Rare Lute Strikes Age-Old Chord In Modern Times -- Renaissance Has Home In Spokane

SPOKANE - In this frenetic age of fax machines and car phones, Rick Rubin patiently endeavors to recreate a 5-century-old relic, the Renaissance lute.

``Did you say flute?'' people ask when Rubin tells them what he builds in the tiny workshop attached to his South Hill home.

``No, lute,'' he replies with a forgiving smile, his fingers tracing the pear-shaped musical instrument in the air.

``I was drawn to lutes from the time I was a little kid,'' recalls Rubin. ``Something about the shape had me completely intrigued. I always dreamed of having a lute.

``For those who are into reincarnation, maybe I'm recapitulating the past.''

Most have seen lutes, though they may not have realized it.

The front, or belly, of the instrument is flat, with an elaborately carved sound hole. The back is bowl-shaped. Strings are arranged in pairs, or courses, and can number from seven to 24, depending on the type of lute. The peg box atop the neck tilts back almost 90 degrees.

Sound vaguely familiar?

Christmas cards frequently feature heavenly choirs accompanied by angelic lutanists.

Santa Fe concert artist Donna Curry says that's because medieval and early Renaissance Christians considered the lute ``queen of instruments, the instrument most worthy of God.''

Ironically, they borrowed the lute from Moslems who occupied Spain from 711 to 1492. The Western Christmas card variety is based on the Arabic ud, which historians have traced back to hundreds, even thousands, of years before Christ.

Still popular in the Middle East, today's ud is remarkably similar to the one exported to Spain more than a millennium ago. Europeans embraced the instrument as their own - the English word lute comes from the Arabic al ud - and gradually adapted it to their evolving needs.

For instance, medieval paintings show them plucking the instrument Arab-style with a plectrum - a thin piece of bone or quill. But as musical tastes changed, they switched to playing with their fingertips. They also added more strings, expanding the lute's range.

``Instruments have always been adapted for the musical composition,'' explains Curry, who performs on the lute, teaches lessons and operates a mail-order service for lutanists.

The ud arrived in Europe with four courses. When its descendant, the lute, peaked in popularity during the 16th century, it had from six to 10 courses and a whole family of sizes: treble, tenor, bass and great bass.

``In the Renaissance era,'' Curray says, ``the lute was such an important instrument that you were not a proper lady or gentleman if you had not had some tuition upon the lute. It enjoyed the position in households that the piano enjoyed in the Victorian era.''

Laux Maler set the standard for his craft in the 1520s and is considered the Stradivari of lute makers. Rubin builds eight- and 10-course lutes based on two Renaissance patterns, including one of Maler's.

Rubin, 43, grew up in Southern California and had a brief musical career with an acoustic band in England. He returned to Los Angeles and enrolled in an instrument-repair course.

``I like using my brain,'' he says, ``but I also like having my hands engaged in mechanical work.''

After moving here seven years ago, Rubin worked for a local instrument shop and taught music in Spokane elementary schools. Two years ago, he decided to devote his full attention to lute making.

``I feel better about carving out a niche in a specialized area that I really enjoy, rather than just trying to build mandolins and guitars and compete with everyone else,'' he says.

Tim Olsen of Tacoma, editor of a magazine devoted to stringed-instrument makers, says only about two dozen people in this country build lutes full time. Even without much competition, though, they face a formidable challenge.

``The quality of custom-made instruments these days is phenomenal,'' Olsen says. ``The problem is, it's much too high for the public to appreciate, so it can't possibly be reflected in prices.''

Custom lutes start at $800 and go up to $3,000. Rubin's sell for about $1,500. After subtracting $300 for sales commission and another $60 for materials, he clears only $7 an hour.