My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home played by Bream

[TheJamesalden]

I've heard this piece many times, and always I can hear it fresh. Quite possibly my favorite duet...

[zeus21ish]

nice to see that all are so educated

[ooosteve]

I wish I could play with myself.... no pun intended

[Gangly1]

I sense that there has been a bit of a disagreement going on here.

I can't be bothered trawling back through the comments to find out why.

I will listen again.....I just did.

It is great.

Chill out folks.

[Shenanigasm]

It looks an awful lot like a normal lute to me.. Idk I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure they have metal frets regardless.

[fifi181]

I so agree with BassTreb etc re the instrument. If Mozart were alive now he'd probably be playing an electronic keyboard. The most important thing is that the pieces are still played and kept alive, and a little bit of modern tech helping it along can't be a bad thing.

[biohazardcel]

lol bream is too intense

[savagerabbit]

REMIIIIX!!!! at 1:23

[Ajowerty]

How was that jimmy???? FUCKING GREAT!!!!!!!!!

[gmtdiato]

@Ajowerty - thanks for that,about,the only sensible comment amongst all the crap.

[what pond do they exist in?]

[antiochus66]

wow these twin brothers are good,slightly demonic looking though...

[MORGAN999]

I love Julian Bream! he has a wonderful sense of humor...

As for the lute vs. guitar bit - I have nothing but respect. I can't master 6 strings, let alone 14?

LOL.

[Shenanigasm]

@MORGAN999 Yeah, there's fourteen strings but with eight different tunings. 6 of them are doubled and tuned to the same note. Kind of like a 12 string guitar you don't actually play all the individual strings. It wouldn't be harder than a guitar to play exactly, just a bit different.

[johnjtheoriginal]

great and funny, a so serious musician in a so nice way!

can i say that i love also the completely non purist versions of the folk guitarist john renbourn?

[BassTrebleEXE]

God, you historical 'authenticists' are bores. Who bloody cares is if the lute and technique are historically accurate? I suppose you don't think Bach should ever be played on a piano? (You can be damn sure that if pianos had been invented during Bach's lifetime, he would have written for them.)

Personally, I have always liked the increased attack that Bream brings to the lute. OK, it's a more modern sound, but what's wrong with that?

[BFGUITAR]

I completely agree with you. It's music... the whole idea is to play it the way you want. If everyone were purists music would get really boring fast. As for bach... he did play on an early piano but he didn't like it. I don't blame him as he grew up all his life with a harpsichord so that's what hes use to. I prefer Bach on a harpsichord than a piano but others may think differently which is fine of course.

[Shenanigasm]

@BassTrebleEXE Well said. I Agree.. just because it is played on a lute doesn't mean you should be confined to play how other people want you too.. what the hell do they think they know better than Bream?

[googlekopfkind]

@BassTrebleEXE bach didnt liked the piano ..

[Deerse]

His twin brother is better .

No kidding : marvellous !

[LeeEisenstein]

How many Julian Breams are there? ;)

The Greatest.

[bigenough4bothofus]

The matchless mimicry of both Breams suggests that Lord Willoughby would've employed them as musical court jesters extraordinaire... thanks for posting this!

[zeitboy24]

bream it's the other dimernsion

[marsvltor2]

Metal 'guitar' frets on a lute????

[BFGUITAR]

My understanding is that his lute is actually something called a "guitar lute". It was basically a guitar with a lute shape/body. He had it modified to make it more "lute like" by adding strings and such (he changed the headstock of course). It's not a pure lute, but hey, it sounds good!

[zzornix]

Nope, that's a real lute. A "guitar lute" has a longer neck and 6 strings, and is tuned just like a guitar.

[BFGUITAR]

I have Bream's "My life in music" and he explicitly says it's a lute guitar that was fashioned into a lute by a harpsichord maker.

[zzornix]

A lute guitar that was fashioned into a lute? So what does that make it? The neck is much wider than a guitar neck and the body is definitely lute-shaped. I used to have something I called a "galoot" which had a guitar neck and strings but a lute shaped body. Oh well, whatever.

[Geist40]

haha galoot =P. Isn't Bream considered the words best lute player?

[Eldejot]

In fact he is not. He is credited with bringing the lute back to public intereset, yet as performer on the lute, he's not as stellar as on guitar. He doesn't even use lute technique.

[Shenanigasm]

@Eldejot Lol, Bream can play how he wants. It's still an instrument with strings and notes regardless of what technique you use to play it.

[Shenanigasm]

But I'm curious what is lute technique? I seriously want to know

[digital0range]

No really, it's a lute, not a lute guitar. If it was once a guitar lute, it is no longer.

[digital0range]

Now it's really a lute, and not a guitar lute, then.

[BFGUITAR]

@Shenanigasm Well that's the thing. It doesn't sound like a true lute. Bream's lute has metal frets as opposed to moveable gut frets. His lute's construction is much more sturdier (similar to a guitar) than a lute. Lutes typically are very light using very thin pieces of wood. Because his lute is sturdier he uses tighter strings (like a guitar) as opposed to very loose lute strings. These all combined change the sound of his lute to something closer to a guitar.

[Vivace214]

Brilliant playing- but, of course, I wouldn't expect anything else from Bream. I play a Guitar version of this, but I much prefer it on the Lute. PS I think that the nails really help bring out some of the colour in this piece.

[SimianHeretic]

I play the lute and don't grow long fingernails but i feel that the music should be living, and if someone wants to use fingernails to express a living feeling, i am happy for that.

[davehshs]

Bream is a genius musician, untouchable as a guitarist. Unfortunately, the fingernails he needs to play guitar make his lute playing sound too bright, even harsh and twangy sometimes. Historically, lutes were played with the finger pads, NOT nails. And, as far as I know, all serious lutenists, besides Bream, cut their fingernails short and play with the pads.

[BFGUITAR]

Historic or not, does it (Bream) sound good?

[moveonupcb]

Not many musicians can go from playing jazz to renaissance to vivaldi to bach to concierto de aranjuez. Genius musician.

[bndeyo]

That's fab! The dueling Breams arent' dressed the same, and one is sort of hang-dog, with his nose down on the lute, whilst the other holds a more regal bearing! I've always liked him. I saw him in Columbus OH about 30 years ago, and don't think I'd ever seen a classical player have so much fun.

[felisdomesticus5676]

i love this song!

[mrjabuta]

lol, he smiles at himself

.

[BakedWalnut]

I need the Julian bream equivalent of a "nodding dog", it does bob so amusingly.

[cacho29mx]

Man I'd love to get my hands on one of those!

I had only heard him on classical until now, beatiful piece and an incredible performance. Will be smilling all day jeje : )

[aurychat]

Bream is the best lute player ever

[firebreathone]

Utter class

[MelasChupa]

Bream is a classy dude.

[davidfinkledrums]

I agree...I don't care if it's monkey-farts or someone banging two trashcan lids together...if they are getting sounds out of it like this...it's all good. And good thing most would agree...cuz' they are the ones buying the albums/tickets!

[g00gl3m3]

i love the sound of this piece... what's this genre of music called? it sounds amazing.

[BFGUITAR]

Renaissance lute.

[jeahpinkblue02]

whoa. i think lute is so hard to learn. i would love to know that

[tallswede68]

Did julian bream have a twin or something? What's happening? I can't take it!!

[tommzhang]

Dude. It's a double take. anyone with a decent computer could do that

[tallswede68]

That was a joke. Thanks anyway though.

[tokaicarl]

god , your comment made me laugh stupidly! especially when that bloke replied and thought you were being serious-!!

[apolyton1]

lol :)

[Haley8nowhere]

You should hear someone playing the lute as lute (go to magnatunes, then search for music samples from Jacob Herringman).

good luck!

:D

[ham101ma]

there is no equal to the genious julian bream i mean the real one.... ok,the two of them ... great musicianship,used in smart way...

[artubian]

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...fuera de lo común.exelente.el mejor de su generación en 6 cuerdas

[Eumatio]

two nice guitars...

[AgentXXII]

Who cares how the lute is tuned or whether the picking technique is exact (which we'll probably never know for sure), so long as these wonderful pieces of music are created for our enjoyment?

[robotech3]

sanatçı budur. lavta böyle çalınır

[kriz440]

There are 2 Breams! cool! they even glare each other at 00:59

[BarNuun]

InfernoXV: guitars were invented by luthiers for lutenists, to be played by lutenists' old & new techniques. Bream saw the early lutenists' manuals, many paintings also, and this is what he did. Show us what you do, by all means.

[cristinelu13]

Who wrote the original piece? Dowland or Byrd... I am confused...

[sebassabes84]

john dowland

[BarNuun]

Thanks for posting a marvel. Amusing that some people find critical remarks to write about Julian Bream, an ingenious artist. What is the 'right' way to play a lute? That which makes perfect beauty.

[InfernoXV]

Ingenious, yes, Musical, yes. However, someone who play an instrument far too heavily built and heavily strung, with completely inappropriate technique, however ingenious, isn't really playing that instrument. What Bream does is play a guitar dragged up to look like a lute, and let's not confuse the two.

[8R8]

thumb-under anyone?

[TexasSizzle]

Bream is as great a talent as was Horowitz or Heifetz or Rubenstein in that they all went beyond narrowly defined rules or accepted practices and "owned" the music they played by both totally respecting the composers musical ideas but also interpreting in a very impassioned and individualised way.This is a seemingly paradoxical achievement and seperates the Great Legends from merely technically great players of wich there are many. Long live JB

[allahisthegreatesttt]

ya what he said.

[Yuriy21]

Вы правы: Брим принадлежит к числу не только крупнейших гитаристов современности, но и, прежде всего, к числу выдающихся МУЗЫКАНТОВ.

[TexasSizzle]

While I enjoy the "softer" sound made by fingerpad and thumb and slower tempi I also very much appreciate Breams more accurate rythmical tempi which in many cases were extremely dance based. Also Bream could have Professorship on historical accuracy quite readily! If you don't like his approach that's fine, no need to shout about it.

[TexasSizzle]

His musical taste and ability add great fire and rythym to both lute and vihuela pieces. I have researched and I can assure you that nails/no nails and wrist placement were indeed sometimes varied and argued about between the 16th and even the 19th century.

[sarantakis]

Loved it. Which documentary is this from? Is there more to be seen?

[GodelsHarem]

It's from a DVD called Julian Bream - My Life in Music. Heres the blurb - "In his 70th year Julian Bream tells his remarkable story with contributions from John Williams, Peter Pears, Igor Stravinsky, William Walton, George Malcolm, Richard Rodney Bennett and The Julian Bream Consort. Illustrated with over an hour of complete musical performance."

[hermawanlukman]

His right hand technique is very different with other lutenist. Is it a new technique?

[InfernoXV]

No, it's Classical Guitar technique, not Lute technique in the least.

[cookingnotes]

Hey Inferno where is your lute piece , please post it here where we all can hear it . Thanks

[viandante]

Julian Bream hasn't played the lute in public for the last 20 years at least, and has also retired from concertizing with the guitar. No point in kicking a dead dog. Specially when his supreme musicality shines through his 'inapropriate' historical performance.

[GodelsHarem]

Bream is one of the reasons for the revival in interest in early music. InfernoXV probably would have never even heard of the lute if it wasn't for people like Julian Bream.

[InfernoXV]

He is *one* of the revivers, admittedly, but he continues to play vihuela and lute with guitar technique, ignoring all the historical evidence. It doesn't change the fact that his tone is still appallingly bad after all these years.

[InfernoXV]

Absolutely awful. Bream should stick to playing Guitar and stop pretending he plays the Lute. His tone is appallingly bad.

[salixarbour]

I'm sorry, InfernoXV, I have to disagree with you. I believe the classical 'guitar' wrist position permits superior technique and produces a more exiting tone. However, I still love to hear the mellow tone of the thumb under technique too. But to say there's only 'one' way is artistically inhibitive. I'm sure there's room for everyone's personal preferences here, and certainly no place for lute snobbery.

Regards. Alan.

[InfernoXV]

Renaissance Lute is played thumb-under, Classical Guitar is played thumb-over. It's quite simple: Renaissance Lute was never played thumb-over as Bream does. Such a technique alters the tone of an instrument as lightly strung as the lute: the bass notes played with the right hand thumb (with nails no less) becomes too flabby and the treble notes (also played with nails) become too nasal.

[guitareleven]

Your charge that Breams tone is "appalingly bad" is wrong by any possible objective standard of musical tone production; you are wrong in your assertions 1) that nails were never used on lute, and 2) that thumb over was never used- particularly with Dowland. Your misconceptions are common, but nisconceptions they are. Yiu need to do more research.

[Rexicano]

Since you were not living in the period how in the world can you claim to know what ALL lute players did as far as technique?

Just as today the guitar is played so many ways; it's certain there were various ways to play the lute back in the day. It's just logical! Purist nonsense.

[InfernoXV]

Only with thumb-under is there any sort of balance on the Renaissance Lute - note that I make no judgements on what position one wishes to use for Classical Guitar.

[cookingnotes]

Inferno where is your Lute piece , I will check back soon , let me know .

[euphorbia74]

excellent!