Archive
This section offers a collection of earlier writings, research, and guitars, complemented by interviews and a selection of CDs available from me.
Writings
INTERNAL WORKSHOP 'SOUND EVALUATION OF GUITARS' in Markneukirchen/Germany. Newsletter No. 3 of the European Guitar Teachers Association EGTA, May 2000.
ASPEKTE DES GITARRENKLANGS. Script of a lecture on the occasion of the Guitar Week Zeven on 14 May 2005. German only
IST RICHARD JACOB NOCH AKTUELL? Gedanken zu Klang und Philosophie der Weißgerber-Gitarren. Lecture at the colloquium ‘Richard Jacob Weissgerber – Life, Work, Impact’ in Markneukirchen, July 2010. German only
IN DER WERKSTATT. In: Ecumenical Pilgrimage / Pielgrzymkka ekumeniczna 2015. Yearbook German-Polish Ecumenical Pilgrimage Magdeburg - Gniezno, June 2015 (PDF, 270 KB) German and Polish version
Research
GITARREN Weißgerber Sammlung
Catalogue publication, Museum of Musical Instruments, Leipzig University 2007.
BODY RESONANCES
Study project (poster presentation) (PDF, 1,5 MB)
INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE PROJECTION OF GUITARS
Master's Thesis Acoustics and Musical Instrument Technology
University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, Markneukirchen 2017.
The aim of this study was to determine which acoustic and subjective characteristics influence the projection of classical concert guitars.
To this end, a questionnaire-based live listening test was conducted at TU Berlin. From various seating positions, listeners evaluated the psychoacoustic attributes of eight concert guitars crafted by different luthiers. The musical excerpts were performed by guitarist Hendrik Schacht.
In parallel, the performances were recorded from front and rear hall positions using two microphones and subsequently analyzed psychoacoustically at the Institute for Musical Instrument Making (IfM) in Zwota. The evaluations were based on good–poor comparisons.
The analysis of the questionnaires revealed a particularly strong correlation between perceived projection and the attributes of loudness and tonal beauty. In the audio analyses, the psychoacoustic attribute openness emerged as the decisive criterion for differentiation.
If you are interested, I would be happy to send you a short summary of this research project (only in German).
Guitars
RENÉ LACOTE, Paris, c. 1825
Reconstruction of the original state and reproduction. Student project, 1999.
Based on a severely damaged original from the collection of Kuno Schaub. With the opened instrument on the workbench, I was able to examine and document the internal construction in full detail. The soundboard was reconstructed with reference to comparable instruments from René Lacote, and the patented tuners were custom-made.
This reproduction was acquired by the University of Mainz.
LOUIS PANORMO, London, c. 1850
An empirical tonal study of Spanish guitars prior to Antonio de Torres. 2013.
This project involved an analysis of several original instruments by Louis Panormo, as well as a six-course guitar by Josef Pagés from the Berlin Museum of Musical Instruments.
I reproduced two guitars based on a plan of a Panormo guitar held in the Friends of St Cecilia’s Museum, Edinburgh.
The project was kindly supported by musicologist and luthier Dr. James Westbrook at the University of Cambridge.
Model ANDREAS GEORGIOU
I developed this eight-string guitar in 2008 in close collaboration with the musician Andreas Georgiou, tuned A–D–G–c–f–a–d–g.
Interviews
"DIE MUSIK MUSS IM RAUM STEHEN..." Ein Versuch mit Angela Waltner und ihren Gitarren. Interview with Wolf Moser. In: Gitarre Aktuell 30th year, vol. 105-II/09, pp. 30-35.
ANGELA WALTNER, BETWEEN TORRES AND WEISSGERBER. Interview with Alberto Martinez. In: Orfeo Magazine #14 - English Edition - Autumn 2019, pp. 52-65
CDs
The HEINRICH-ALBERT-DUO with Jan Erler and Joachim Schrader released a total of six CDs on the renowned record label Darbringhaus und Grimm between 2004 and 2012. The enthusiastic duo made it their mission to present works by unknown or forgotten composers. You can hear two of my early guitars on the CDs mentioned here:
PRESTILAGOYANA Works by Petit, Prestige, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Daniel-Lesur, Wissmer and Rodrigo (DG 2005)
HEINRICH ALBERT – 8 DUOS FOR GUITARS Works by Heinrich Albert (DG 2007)
SPAIN Works by Boccherini, Tárrega, Turina, Albéniz, Inert, Moreno Torroba, Esplá and Giménez y Bellido (DG 2008)
A sound documentation of guitars from the years 1920–1960 was part of the research project of the Musical Instrument Making Markneukirchen study program on the WEIßGERBER COLLECTION of the Musical Instrument Museum of the University of Leipzig:
GITARREN VON RICHARD JACOB WEIßGERBER (1877–1960) by THOMAS MÜLLER-PERING Works by de Falla, Poulenc, Rodrigo, Llobet, Barrios Mangoré, Piazolla; from the series Instrumentarium Lisiense, Raumklang RK (2006), Leipzig 2001.
All CDs can be purchased from me at a price of 18 Euro + postage.