Anonymous: La Double
Achaz Casimir Hültz: Gavotte - La Double
Anonymous: Sarabande - La Double
- Sonata
Achaz Casimir Hültz: Sarabande
Anonymous: Gigue - La Double
- Chaconne in A Minor
Esaias Reusner: Allemande - Double de la Précédente
Anonymous: Courante - La Double
- (without title)
Germain Pinel: Sarabande - La Double
Anonymous: (without title)
Ennemond Gaultier: Sarabande espagnole - d'une autre manière - La Double
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer: Ciaccona in A Major
Anonymous: Air - La Double
- Sarabande - La Double
- Aria, der Bettelmann genandt - La Double
Jean Berdolde Bernard Bleystein de Prague: Adieu de sa maîtresse - La Double - Autrement
Achaz Casimir Hültz: Gigue - La Double - La Double allegro - La Double
Anonymous: Ciaccona

Up until a certain point in time between the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, the bulk of music one could perform or hear was vocal music. From plainchant, to liturgical psalms, to the most sublime polyphonic Masses of the high Renaissance, composers and performers did not yet have a solo instrument capable of producing multiple lines or voices simultaneously. The lute already existed, but based on the Arabian oud, its first examples only had four strings, which eventually became pairs (courses), then five and six courses, single bass strings were added, music notation was set down and by the early 17th century the instrument came into its own and was extremely popular until it was eclipsed by keyboard instruments. Predominant composers like Byrd, Dowland, Bach, etc... composed pieces for the lute.

In 1928/29, Dr. Werner Wolffheim put his legendary music collection up for auction in Berlin. Among its countless treasures are original editions of J.S. Bach's "The Art of the Fugue" and "Musical Offering" as well as an "Album for the Lute", an exquisite collection of music for the 11-course baroque lute. This manuscript, now kept in Melbourne, contains almost exclusively unique pieces, which were recorded here for the first time {Booklet Notes}.

What makes this world premiere recording unique is not only the inclusion of pieces by obscure composers like Achaz Casimir Hültz (1658-1723), Esaias Reusner the Younger (1636-1679) and Jean Berdolde Bernard Bleystein de Prague (no dates), but also the many pieces by the ever prolific Anonymous as well. None of these may project the expressive characteristics of say the music of John Dowland, since most seem to have been written for pedagogical purposes. Nonetheless, Austrian lutenist Bernhard Hofstötter brings out all of the individually unique stylings and technical aspects of these pieces. Some, like the Anonymous Chaconne in A Minor or the Sarabande espagnole by Ennemond Gaultier (1575-1651) are reminiscent of the masters.

And as always with recordings from the TYXart label, the audio quality is accurately natural and sits the listener at a realistic distance from the player. The instrument used is a 2019, 11-course Laux Maler based lute by Martin Hurttig.