Early Plucked String Performance
Technical Certificate · 16 credit hours · 2 semesters · Division of Performance and Guest Services
Lute, theorbo, and related instruments for period ensemble, historical site, and event engagement. Tablature reading, gut string management, temperament, and retuning under performance conditions. Because gut strings respond to humidity, the program schedule designates the first ten minutes of each class for tuning, which is not considered part of the instruction period.
Students supply their own instrument. Four loaner instruments are maintained by the Division and assigned by lottery in the first week of the term. A refundable instrument loan deposit and a per-term string set charge are published in the Schedule of Charges.
Curriculum
| Course | Title | Credits | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUS 130 | Applied Lute I | 3 | 1 |
| MUS 140 | Tablature Reading | 3 | 1 |
| MUS 150 | Gut String Management and Instrument Care | 2 | 1 |
| MUS 210 | Applied Lute II: Performance Conditions | 3 | 2 |
| MUS 220 | Temperament and Ensemble Tuning | 3 | 2 |
| MUS 230 | Period Ensemble Practicum | 2 | 2 |
Graduates
A gut string goes false in the middle of a set and you retune without stopping the piece. We drilled that. The audience at a historical site does not know why it matters. My employer does.
Eleanor Prass, ’23 — Performer, historical site ensemble
Facilities and instruction
Instruction is delivered in the facilities of the Division of Performance and Guest Services. Additional photographs are collected at Campus photographs.
programs/early-plucked-string-performance · Bellweather College of Applied Technology