Hopkinson Smith
Hopkinson Smith is one of the world's foremost experts on early plucked instruments, recognized for his knowledge of and performances on the lute, theorbo, vihuela, and predecessors of the guitar. As such, Smith has also taught many of the following generation of lutenists.
As a teenager, Smith played classical guitar, but then discovered the world of early music and began teaching himself to play the lute. He graduated with honors from Harvard in 1972 with a degree in musicology, which has served him well in his research on works written for early plucked instruments. He studied lute with Emilio Pujol in Catalonia and Eugen Dombois in Switzerland, and then worked with viola da gambist Jordi Savall to found the ensemble Hespèrion XX in the mid-1970s. He went on to spend ten years with the group, growing creatively as a chamber musician and finding it a good balance to his solo work. From the mid-1980s, Smith concentrated on his research and performance of solo works for his instruments, ranging from Renaissance dances and fantasias to Baroque composers Kapsberger, the Gaultiers, Mouton, Sanz, and Weiss, to name just a few. His discography includes nearly 40 recordings of these works on the Astrée and Naïve labels, beginning with La Réthorique des Dieux in 1976, featuring suites by Denis Gaultier. He has also recorded his own transcriptions of Bach's solo violin works (2000) to much acclaim, in addition to Bach's lute works. Another award-winning album was 2008's Francesco de Milano.
Smith gives master classes throughout North and South America and Europe and was on the faculty of the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, where he makes his home, until his retirement in 2020. Yasunori Imamura and Rolf Lislevand are just two of his many students who have gone on to their own successful careers. Smith's playing is noted frequently by reviewers for its tastefulness and expertise while also being warm and always consciously expressive no matter what type of piece he is playing. He collaborated with vocalist Mariana Flores to record lute songs on 2019's Dowland: Whose Heavenly Touch. Following his retirement from teaching, Smith continues performing and recording, releasing Bright and Early, a program of early 16th century pieces from France and Italy, in 2023.
© Patsy Morita /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Marin Marais: Pièces de viole des Cinq Livres
Jordi Savall, Hopkinson Smith, Ton Koopman
Classical - Released by Alia Vox on 27 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johann Sebastian Bach : Suites n° 1, 2 & 3 (Volume I) (Arr. for Lute)
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 25 Feb 2007
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bright & Early
Classical - Released by Naive on 3 Feb 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ennemond Gaultier (dit le Vieux Gaultier ou Gaultier de Lyon) : Pièces de luth
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 25 Feb 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
John Dowland : A dream
World - Released by naïve classique on 29 Mar 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mad Dog (Holborne, Johnson, Byrd, Dowland, Huwet)
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 19 May 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Suites (Arr. for Lute)
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 2 Apr 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach : Sonatas & Partitas (Arr. for Lute)
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 25 Feb 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Robert de Visée: Pièces de théorbe
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 1 Jan 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johann Sebastian Bach : L'œuvre pour luth
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 1 Jan 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Silvius Leopold Weiss : Partitas pour luth
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 25 Feb 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
François Dufaut : Pièces de luth en manuscrits
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 1 Jan 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Suites Nos. 4, 5 & 6 (Arr. for Lute)
Classical - Released by naïve on 10 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jacques de Gallot: Pièces de Luth (Dit le vieux Gallot de Paris)
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lautenkonzerte (Concerti pour luth de Fasch, Haydn, Kohaut, Hagen)
Hopkinson Smith, David Courvoisier, David Plantier, Chiara Banchini
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 25 Feb 1999
Cannes Classical Music Award16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Sonatas, Partitas & Suites (Arr. for Lute)
Classical - Released by naïve on 13 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
De Rippe: Tabulature de leut
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 1 Jan 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saltarello ala ferrarese (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto)
Classical - Released by naïve on 23 Dec 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Caldibi castigliano (Intabulatura de lauto, Libro quarto)
Classical - Released by naïve on 13 Jan 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Musique pour la chambre du Roy
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 1 Jan 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alonso Mudarra : Tres libros de musica en cifras para vihuela
Classical - Released by naïve classique on 25 Feb 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo