The lute is one of the oldest instruments of mankind. Its history extends over four thousand years, back to Arabic, Persian and Babylonian musical cultures. What once was the ‘Queen of Instruments’ reached its heyday in Europe between the 15th and the close of the 18th centuries, passing through processes of musical development and adaptations in construction to meet changing requirements, and eventually passing into oblivion. Recently, however, it has again experienced an increasing level of interest over a period of several years.

The abundant and multifaceted literature on the lute and the development of its construction is far from having been completely researched. Much information about the lute may still lie undiscovered or forgotten in museums and collections. Investigating, analysing, collating, and making this remarkable heritage of qualitative and quantitative information available through publication requires a lot of work, to which the Lute Society wishes to make a significant contribution.

The German Lute Society (DLG) was founded 1996 in Stuttgart and has officially been registered as a non-profit association. The DLG concentrates on the cultivation and exploration of music for the lute, its repertoire, its several types of instruments and its contemporary environment, first of all in German speaking areas but also regarding international relations. In this regard, the DLG cultivates its international relations with other European lute societies and the Lute Society of America.

• The DLG promotes both research and the performance of lute music, to bring about increased familiarity with the instrument. The activities of the DLG are aimed to appeal equally to interested amateurs, professionals, and music-loving members of the public, including an international context.
  Some members have already formed networks focussing their attention on various artistic activities as well as on research. In particular, there are the so-called ‘player meetings’ that take place regularly at various locations. Initiatives whereby players organise themselves are positively welcomed and supported within the scope of possibilities of the DLG.
• Once a year, the DLG organizes the Festival of the Lute, at which occasion the members' AGM is held. The meeting is open to the public, and takes place at different interesting locations (for example, museums with instrument collections or libraries with surviving lute tablatures. The program usually includes concerts and talks concerning the most different aspects of the lute and playing the lute. Exhibitions by luthiers and publishers or providers of literature and sound storage media have by now become an integral part of the festival.
  Festival venues have so far been Stuttgart (1996), Leipzig (1997), Nuremberg (1998), Basel (1999), Dresden (2000 and 2001), Salzburg (2002), Cologne (2003), Rostock (2004), Füssen (2005, 2006, 2010 and 2017), Kassel (2007), Regensburg (2008), Burg Sternberg(Westfalen-Lippe)(2009, 2012 and 2015), Bremen (2011 and 2013), Augsburg (2014), Frankfurt am Main (2016), Wolfenbüttel (2018). Lübeck (2019)
  
• Via our newsletter "Lauten-Info" members will be informed about current affairs several times per year. Short reports and studies as well as tablature supplements, containing formerly unknown material or material that is difficult to access, are periodically presented in the Lauten-Info.
• The DLG edits and publishes a yearbook "Die Laute" containing authoritative contributions by authors at home and abroad, as well as theoretical and practical works of several eras of the lute.
• The DLG supports this website, topical articles, “Link-Sammlung” and other activities concerning the lute, together with reports of the activities of the DLG.

Chairman

Peter Croton
Mittlere Straße 140
CH - 4056 Basel
vorstand@lautengesellschaft.de

Deputy Chairman

Dr. Ingo Negwer
negwer@lautengesellschaft.de

Secretary

Florian Hellbach
schriftfuehrer@lautengesellschaft.de

Treasurer

Dirk Hippen
kasse@lautengesellschaft.de

Other Board Members

Simona Pociecha
Pociecha@lautengesellschaft.de

Frank Streichert

Tobias Tietze

Advisory Board

Julian Behr, Werner Bogula, Beate Dittmann, Joachim Domning, Gregor von Dungen, Oliver Holzenburg, Alexander Joseph, Peter Király, Martin Lubenow, Rainer Luckhardt, Suzanne van Os, Mathias Roesel, Albrecht Schießer, Christine Schneider, Heribert Steinheuer, Horst Vladar, Sigrid Wirth

Editors: Lauten Info

Simona Pociecha, Florian Hellbach, Roland Kauke, Peter Király, Christian Kotnik, Sigrid Wirth
redaktion@lautengesellschaft.de

Tablature Supplement

Albrecht Schießer, Horst Vladar

Orders for Music

Holzenburg Verlag
Mittlere Str. 112
4056 Basel
verlag@holzenburg.com

Proof Editing & Correction

Horst-Dieter Radke
Tel. +49 9343 58 00 88
autor@hd-radke.de

Contact for the Homepage

Albrecht Schießer
Tel. +49 228 92679145
webmaster@lautengesellschaft.de

Contact for the Forum

Alexander Joseph
forumadmin@lautengesellschaft.de

Contact for Facebook

Roland Kauke, Ingo Negwer, Suzanne van Os

Contact for Newcomers to the Lute

Lothar Wilfling
Contact through lautengesellschaft@lautengesellschaft.de

Contact for Lute Hire

8- and 10-course renaissance lute and mandora:
Vinzenz Bachmayer
Tel. 089 26 57 34
info@vinzenz-bachmayer.de

Arciliuto, theorbo:
Wolfgang Emmerich
Tel. +49 30 612 67 31
info@zupfinstrumente-emmerich.de