Name: David Bergmüller
Nationality: German
Occupation: Lute musician, composer
Recent event: David Bergmüller will perform at Detect Classic Festival which will take place August 11th-13th at Bröllin castle in Fahrenwalde, Germany. More information and tickets here.

Tool of Creation: Lute
Type of Tool: Plucked stringed instrument
Country of origin: Northern Africa & Arabia
Became available in: Around 3,000 BC.  

If you enjoyed this interview with David Bergmüller about the lute and would like to explore his music in more depth, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, and Facebook.



What was your first encounter with the lute? What was it about it that drew you in?

I was 17 or 18 when I accidentally got a lute in my hands. I was so fascinated by the sound: Only from playing open strings I got goosebumps and could not get enough. Basically, it’s still like that today.

Just like any other instrument, the lute has a rich history. What are some of the key points from this history for you personally?

I don’t know. First of all, I am fascinated by the sound. When a sound touches me I can deal with it as a musician today.

As an artist, I am not so much interested in the historic key points of the development of the lute.

What, to you, are some of the most interesting lute recordings and -performances by other artists in terms of your personal development?

The intimacy through its sonic spectacularity of the recordings of my two former teachers Hopkinson Smith and Rolf Lislevand influenced me a lot.

Performances influenced me more than other artists from jazz, electronic music, classical or theatre.

When talking about electronic devices, we often think about their “features”. But the lute is a complex device, too. What are some of its stand-out features from your point of view? How would you describe its sonic potential?

Just like there is not one synth for everything, also every lute instrument has its feature: So I have many different lutes …  In combination with the tuning-related idiomatic sounds, you get very unique tonal synergies and overtone spectra.

Instrument design is an ongoing process. Are you interested in recent developments for the lute in this respect?

Yes of course. But the most complete instruments I held in my hands were the historic ones. In terms of design and “touchability” of the sound. Not out of historicism, but due to the craftsmanship and taking care of details of our former colleagues.

I am definitely interested and following developments in that direction.

Tell me about the process of learning to play the instrument and your own explorations with it.

As a kid, I played classical guitar and electric guitar … When I was 17 or 18 I got fascinated with the lute. From there it was a very quick decision to go in that direction.

I sold my classical guitar, bought a baroque lute and restarted as a complete beginner. First as an autodidact. Later with two teachers during my studies.

What are specific challenges in terms of playing the lute?

The challenges are not more specific than any other mechanically played instrument. What I experience as the most challenging is learning to know and to love its limits.

What does playing your instrument feel like, what do you enjoy about it, and what are your own physical limits and strengths?

Lutes are usually very lightly built. In terms of the weight and thickness of the wood. The soundboard e.g. is only 0,3 mm in its thinnest place.

Playing the lutes does not need power. On the contrary, one is busier taking strength away and relaxing. It is far from being a physically demanding instrument.

What interests you about the lute in terms of it contributing to your creative ideals? How do you see the relationship between your instrument and the music you make?

It’s very related: I compose only at the lute, only for the lute.

I am not sure what to call the composing ;) It is more process of distilling ideas from my improvisations.

How would you describe your personal style of playing the lute?

I would like to leave it to others to describe my style.

Some see instruments merely as tools towards creativity, others feel they go hand in hand. What's your take on that?

They are tools for me, but very personal ones.

In the light of picking your instrument, how would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation vs perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

In my opinion, to continue a tradition we have to make music for the future. Otherwise, we would just restore art from the past - I don't see myself restoring.

I am learning from my 16-18th century predecessors and how they used their instruments, and how they were dealing with their goals of perfectionism or avantgardism.

What all professional musicians back then had in common: They were playing their own music. Only amateurs and pupils would perform the music of others.

Could you describe working with the lute on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

For my solo album, which will be released this month on 18th of August 2023, my sound engineer and I went into seclusion for a few days in a monastery and recorded there in the church and only during the night.

Isn't it exactly this quality of silence that enables us to hear?

How, would you say, does the lute interact with other instruments from ensembles/groups you're part of?

In the context of early music ensembles, the lute is part of the Basso continuo to provide the musical and harmonical structure.

Are there other lute players whose work with their instrument you find inspiring? What do you appreciate about their take on it?

Sure! We are a small community of lute players and usually, we know each other's work.

There are my teachers Hopkinson Smith and Rolf Lislevand who still inspire me – they taught so much about the lute and music. And there are composing lute players like Lee Santana or Jozef van Wissem (who did the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch´s Only lovers left alive) whom I hold in high esteem.

[Read our Jozef van Wissem interview]