Category Archives: History

New plans: Gosewyn Spyker – a guitar from 1760…

Posted on November 23, 2019 by

Today I will give a lecture for the Dutch Lute Society about the oldest surviving guitar from the Netherlands. Made in 1760 in Amsterdam by Gosewyn Spyker. This guitar was preserved in the collection of Duivenvoorde Castle, where it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Guitar, Guitar Plans, History, Projects, Research, Woodworking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Prittlewell Lyre

Posted on July 10, 2019 by

In 2003, archaeologists of the Museum of London Archaeology uncovered the remains of an Anglo-Saxon grave chamber near Southend, Essex. It soon became apparent this was not a normal burial. The person had been laid to rest with a plethora … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, Living history, lyre, Music, Projects, Re-enactment, Research, Uncategorized, Woodworking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“The Beast unleashed”- the Lion Theorbo leaving the nest.

Posted on March 26, 2019 by

As you know I am working on a large theorbo after the Matheus Buechenberg (Rome, 1614) in the V&A museum. Nomally I make lutes with anything from 7 to 19 ribs. But making a 41 rib bowl in Yew heartwood … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Lute, Music, Printing press, Projects, Uncategorized, Woodworking, Workshop | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Guestblog: The Lyre of Trossingen – pt. 3

Posted on February 26, 2019 by

Luit van der Tuuk is a Dutch author and independent researcher, specialized in the early middle ages. He is also the curator of Museum Dorestad in Wijk bij Duurstede. In the early middle ages, musical instruments had a special meaning, … Continue reading →

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Guestblog: The Lyre of Trossingen – pt. 2

Posted on February 12, 2019 by

Luit van der Tuuk is a Dutch author and independent researcher, specialized in the early middle ages. He is also the curator of Museum Dorestad in Wijk bij Duurstede. In 1857 Matthias Hohner started the manufacture of harmonicas in Trossingen. … Continue reading →

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Tattooing a lyre and chisel

Posted on February 8, 2019 by

When you think about the Trossingen Lyre, often the first thing that comes to mind are the rich engravings on the instrument. “Are you going to cut those too?” was the first thing people asked me when told about the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Living history, lyre, Projects, Think different, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Iron Smelting in Africa

Posted on January 30, 2019 by

Another documentary about iron smelting. See how similar the methods are… Continue reading →

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Guestblog: The Lyre of Trossingen – pt. 1

Posted on January 22, 2019 by

Luit van der Tuuk is a Dutch author and independent researcher, specialized in the early middle ages. He is also the curator of Museum Dorestad in Wijk bij Duurstede. In 2001 en 2002 twelve graves were discovered in an early … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles, History, lyre, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Some busy days at the project we call life

Posted on January 17, 2019 by

To my regret this blog isn’t updated as much as I would like. The reason? There are too many things to do and to few hours in a day… Another factor was that I had no computer or tablet to … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Lute, lyre, Re-enactment, Research, Uncategorized, Woodworking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Life as a Professional Time Traveller

Posted on November 3, 2018 by

Last week a friend called me a “Professional Time Traveller”. A joke, but I think in a sense he is right… I tend to take leapfrogs trough history one day measuring an original guitar from 1760, the next adjusting a … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, History, Projects, Re-enactment, Research, Think different, Thoughts, Uncategorized, Woodworking, Workshop | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment