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AN HISTORIC - HERMENEUTIC CRITIQUE OF LUTHIERY WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO SELECTED SOUTH AFRICAN GUITAR BUILDERS by RUDI BOWER Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor Philosophiae in the Faculty of Arts at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University January 2008 Promoter: Prof Z Potgieter Co-Promoter: Prof B Olivier Co-Promoter: Dr H Nock ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to my wife, Leonette for her support and help pertaining to all the graphics and photographs contained in this thesis. Furthermore, to Prof Olivier and Dr Nock for their valuable input into the respective philosophical and guitar history sections of this thesis. Then, to all the South African luthiers featured in this thesis for their openness and willingness to partake in this study. Finally, to Prof Potgieter for her help, insight, enthusiasm approachability and expertise – a combination that proved to be invaluable during the course of this study. i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SUMMARY vii KEY WORDS viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix INTRODUCTION 1 SECTION A – LUTHIERY: AN HISTORICAL AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE 4 CHAPTER 1 – TOWARDS A GENEALOGY OF THE MODERN CLASSICAL GUITAR 5 1 THE TRANSITIONAL GUITAR AND EMERGENCE OF THE MODERN INSTRUMENT 5 1.1 Number of Strings 6 1.2 Double Courses to Single Strings 6 1.3 Tuning 7 1.4 Construction Techniques 8 1.5 Notation 9 1.6 Unusual Guitars 10 2 CONSTRUCTION AND SOUND PRODUCTION 10 2.1 Woods 11 2.2 Design 13 3 CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE AND ASSEMBLY 16 3.1 Thickness of the Top 18 3.2 Number, Layout, Size and Thickness of the Struts 18 3.3 Assembly of the Neck and Body 19 ii CHAPTER 2 – PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL LUTHIERS, PAST AND PRESENT 22 1 ANTONIO DE TORRES (1817 – 92) 24 1.1 The Life of Torres 24 1.2 Features of the Torres Instruments 27 1.2.1 Woods 27 1.2.2 Soundboard Patterns 28 1.2.3 Construction Techniques 34 1.2.4 Torres’ Sound 36 2 HERMANN HAUSER (1882 – 1952) 38 2.1 The Life of Hauser 38 2.2 Features of the Hauser Instruments 39 3 ROBERT BOUCHET (1898 – 1986) 43 3.1 The Life of Bouchet 43 3.2 Features of the Bouchet Instruments 44 4 DANIEL FRIEDERICH (1932 - ) 47 4.1 The Life of Friederich 47 4.2 Features of the Friederich Instruments 47 5 JOSE ROMANILLOS (1932 - ) 51 5.1 The Life of Romanillos 51 5.2 Features of the Romanillos Instruments 52 5.3 Romanillos’ thoughts on Luthiery 57 6 GREG SMALLMAN (1947 - ) 58 6.1 The Life of Smallman 58 6.2 Development of the Smallman Design 59 6.3 Features of the Smallman Instruments 60 6.4 Smallman’s thoughts on Luthiery 62 iii SECTION B – LUTHIERY IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN GUILD OF LUTHIERS 64 CHAPTER 3 – SOUTH AFRICAN LUTHIERS WHO BUILD GUITARS IN THE “TRADITIONAL SPANISH METHOD” 69 1 GARTH PICKARD (1951 - ) 70 1.1 Biography 70 1.2 Features of the Pickard Instruments 73 1.3 Woods 78 1.4 Pickard as Luthier and his thoughts on South African Luthiery 79 2 HANS VAN DEN BERG (1960 - ) 81 2.1 Biography 81 2.2 Features of the Van den Berg Instruments 84 2.3 Woods 89 2.4 Van den Berg as Luthier and his thoughts on South African Luthiery 90 3 MARC MAINGARD (1949 - ) 92 3.1 Biography 92 3.2 Features of the Maingard Instruments 95 3.3 Woods 99 3.4 Maingard as Luthier and his thoughts on South African Luthiery 101 4 RODNEY STEDALL (1956 - ) 103 4.1 Biography 103 4.2 Features of the Stedall Instruments 105 4.3 Woods 109 4.4 Stedall as Luthier and his thoughts on South African Luthiery 110 CHAPTER 4 – SOUTH AFRICAN LUTHIERS WHO BUILD EXPERIMENTAL GUITARS OUTSIDE OF THE “TRADITIONAL SPANISH METHOD” 112 iv 1 ALISTAIR THOMPSON (1949 - ) 114 1.1 Biography 114 1.2 Features of the Thompson Instruments 116 1.3 Woods 119 1.4 Thompson as Luthier and his thoughts on South African Luthiery 121 2 COLIN CLEVELAND (1936 - ) 123 2.1 Biography 123 2.2 Features of the Cleveland Instruments 126 2.3 Woods 129 2.4 Cleveland as Luthier and his thoughts on South African Luthiery 130 3 MERVYN DAVIS (1955 - ) 132 3.1 Biography 132 3.2 The Floating Articulation Node Design 135 3.2.1 Origin 136 3.2.2 Aesthetic Features 138 3.2.3 Features of Construction 139 3.2.4 Sound Features 141 3.3 Woods 143 3.4 Davis as Luthier and his thoughts on South African Luthiery 144 SECTION C – AN HISTORIC – HERMENEUTIC CRITIQUE 146 CHAPTER 5 - GADAMER, HEIDEGGER AND LUTHIERY 147 1 THE MAKER/PLAYER COLLABORATION 147 2 MARTIN HEIDEGGER (1889 – 1976) 154 3 HEIDEGGER AND ART 155 3.1 The Nature of Art 155 3.2 Van Gogh’s painting of a pair of Peasant Shoes 157 v 3.3 Art and Truth 158 3.4 The Greek Temple 158 3.4.1 Earth 158 3.4.2 World 160 4 HEIDEGGER AND TECHNOLOGY 162 5 LUTHIERY AS ART AND TECHNOLOGY 166 5.1 Art 167 5.2 Technology 172 5.3 Conclusion 174 6 GADAMER, AUTHORITY AND TRADITION 174 7 HEIDEGGER AND THE FOURFOLD 177 8 LUTHIERY, AUTHORITY AND TRADITION 180 SOURCES 185 APPENDIX A – INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH ALISTAIR THOMPSON ON 8 NOVEMBER 2004 AND 25 JUNE 2005 AT 1262 PUXLEY LANE, QEEENSWOOD, PRETORIA 190 APPENDIX B – INTERVIEW CONDUCTED WITH COLIN CLEVELAND ON 11 JUNE 2005 AT 130 CAMP GROUND ROAD, RONDEBOSCH 207 APPENDIX C – INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH GARTH PICKARD ON 6 NOVEMBER 2004 AND 26 JUNE 2005 AT 149 RABIE STREET, MEYERS PARK, PRETORIA 216 vi APPENDIX D – INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH HANS VAN DEN BERG ON 7 NOVEMBER 2004 AND 27 JUNE 2005 AT 3 HOOGENHOUTSTRAAT, KOKERUS, MEYERTON 230 APPENDIX E – INTERVIEW CONDUCTED WITH MARC MAINGARD ON 11 JUNE 2005 AT SCARBOROUGH 242 APPENDIX F – INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH MERVYN DAVIS ON 4 NOVEMBER 2004 AND 24 JUNE 2005 AT BROEDERSTROOM 257 APPENDIX G – INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH RODNEY STEDALL ON 6 NOVEMBER 2004 AND 26 JUNE 2005 AT 726 VERCUEIL STREET, GARSFONTEIN, PRETORIA 272 vii SUMMARY This study uses a general historical overview of luthiery that provides the reader with a basic understanding of construction techniques and terminology as a point of departure. From the outset the lack of consensus over an ideal or desired construction technique is highlighted. However, Torres is credited with the establishing of a perceived Spanish tradition of guitar construction and acknowledged as the “father” of the modern guitar. This will serve as a basic framework in which a discussion of six prominent past and present international luthiers can occur. These luthiers, namely Antonio de Torres, Hermann Hauser, Robert Bouchet, Daniel Friederich, Jose Romanillos and Greg Smallman are included in this study by virtue of their influence on the South African luthiers that are featured here. It is noted that these six luthiers, with the exception of Greg Smallman, all adhere to the “Spanish tradition” of guitar construction. Smallman can be considered a foremost proponent of a more recent “modern” school of guitar construction characterized by various innovative construction techniques. These are a result of new demands placed on the guitar as performance instrument because of larger concert venues and more collaboration with different instruments, resulting in a need for a stronger tone and more projection and penetration in sound. These two “poles” of luthiery are then manifested in the discussion on the seven featured South African luthiers. Alistair Thompson, Colin Cleveland, Mervyn Davis, Garth Pickard, Marc Maingard, Rodney Stedall and Hans van den Berg are discussed with special mention made of the features of their instruments, woods used and thoughts on luthiery, against the backdrop of their biographies. The four South African luthiers who build within the “Spanish tradition” (Pickard, Maingard, Stedall and Van den Berg) are distinguished from the three who build outside this so-called tradition (Thompson, Cleveland, Davis). South African luthiery is therefore shown to be an accurate microcosm of luthiery in global terms with styles of construction ranging from very “traditional” to very “modern”. The critical reflection on the information contained in this study appears in the form of a hermeneutic critique on luthiery that occurs within the parameters of the thought of two prominent hermeneutic thinkers, Martin Heidegger and his student, Hans-Georg viii Gadamer. It is shown that the collaboration that often occurs between guitar makers and performers can be related back to Gadamer and his analysis of Heidegger’s notion of the the hermeneutic circle. It is also argued that luthiery as practiced by the international and South African luthiers featured in this study can be seen both as art and technology in ancient Greek terms in that they are both a mode of revealing. Finally, it is shown how luthiery in its entirety can be viewed as a tradition and that different luthiers respond and add to this tradition in various ways. KEY WORDS Alistair Thompson; Colin Cleveland; Mervyn Davis; Garth Pickard; Marc Maingard; Rodney Stedall; Hans van den Berg; South African Luthiery; Guitar ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1.1 An exploded view of the classical guitar displaying the different parts. 13 Figure 1.2 An exploded view of the classical guitar. 14 Figure 1.3 A diagram showing the sturdy connection between the major components at the point of 15 greatest stress. Figure 2.1 A diagram plotting the most influential luthiers in historical perspective. 23 Figure 2.2 The soundboard and strutting pattern of a larger-bodied guitar developed by Torres.