument existed for about twohundred years in the state of a 6-string guitar. In 2006, Arnold Posch in Hall/Tirol rebuilt it as a lute, using plans of a Venere chittarone as a model.
The workshop of Wendelio Venere in Padua had its origin with Wendelin Tieffenbrucker. The nickname Venere was used by several later members of the family and also Wendelin Heberle (1576 – 1643), who took over the workshop. This instrument was probably built during his lifetime.
Most of the time, this instrument is used as a chitarrone with 14 single strings (it can be heard on many CDs and radio productions, e.g. with Hamburger Ratsmusik, the Vocal Concert Dresden, and Musica Alta Ripa). Another possible string disposition is with 6 double strung courses and 8 single basses. With this disposition, the sixth, fifth and second courses were tuned in octaves, which is useful for a vast repertory (Melij, Pittoni, and other early sources of music for chitarrone).
String length 77 cm and 153.5 cm / Overall length 174.6 cm.
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5-course cittern – anonymous
Germany, eighteenth century
The instrument has probably been made in Saxony or Silesia. A similar instrument in the municipal museum Cologne bears the handwritten label “Gottfried Siebenschuch / Instrumentmacher / im Schreiberau”. The principal physical characteristics of this metal-strung instrument are already to be found in early seventeenth century citterns: the typical shape of the neck section and metal frets set in meantone. Most often, I play the instrument with a plectrum for an effective and loud sounding accompaniment (to be heard on several CDs, e.g. with Hamburger Ratsmusik).
String length 45 cm / Overall length 76.5 cm
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Guittar – John Preston
London, ca. 1770
The guittar belongs to the cittern family, is strung in metal and played with the fingers. The instrument was also called English Guittar (the double t is common in its name, like it was with the cittern in ca. 1600) to distinguish it from the Spanish guitar.
After 1750 appeared a flood of publications for this instrument. Some of the authors were prominent composers like Francesco Geminiani (“The Art of Playing the Guitar or Cittra”, Edinburgh 1760), and Johann Christian Bach (Sonata in A major).
The two instruments by John Preston (1727 – 1798) are my concert instruments, on which I play solo literature as well as music with accompaniment by the forte piano or the viol. Both show the Preston brand mark on the back of the head. To facilitate the difficult tuning of the metal strings, John Preston invented a mechanism in which small hooks move on a thread. There are often holes drilled through the fretboard and neck through which a capo dastro can be fastened, which makes it possible to use the same fingerings for accompaniments in different tunings.
String length 42.5 cm / Total length 67.9 cm
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Guittar – John Preston
London, ca. 1770
In the second half of the eighteenth century the guittar was a fashionable instrument to play in England. It was preferred by upper middle-class ladies, and for a certain time it even threatened to overshadow the keyboard instruments.
The open courses of the guittar are tuned to a C major chord, like those of German citterns of the eighteenth century. This has led to speculations about the guittar having possibly arrived in England with the king of Hanover, George I, and spread there from 1714 on.
In contrast to the instrument on the foregoing pages, this Preston guittar has a metal rose, and a fingerboard made from tortoiseshell.
String length 42.9 cm / Total length 67.6 cm
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Guittar – Beck & Pinto
London, 1764
This very well preserved instrument is marked “Beck & Pinto London 1764” on the heel of the neck. It still possesses its original leather-covered case. The rose is cut out from the soundboard wood, like in a lute, and a miniature “Preston rose” ist set into it.
String length 44.5 cm / Total length 69.5 cm
Original case
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Guittar – anonymous
England, ca. 1770
This guittar has a special biography, having originally been a “keyed guittar” played with a key-and-hammer mechanism. The mechanism was originally fastened to the soundboard, where two holes were subsequently filled. The keys worked small hammers which strike the strings like in a piano. The metal rose shows a flute player, accompanied by a woman with a hurdy gurdy.
String length 43.2 cm / Total length 69.5 cm
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Guittar – anonymous
England, ca. 1770
This instrument is the predecessor of the guittars with tuning mechanisms. It still has friction pegs for tuning. The typical “Preston rose” can be seen here, too. The instrument is not restored and at the moment not in a playable condition.
String length 43 cm / Total length 72.8 cm
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5-course guitar – anonymous
France, eighteenth century
The latest growth ring of this anonymous instrument’s soundboard can be dated to 1712. Together with its original case it was made probably in the mid eighteenth century. In its original state, the soundhole was filled with a rose – there are still traces of glue on the inside of the soundboard. This so-called baroque guitar with five double-strung courses has very wide ribs and an unusually long stringlength, comparable to the guitars by Stradivari. This makes it possible to string it in gut throughout for every tuning variant, which is not only convenient, but also produces a well balanced sound. I use this guitar for playing accompaniment and solo literature of the early to late baroque (on several CDs and radio productions with Hamburger Ratsmusik and Musica Alta Ripa).
String length 71.2 cm / Total length 100.4 cm
Original case
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Lyre guitar – Henry Lejeune Fils
Paris, ca. 1800
A famous contemporary of the lyre guitar, the composer and guitarist Simon Molitor, has written the following about this instrument type (Vienna, 1806):
“The new, so-called lyre, which only a few years ago in France has been modelled after the old lyre, is indeed a welcome appearance for the lover of beautiful, classical shapes. Its sound is – although the larger body makes it stronger than that of the guitar – none the less dull, just as if it were held back in the instrument itself. It seems that yet no experiments have been made to find that form for the new lyre, which would be the best for the sound.”
The lyre guitar, a blend of decorative sculpture and musical instrument, was an important accessory in the salon and in portraits of famous people of the period – from Beethoven right up to a Hanoveranian queen (Fredericia von Mecklenburg-Strelitz, duchess of Cumberland and queen of Hannover, 1778 – 1841). Even the last version (before the introduction of the Euro) of the one hundred German Mark banknote showed a lyre guitar next to the portrait of Clara Schumann.
This instrument comes possibly from Paris, where different workshops with the name “Lejeune” existed. The label reads “fait par henry lejeune fils”.
String length 59.5 cm / Total length 76 cm
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Lyre guitar – anonymous
France, ca. 1800
This instrument too comes from France and shows a typical soundhole ornament like it was common e.g. in Mirecourt.
The lyre guitar was temporarily in fashion from ca. 1780 to ca. 1820, but almost all the great guitarists of the time wrote for this instrument or mentioned it on the title pages of their published compositions as an alternative to the common guitar.
Contrary to Simon Molitor with his criticism of the instrument, I have had positive experiences playing the lyre guitar. When the instrument is held upright on the lap, as it is shown in many pictures, or stands on a pedestal (which in ca. 1800 fittingly appears in the shape of a classical column), one arm of the lyre comes into a position directly at the player’s ear. This results in soft playing becoming very audible for him – a very pleasant feeling while playing. Unfortunately, this results in no advantages in the concert hall.
String length 57.7 cm / Total length 78.8 cm
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Guitar – anonymous
France, ca. 1800
This early 6-string guitar still shows characteristics of the 5-course Baroque guitar, e.g. the curved headstock and the shape of the body. The instrument is very lightly built. I use it for accompaniment in early classical chamber music (on CDs of Hamburger Ratsmusik), and for the guitar’s solo repertoire around 1800.
String length 65.8 cm / Total length 93.2 cm
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Guitar – Josef Pages
Cadiz, 1809
The guitars by Josef Pages (ca. 1740 – after 1822) were mentioned as recommendable in the methods of the famous guitarists Fernando Sor and Dionisio Aguado. This instrument has a fan bracing with three bars and is very lightly built. Josef Pages was influencing Louis Panormo in London, who concentrated on developing the fan bracing of the soundboard further. While elsewhere in Europe the guitar with six single strings was already in use, Spanish guitar builders kept to the 6-course guitar until after 1820. There is a very special Spanish repertoire preserved for this type of guitar, with works by e.g. Ferandiere, Laporta, Moretti, and Abreu. The sound is very resonant and colourful, especially when octave strings are used in the bass. In relation to the loudness, the double-strung instruments are weaker than the 6-string guitars, because the two strings of each course lie quite close to each other, which necessitates a rather delicate touch – very much in difference from the modern idea of Spanish guitar music, which is influenced by Flamenco guitar styles.
String length 61.9 cm / Total length 94.1 cm
Original case
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Guitar – Johann G. Thielemann
Berlin, 1809
Johann Gottlob Thielemann (ca. 1765/66 – 1821) was the most important guitar builder in Berlin. The fine workmanship and the sound of this guitar are remarkable. Thielemann’s work was formative for a typical Berlin style with strongly coloured woods, a broad rosette made from veneer around the soundhole and curved headstocks. Besides a maker’s label, this guitar is signed and numbered on the lower rib.
String length 63.3 cm / Total length 93.4 cm
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Guitar – Carl David Kursch
Berlin, 1814
This instrument is another example of the Berlin style of guitar building. Carl David Kursch was assistant to J. G. Thielemann. This accounts for this guitar being strongly influenced in style by Thielemann. It is signed and numbered on the lower rib. This guitar is one of the few instruments in the collection which are not restored. Woodworm holes in the soundboard and ribs make any repair work very expensive.
String length 62.6 cm / Total length 92.5 cm
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Guitar – Eduard Lieves
Königsberg, ca. 1820
Eduar Lieves, who following the label in this guitar was also building pianos and trading strings, made this shield-shaped guitar after a French model. This special shape is not alone decorative, but also makes it easier to play in positions above the twelfth fret. The constructional feature of the incurved upper bouts has become common in electric guitars, where it is known as “cutaway”. As in other guitars by Lieves, this one has a tie-on bridge with an adjustable fastener made from brass. This feature makes it possible to compensate the tensile force of the strings. However it does not serve to hold or secure the bridge, therefore I think that it is meant to improve the sound. Experiments to find a proof for this have yet to be made, as the guitar is presently not restored and in an unplayable state.
String length 61.4 cm / Total length 84.6 cm
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Guitar – Scherzer
1819
This instrument is very similar to early Viennese guitars by Georg Stauffer from shortly after 1800. Bridge decorations like those found on this guitar were often used in Vienna. Beneath the soundboard there is a difficult to read note in pencil. Only the name Scherzer and the year can be deciphered clearly:
“ ... fertigt A.. (?) Scherzer in Wartnev. (?) 1819 “ (... made A. [?] Scherzer in Wartnev. [?] 1819).
There are two people named Scherzer which may come in consideration concerning the question of the builder of this instrument: Johann Gottfried Scherzer (1802 – 1870) from Markneukirchen, who went to Vienna to work for Stauffer, and a Scherzer who is documented in Warsaw and who built guitars with four additional bass strings from 1856 on.
String length 65 cm / Total length 89.8 cm
Page 40:
Guitar – anonymous
Vienna, ca. 1840
This guitar too is a typical Viennese model like the ones built e.g. by Johann Anton Stauffer with the characteristic “Stauffer tuners”. The short string length is an interesting feature, which makes it possible to use this instrument as a Terz guitar. This guitar type, which is tuned higher than the “regular” guitar, was widely used in Vienna, especially in chamber music and works for guitar and orchestra.
String length 58.8 cm / Total length 90.5 cm
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Guitar – Louis Panormo
London, 1822
Louis Panormo (1784 – 1862) was the son of the well known violin builder Vincenzo Panormo. Together with several other members of the family, he built in London for almost a century high-quality guitars and had a formative influence on the development of a characteristic style. He further developed the fan bracing after Spanish models like e.g. that of Josef Pages (p. 30) and thus chose another route than most of his colleagues in Paris, Vienna, and Naples. Panormo guitars are distinguished by their well-rounded sound and were played by renown nineteenth century virtuoso players. Compared with other Romantic guitars, their sound tends strongly toward that of the modern classical guitar.
This early Panormo guitar with the “Panormo Fecit” label is still without a fan bracing, and it is very lightly built. But the shape of the bridge and the decoration around the soundhole already point towards the builder’s later style.
This guitar can be heard on the CD “DUO PANORMO” (Johannes Vogt and Ulrich Wedemeier).
String length 58.8 cm / Total length 90.5 cm
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Guitar – Louis Panormo
London, 1828 (No. 1714)
“Louis Panormo. The only Maker of Guitars in the Spanish Style.”
On this label, the serial number 1714 and the date 1828 are written in manuscript. The instrument has a fan bracing with seven bars and a strongly curved fingerboard. The form of the headstock is rather rare in Panormo guitars. However there is another example of this headstock form in the enharmonic guitar by Panormo, which is among the holdings of the Leipzig university’s museum of musical instruments. The tuners are signed “G Rance” and show a crown with the initials “GR”.
String length 63.5 cm / Total length 92.2 cm
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Guitar – Louis Panormo
London, 1829 (Nr. 1760)
Here too the Panormo label and the fan bracing with seven bars can be found. The outline is unusually wide for Panormo, and the bridge resembles that of late Pages guitars. The tuners are signed “G Rance”. This guitar is one of my concert instruments. It has a full, well balanced sound and is very comfortable to play.
String length 63.2 cm / Total length 95 cm
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Terz guitar – Augustin Claudot
Mirecourt, ca. 1820
The brand mark “Augustin Claudot” in the back of this guitar has been found in violins, too. Augustin Claudot (1776 – 1834) worked first in Paris and later in Mirecourt. A Terz guitar is smaller than a Prim guitar; its stringlength is shorter by a length of ca. three frets of the larger instrument. It is tuned in G, that is: a minor third higher than the normal guitar in E. Libraries contain among their holdings a large repertory of music for piano and Terz guitar, or normal guitar and Terz guitar, most of which lies slumbering. Its high tuning makes the Terz guitar an ideal instrument for chamber music, because its sound will be heard above the other instruments quite well (a Terz guitar can be heard on the CD “DUO PANORMO”).
String length 56.8 cm / Total length 82.7 cm
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Guitar – Blaise le Jeune
Mirecourt, ca. 1830
This guitar with the brand mark “Blaise le Jeune” was once equipped with a modern bridge with a larger glued area, like it happened to so many old guitars. During restoration, this was replaced by a copy of the original bridge. There are still traces of the markings for the modern bridge visible. The instrument is very well made with very good wood and has the typical ornamentation made from whalebone, ebony, and ivory. The metal badge in shield-form carries the initials “DK”.
String length 64.8 cm / Total length 92.6 cm
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Guitar – Coffe a Mirecourt
Mirecourt, ca. 1830
Jean-Joseph Coffe (1799 – 1881) was among the leading guitar builders in Mirecourt. At large national exhibitions during the 1830s he twice won a bronze medal for his instruments. The brand mark “Coffe a Mirecourt” is to be found in the back of the guitar.
String length 62.7 cm / Total length 91 cm
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Page 54:
Guitar – Mauchant Frerres
Mirecourt, ca. 1830
This instrument looks as if it were new and seems never to have been played. A shield-form badge, a typical ornament in many guitars of the time, is to be found in mother-of-pearl on the headstock and the capo dastro, and in metal on the case. The brothers Mauchant (1762 – 1844 and 1788 – 1871) were important builders and traders of guitars in Mirecourt.
String length 64.3 cm / Total length 94.1 cm
Original case
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Guitar – anonymous (Chappell)
Mirecourt-London, ca. 1840
As with many guitars in Mirecourt style which are equipped with English tuners, it is doubtful if the instrument was built in France or in London by guitar builders from Mirecourt.
This guitar carries the label of an English trader, which contains special information for customers in the colonies: “Chappell, Spanish Guitar Maker & Music Seller to their Majesties. New Bond Street, London. Guitars made expressly for Hot Climates. Spanish Guitars let on hire.”
This guitar has a special fingerboard, which lies flush with the surface of the frets and is scalloped out between them to make a particularly elegant glissando possible. The choice quality wood and extravagant mother-of-pearl and ivory inlays are remarkable. The guitar produces a sound which is astonishingly loud.
String length 59.8 cm / Total length 88.6 cm
Original case
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Guitar – D & A Roudhloff
London, ca. 1850
The brothers Dominic and Arnould Roudhloff went from Mirecourt to London some time before 1840. For the looks of their guitars, they took Louis Panormo’s instruments as models. Apart from that, they were quite innovative and e.g. developed guitars with additional bass strings. This is what a second, manuscript label in this guitar announces: “... Maker of the improved melophonic Guitars ...”
The printed label reads:
“D&A Roudhloff, from Paris, Manufacturers of Guitars, ... London.”
The special feature of this guitar is its X-bracing. In addition to the (older) ladder and the fan bracing, this type of bracing emerges as a novelty in this time. It is possible that the Roudhloff brothers can even be seen as the inventors of the X-bracing, which was developed at the same time by C. F. Martin in New York. Like in other Roudhloff guitars, there are two saddles for the bridge, possibly for alternative use in case that tuning problems had to be solved. The wide ribs and the large body are especially noticeable. The sound of this instrument is very similar to that of the modern classical guitar.
String length 63.3 – 63.5 cm / Total length 95.6 cm
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Guitar – René Lacôte
Paris, 1833
René Lacôte (ca. 1785 – probably after 1868) was the preeminent guitar builder in Paris. René Vannes in his Dictionnaire universel des luthiers calls him the “Stradivari of the guitar”. The biographical dates of Lacôte are still unclear. The latest instrument by him known carries the date 1868. His close collaboration with the great guitarists of his time, like Ferdinando Carulli and Napoleon Coste, made him familiar with the demands of the professional musicians. His inventiveness and the perfect artisanship of his work set new standards in guitar building.
The instrument was made for the English market and has a Panormo-style head with English tuners. The famous guitarist Dionisio Aguado played instruments by Lacôte, and in his guitar method “Nuevo Metodo, op. 6” such an instrument with its conspicuous bridge is several times to be seen.
I play this guitar often. Its direct attack and bright, singing sound fit my playing without the fingernails very well.
String length 65 cm / Total length 93.5 cm
Original case
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Page 62:
Guitar – René Lacôte
Paris, 1847
This guitar is a later Lacôte model with an internally housed tuning mechanism invented by him. It is an example for a perfect balance through all registers and is very pleasant to play, which is typical for Lacôte guitars. Interestingly, it was played using Dionisio Aguado’s invention of the “Tripodison”, a guitar holder. There are characteristic traces of wear on the lower rib and a hole in its back. The hole was subsequently filled, when the Tripodison fell out of use. Today there are again guitar holders, and some concert guitarists appear on stage with such an device. There are obvious advantages to the sound: the vibrations are led to the floor, which may act as an additional resonator, and there are fewer areas where the body of the player dampens the vibrations.
Following the latest research by Daniel Sinier and François de Ridder, Lacôte developed the Tripodison further, but there is unfortunately no preserved specimen of it known.
String length 63 cm / Total length 93.3 cm
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Guitar – anonymous
Ca. 1840. Guitar of Catharina Pratten
The original owner of this anonymous instrument was the outstanding English guitarist Catharina Pratten (1824 – 1895). It bears a label of its possessor and in addition her seal on the back of the neck. The case is signed, too: A large brass plate with the name “Madame Sidney Pratten” and another plate with her London address are fixed to the side of it. The additional, engraved “No 5” refers to the numbering of her concert guitars. The case is luxuriously lined with red silk, and even the tuners have a cover of their own (p. 67).
This instrument was either built in Mirecourt or by a French guitar builder in London. The mother-of-pearl inlays are typical Mirecourt workmanship. The tuners by Baker and the Panormo-style bridge are English.
The printed label reads:
“Madam R. Sidney Pratten – I certify that this Guitar No (2) has been examined and approved by myself and I find it perfect in every respect”, and is signed: “Catharina Josepha Pratten”.
The number of the guitar and the year 1842 are later manuscript additions and are doubtful, since Catharina Pratten was at that time still unmarried and thus still called herself Catharina Pelzer.
On the CD “velvet touch” (musicaphon, M 56938, LX 00522) I play on this guitar works by Catharina Pratten in E-major tuning (E-H-E-G#-H-E). This shows the open sound of the instrument to advantage.
String length 62.6 cm / Total length 91.9 cm
Original case
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Page 67:
Catharina Pratten
(Madame Sidney Pratten)
Catharina Josepha Pelzer, as she was originally called, was born in 1824 in Mülheim at the Rhine. Her father, who presented her as a child prodigy, brought her to London when she was just five years old, and only one year later she performed there in the King’s Theatre.
During the following years she established herself internationally as a guitar child prodigy. At the age of 17 she started a career as London’s leading guitar teacher. Princess Louise, the daughter of Queen Victoria, was later among her most prominent pupils.
She began to compose, and at the age of 30 she married the well-known flute-player Robert Sidney Pratten. From this moment she called herself Madame Sidney Pratten. The death of her husband only 14 years later seemed for some time to have ended her concert and teaching activities. Three years after that, when she was in the forty-seventh year of her life, she began again to appear on stage, playing Mauro Giuliani’s third Concerto among other music, and again 10 years later she played together with the guitar virtuoso and composer Francesco Tárrego in London.
She gave her last concert at the age of 69 in London’s Steinway Hall.
Catharina Pratten died in 1895, aged 70. Her works comprise ca. 200 compositions and three guitar methods. Her grave in the Brompton Cemetery in London, which her friends and pupils erected, exists to this day.
The illustration on the lower right-hand side of page 67 shows her at the age of 9 years.
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Guitar – François Brugère
Mirecourt, ca. 1860
This guitar too went through the hands of Catharina Pratten. She participated closely in trading guitars for her many pupils. The label reads:
“Selected by M. Sidney Pratten, London 22a Dorset Street, Postman Sq. W”.
During the restoration of this guitar there appeared underneath of this label, which is handwritten by her, another, smaller label with her handwriting:
“Selected by Mme Sidney Pratten, London 1875”.
This smaller label in turn covered the brand mark “Brugère Mirecourt”. In restoring this instrument, the brand mark was not covered again, but the small label was glued into a position at the side of it, while the larger label is now kept outside of the instrument.
The date 1875 is interesting, as there exists a photograph of Catharina Pratten from this year (p. 66). With the single exception of the bridge, the instrument on this photograph is identical with Catharina Pratten’s guitar which is shown on p. 64 and 65.
François Brugère (1822 – 1875) worked in different ateliers all over France. The guitars were signed “Brugère” underneath the soundboard but had labels of well-known workshops like Lacôte in Paris or Coffe-Goguette in Mirecourt.
This Brugère guitar was produced for the English clientele and was equipped with a head in Panormo style. Among all the guitars in my collection it is the one with the largest body. It has a very well balanced sound through all registers – to be heard on my Pratten CD “velvet touch”.
String length 63.2 cm / Total length 95.3 cm
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Guitar – François Brugère
Mirecourt, ca. 1860
The foregoing instrument and this guitar are both visibly and in sound very similar. The signature “Brugère a Mirecourt” in manuscript appears underneath the soundboard. English tuners with the initials “VR” and a crown point to an exportation to England, too.
String length 63 cm / Total length 95.4 cm
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Guitar – Martin Company
Nazareth, ca. 1890. Model: 2 ½ - 17
Christian Friedrich Martin (born in Markneukirchen in 1796, died in 1873 in Nazareth/Pennsylvania) went temporarily to Vienna to become an apprentice of Johann Georg Stauffer, before he emigrated from Markneukirchen to New York in 1833. His firm was transferred to Nazareth in 1838 and exists there to this day, still as a family business.
The meaning of the model number can be deduced from old Martin catalogues and preserved labels. It begins with a cipher between three and zero (size of guitar), three standing for the smallest models and zero for the largest. The second cipher (no. of quality) designates the so-called style, which means choice of woods and decoration.
This guitar in the size 2 ½ is comparatively small. The style 17 is simple and shows the “herringbone” inlay typical for Martin around the soundhole. The soundboard has a fan bracing of three bars. There is an inscription in pencil underneath the soundboard which I unfortunately can not decipher. This and the following Martin guitar carry the brand mark “C.F. MARTIN & CO NEW-YORK”, which was still used for reasons of marketing after the firm had relocated in Nazareth/Pennsylvania for quite some time.
String length 62.2 cm / Total length 93.5 cm
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Guitar – Martin Company
Nazareth, ca. 1890. Model: 0 - 28
The last instrument from my collection to be seen here is the Martin model size 0 in the more expensive style 28. The binding of the soundboard and the back are from ivory, and the back has a wide inlay down its middle. Here again, as in the guitar by D & A Roudhloff (p. 58), we find the soundboard bracing in X-form. The maker’s label with the model number is glued to the inside of the case.
Both Martin guitars are in a very healthy state and are perfectly playable after all those years without restoration. There exists an interesting American guitar repertory from the second half of the nineteenth century, a few examples of which – among other music – can be heard on the CD “The Century That Shaped The Guitar”, where I play works by Justin Holland and Charles de Janon, who was Martin’s New York representative since 1850.
String length 63.5 cm / Total length 96.2 cm
Original case
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The Collector
Ulrich Wedemeier first studied classical guitar at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover and subsequently specialized in playing lutes and historical guitars.
Besides being internationally active as a soloist and with renowned early music ensembles, he concentrates on CD and radio productions.
In 2004 he received an ECHO KLASSIK with the ensemble MUSICA ALTA RIPA for the CD “Telemann Vol. 1”, and in 2006 again an ECHO KLASSIK for the CD “Lübecker Virtuosen”.
Ulrich Wedemeier is a guest at many opera houses. Concert tours have brought him through all of Europe, the USA, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
Translation: Joachim Lüdtke
©2012 Ulrich Wedemeier