The first book-length study in any language dedicated specifically to lute, guitar, and vihuela.

"Spring focuses on the lute in Britain, but also includes two chapters devoted to continental developments: one on the transition from medieval to renaissance, the other on renaissance to baroque, and the lute in Britain is never treated in isolation. Six chapters cover all aspects of the lute's history and its music in England from 1285 to well into the eighteenth century, whilst other chapters cover the instrument's early history, the lute in consort, lute song accompaniment, the theorbo, and the lute in Scotland."--Jacket.

With the benefit of her many years' study of the repertoire and teaching of the instrument, Diana Poulton has completely re-cast her earlier book ("An Introduction to Lute Playing", 1961) to produce, in "A Tutor for the Renaissance Lute", the most comprehensive method for the lute based on Renaissance precepts. The book will be found equally useful to students working alone – giving clear instructions on all technical matters, progressively introduced according to their difficulty – and to teachers (providing a source of some seventy-five pieces from which to structure their pupils' progress). The advanced student, too, will find that much of the music is suitable for recital programmes.