Sailing with the lute - SL Weiss, Allemande - Baroque lute, Jaroslaw Lipski

In the many years I’ve been sailing there was always the problem of having to part with my lutes. Although the lute is very fragile, I risked taking the oldest one I own on board a couple of years ago and it has accompanied me ever since. In addition to keeping in practice while at sea or on the lakes, this has given me some ideas, such as playing and recording Sonata 28 in F major by Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1687 - 1750)  The exact dating of the piece, entitled Le Fameux Corsaire, is unknown, but it was most probably written during or directly in the wake of the so-called Golden Age of Piracy, which spanned roughly from 1650 to 1730s. 17th and 18th century European monarchs licensed privateers to attack and capture enemy merchant vessels, availing themselves of a share of the loot.  Issued with “letters of marque“ by the Admirality, those sea-faring robbers with royal backing were not considered pirates, but boundaries could be blurred. Buccaneers based in Hispaniola and Tortuga were commissioned by governors of Caribbean islands to raid Spanish vessels, but could get out of hand, plundering whoever came their way regardless of nationality. Privateers working for the French crown were known as “corsairs“, while those operating in the Baltics and the North Sea on authority of Polish-Lithuanian monarchs were dubbed “kapers“. The ultimate fate of a privateer - whether he would end up killed in battle, hanged as a pirate by the enemy, gibbetted as notorious felon by own authorities or given a state funeral as national hero - depended on the circumstances. In any case, the swashbuckling sea-dogs captured public imagination of the period and their sensational exploits were subject of extensive press coverage. Many, such as the notorious pirate Edward Teach, aka „Blackbeard”, privateer Henry Morgan knighted by King Charles II, or Rene Duguay – Trouin, holder of the Order of Saint-Louis, became legend in their lifetime any of those may have inspired to write a sonata with nautical connotations. Attributing musical pieces to famous figures was in vogue in 17th century Europe, and French the language frequently used in dedications. The film contains photos and video clips from my sailing cruises, as well as some original 17th century marine art. More info at: