Jakob Lindberg

Jakob Lindberg (born 16 October 1952) is a Swedish lutenist, performing solo, in small and large ensembles, and also directing operas, using instruments of the lute and guitar families. He is known for the first ever recording of the Complete Solo Lute Music of John Dowland as well as for recording music never before recorded, with repertoire dating back to the Renaissance period.

Biography Jakob Lindberg was born in Djursholm, Sweden on 16 October 1952 and began his studies on the guitar with his first inspirations being the music of The Beatles. At the age of fourteen, he started studying the guitar with Jörgen Rörby; it was Rörby who first introduced Lindberg to the lute.

Lindberg studied music at Stockholm University before going on to study at the Royal College of Music in London. He combined his studies with Diana Poulton on lute and classical guitar with Carlos Bonell at the RCM and began to focus his attention on performing Renaissance and Baroque music on period instruments. Lindberg's solo Wigmore Hall recital debut took place in 1978, and he has subsequently toured internationally throughout Europe, the United States and Canada, Japan, Mexico, Russia, and Australia, as a soloist, accompanist, continuo player, and ensemble/consort player.

Teaching Lindberg started teaching as a professor of lute at the Royal College of Music in London in 1979, taking over the position from Diana Poulton, together with taking part in lecture recitals (as for example Gresham College, London).

Performing Lindberg has recorded lute music that had never before been recorded, largely under the BIS label. Recorded works include Italian chitarrone collections, music by Scottish composers, the first ever recording of the complete solo lute music by John Dowland, and solo lute works of Johann Sebastian Bach, together with chamber music by Vivaldi, Boccherini, and Haydn.

He founded the Dowland Consort in 1985, which specialized in performing music from Elizabethan and Jacobean times, most notably John Dowland and Sylvius Leopold Weiss. As a continuo player (theorbo, chitarrone, and archlute), he has performed with many period instrument ensembles, such as the English Concert, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Taverner Choir, the Monteverdi Choir, the Purcell Quartet, and the Chiaroscuro Quartet. He is a frequent accompanist for singers such as Nigel Rogers, Ian Partridge, Emma Kirkby, and Anne Sofie von Otter. Lindberg has directed several Baroque operas from the chitarrone at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre as a production staged by the Royal Swedish Opera. His opera performances include Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in 1995 in which he collaborated with Andrew Parrot, and Jacopo Peri's Euridice in 1997. On 3 July 2013, Lindberg gave a concert of the music of John Dowland at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace to coincide with the 350th anniversary of John Dowland's birth.

Lindberg appears in and plays the lute in the 1983 Doctor Who episode "The King's Demons".

Instruments Rauwolf Lute: made by Sixtus Rauwolf, Augsburg c. 1590, one of the few extant, "possibly the world's oldest lute in playing condition." Originally a 7-8 course instrument, modified in 1715 to incorporate an extended neck, with the work labelled "Leonhard Mausiel of Nüremberg 1715" inside the lute body. The restoration has been made for this instrument to accommodate 11-course d minor, or 10-course Renaissance tuning/stringing. 6-course lute: made by Michael Lowe, Oxford 1985, based on European lutes used c.1500-1550. 8-course lute: made by Michael Lowe, Oxford 1980, based on an Italian 1580 model, employing yew wood for the back ribs, each strip containing both sapwood and heartwood rendering a stunning natural striped effect. 10-course lute: made by Michael Lowe, Oxford 1977, with a yew wood back of 31 ribs. 13-course lute: made by Michael Lowe, Oxford 1981, based on models from c.1720 Germany, with a rosewood back, and a lower pegbox extended to an upper pegbox, supporting longer bass strings, lending a rich strength of sound to the lower tessitura.

Compositions dedicated to Jakob Lindberg Composer: Richard Popplewell; Title: Variations on Brigg Fair; Scoring: solo lute; Date: 1988.

Discography BIS no. Title Collaborating Artists Release date Other label info BIS 201 Lute Music from Scotland and France 1982/3 BIS 211 Virtuoso Lute Music from Italy and England 1982 BIS 257 Faire, Sweet & Cruell Lute songs with Christina Högman 1983 BIS 266 Italian and English Music for Recorder and Lute with Clas Pehrsson 1984 BIS 267 English Lute Duets with Paul O'Dette 1984 BIS 290 Antonio Vivaldi: The Complete Works for the Italian Lute of his Period with members of the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble 1985 BIS 293 Songs for the Guitar with Christina Högman 1985 BIS 315 Lachrimae directing the Dowland Consort 1985 BIS 327 Baroque Music for Lute and Guitar 1986 BIS 341 Three, Four and Twenty Lutes with nineteen other lutenists 1985 BIS 360 Joseph Haydn: Complete Works for Lute and Strings with members of the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble 1987 BIS 390 Music from the time of Christian IV includes lute solos and directing the Dowland Consort 1987 BIS 391 Music from the time of Christian IV includes songs with Rogers Covey-Crump 1987 BIS 399 Serenissima I Lute Music in Venice 1500-1550 1988 BIS 430 John Dowland: First Booke of Songes with Rogers Covey-Crump 1988 BIS 451 Heavenly Noyse directing the Dowland Consort 1989/90 BIS 469 Anthony Holborne directing the Dowland Consort 1989/90 BIS 587-588 Bach's Lute Music 1992 BIS 597-598 Luigi Boccherini: Quintets with Guitar 1-6 with members of the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble 1992 BIS 599 Serenissima II Lute Music in Venice 1500-1550 1991 BIS 722-724 John Dowland: The Complete Solo Lute Music 1994 BIS 799 Francesco Corbetta: Guitar Music 1996 BIS 824 John Dowland: Selected Lute Music 1994 BIS 899 Spanish Guitar Music 1999 BIS 1199 Seven Suites of Swedish Folk Tunes 2000 BIS 1415 Cataldo Amodei with Emma Kirkby and Lars Ulrik Mortensen BIS 1505 Musique and Sweet Poetrie With Emma Kirkby BIS 1524 Weiss: Lute Music BIS 1534 Weiss: Lute Music 2 BIS 1725 Orpheus in England - Dowland and Purcell With Emma Kirkby BIS 1899 Italian Virtuosi of the Chitarrone BIS 2055 Jacobean Lute Music BIS 2265 A Lute by Sixtus Rauwolf - French and German Baroque Music Dowland Consort of Musicke 1977 DSLO533 Handel's Watermusic Academy of Ancient Music - Christopher Hogwood 1978 Decca Florilegium Monteverdi's Ulysses London Philharmonic Orchestra - Raymond Leppard 1979 CBS Masterworks Dowland - A Miscellany Consort of Musicke 1979 DSLO556 Biagio Marini - Le Lagrime d'Erminia and Violin Sonatas Consort of Musicke 1979 DSLO570 Dowland - Mr Henry Noell Lamentations - Psalmes & Sacred Songs Consort of Musicke 1978/1979 DSLO551 John Dowland - The Complete Solo Lute Music (one of five) 1980 Decca Florilegium John Danyel - Lute Songs Consort of Musicke 1981 DSLO568 William Lawes - Royal Consorts Consort of Musicke 1981 Decca Florilegium Handel: La Riserrectione Academy of Ancient Music - Christopher Hogwood 1980 Decca Florilegium John Blow: "Cupid and Death" Consort of Musicke 1983 Deutsche Harmonia Mundi Monteverdi: Balli et Balletti English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir - J E Gardiner 1983 Archiv Monteverdi: Orfeo Nigel Rogers - London Baroque 1984 EMI The Florentine Intermedi 1589 Parrott, Taverner Choir, Consort and Players 1986 EMI Bach: St John Passion English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir - J E Gardiner 1986 Archiv Monteverdi: Orfeo English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir - J E Gardiner 1987 Archiv Monteverdi: Vespers 1610 English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir - J E Gardiner 1989 Archiv The Carol Album: Seven Centuries of Christmas Music Taverner Consort, Choir and Players 1989 Monteverdi's Poppea English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir - J E Gardiner 1993 Archiv Walter Porter: Madrigals and Airs Consort of Musicke 1993, rec. 80s Musica Oscura The Genteel Companion Richard Harvey, Mark Caudle, Sarah Cunningham, Moniga Huggett, Timothy Roberts, Philip Thorby 1986 ASV DCA 558 / Harmonia mundi GAU 117 Vivaldi: Gloria; Handel: Gloria, Dixit Dominus English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir - J E Gardiner Nov 1998/Jun 2001 Philips 4625972 A Baroque Festival - Bach, Handel et al Parrott 17/10/2000 EMI - Virgin Classics [All429] UPC: 724356130425 Capriccio Stravagante - Vol. 2 2001 Chandos 9511506702 Gaudeamus - Early Music Sampler 1996 Asv Living Era 1115849 Lamenti Anne Sofie von Otter 1999 Deutsche Grammophon Home for Christmas Anne Sofie von Otter 1997 Deutsche Grammophon - Archiv - 457-617-2 Mad About Angels 1995 Polygram Records, Deutsche Grammophon 028944911329 Mad About Vivaldi 1993 Deutsche Grammophon 2894395162 The Pocket Purcell Parrott, Taverner Consort 2000, rec. 80s Virgin Classics 2435451162 Purcell: Te Deum & Jubilate, etc Parrott, Taverner Players 2000, rec. 80s Virgin Classics 2435450612 Purcell: Odes for Saint Cecilia, etc Parrott, Taverner Consort, Choir and Players 1988 Virgin Veritas 724356158221 JS Bach: Heart's Solace Parrott, Taverner Consort and Players 1997 Sony 01-060155-10 Monteverdi: Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi Parrott, Taverner Consort and Players 1991 EMI 7543332 Vivaldi: Four Seasons / Gloria The English Concert - Trevor Pinnock 2000, rec: 80s Deutsche Grammophon 2894692202 Vivaldi Concertos The English Concert - Trevor Pinnock 2001, rec: 80s Deutsche Grammophon 2894713172 It Fell on a Summers Day Ian Partridge 1983 Hyperion - CDH 88011 Romantic Songs for Tenor and Guitar Ian Partridge Pavilion Records- SHECD 9608 Monteverdi & d'India: Mannerist Madrigals Nigel Rogers, Chiaroscuro, London Baroque 1981 EMI Virgin Classics 7243 5 61165 2 8 Corelli Sonatas for Strings Purcell Quartet Chandos 0694 (4) Johannes-Passion BWV 245 Choir of New College, Oxford - Edward Higginbottom 2001 Naxos The Top Ten of Sweden's Great Power Period Skaraborg Vocal Ensemble 1993 Proprius - PRCD 9083 Återspeglingar - Svenska Sånger Anna Emilsson 2007 Todo Production - TOP01

Family His younger brother is the trombonist Christian Lindberg.