Welcome
This project follows from the acquisition of the Dolmetsch lute book (GB-Eu Coll-2073) by the University of Edinburgh in 2022, which was aided by grants from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, National Fund for Acquisitions, Friends of the National Libraries, the Friends of St Cecilia’s Hall, the Friends of Edinburgh University Library, and anonymous supporters. Continued support has contributed to further work on disseminating the contents of the manuscript including:
- A website featuring the first transcriptions and performances of the 89 unica contained within the Dolmetsch lute book.
- A professional recording of compositions contained within the manuscript.
- A concert on an original instrument housed at St. Cecilia’s Hall musical instrument museum.
This website contains the first transcriptions into common music notation and the first recordings of the unique pieces within this source, making the content of the manuscript accessible to those who do not read French lute tablature and also those who cannot read common music notation, aiding further research into this important source. Please use the menu to navigate around the website to view the transcriptions and recordings.
This work was undertaken by Eric Thomas during a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Centre for Historical Reconstruction Research at the University of Edinburgh.

