Quality feature  of  
Lira Aurelio 

New ways in lyre building 

  Before we started with the manufacturing on a commercial basis at Lira Aurelio, we had to do some serious thinking: 
-          How can somebody in a Third World Country in South America build lyres, to be sold to local interested parties  - almost all Waldorf  pedagogs or music therapists and their surround  - with the actual modest economical situation - that can be purchased.?
-          How to build good quality instruments with limited funds?

Because lesser sound quality was out of the question for me, a musician and euritmist!

   So we had to look hard to new ways to simplify and economize.

The resulting fact was amazing. What in fact was tought of to be simplification and facility to construct, turned out to be a big advantage for the sound!  

    So let us explain some things: 
 

Frame of one piece of wood, without glued unions to hinder the sound

     Our location in South America permits us, to work with broad boards of sound wood, that apart from the good sound quality – something proved in decades, no in centenaries of guitar building,- has the necessary firmness, to support the high string pressure  (e.g. the Small Soprano Lyre has a string pressure  of ca. 160 kg!). Some kinds of wood we obtain until 60 cm breads! This extraordinary advantage of our location enables us to build the frame of our lyres  - even the big ones – by one piece of wood. (Try this in Europe...) 

   The advantage is clear: with the smallest building effort we obtain a pure full flow of sound, not broken from glued unions.(Generally five or more pieces of wood are glued together, a lot of hard and precise work, so that the veins of the wood touch on a right angle, the worst imaginable situation for an unbroken sound transport!)

Why no superior bridge at  Lira Aurelio ?

    Some European manufacturers of lyres put a metal bridge on the superior part of the lyre, where the vibration of the string ends, from there it gets to a metal pin to finish at the tuning peg.Our experience shows us that this way does not improve the sound, or in any case there is no relation between the additional  workload and  the sound improvement. And it is easy to explain: The longitudinal vibrations of the strings are better conducted into the wood with all their tension if they arrive directly at the peg, inserted two to three cm in the framewood. Even the fundamental principle at instrument building, to avoid materials alien or antagonistic to the sound (in this case metal) advocates for the cost reducing solution. The tuning is not affected, there are other factors to consider, such as fluctuations of temperature and humidity or shake.
 

Form design of our lyres  

   At Lira Aurelio we looked a long time for the best and balanced form for our lyres, to come nearest to the ideal sound we sought. The tendency of the last 3 decades, to give the lyre an angular, crystalline form, starting at the frame, could be let aside after some studies, as unsuitable or as a simple mode. The instruments lose fullness and deepness of sound. Even the heavy weight (little wood, much metal at the head, so as the extravagant high form) did not look to healthy to us (the lyre is applied after all, mostly in pedagogic and therapy).
   We intended at Lira Aurelio  to get the form more adapted to the unbroken flow of the veins from the wood. And, of course, there where static conditions to consider.
-          The resonance body keeps in his surface an balanced relation to the lenght of the strings.
-          The bass strings got enough “belly room” on the resonance deck to unfold their deeper and wider vibrations.
-          The concave frame part adapts himself harmonic to the whole form..

The quality of sound has first rank!
Genuine workmanship in the best tradition of instrument building ! 

Curved decks and bottoms of resonance 

  All our lyre models have curved decks and bottoms, what is known to improve the quality of sound considerably. This of course, requires in every sense trained and precise workmanship, not to get with a machine. This is the reason why you do find curved decks and bottoms only on some few European lyres. It is understandable: modern machines to work wood tend to work with a  quick, plain workflow and the high general and salary costs, obliged to low cost building systems. Consequence: a flat, thin sound, without warmth and richness. 

  -  All our lyres are treated with sound improving, smooth feeling shellac. Patient work by hand to give a mate finish.
 - Our cases too are pampered with shellac. The cases of the Soprano lyres are lined with the natural material cork.
 

The workforce in our country is so cheap, that we can easily afford all the additional work, that quality requires!
 

  No compromise with quality of material ! -

     Tuning pegs and keys, also strings are imported from Germany. There exists an century old, large tradition  and experience in the manufacture of strings, specially  lyre strings: The thin steel strings, tin covered, and the thicker ones, covered with plated copper wire. Also all the fittings on the cases are imported from Germany. 

  Strings replacement 

   All our lyres are equipped with strings that are the same as the corresponding models from CHOROI, the leading lyre brand from Europe, with workshops or stores in most countries in Europe, also in the USA and Japan.

Resulting sounds          

    If you consider, that Lira Aurelio  is considered a “newcomer” within the Lyre  builders, then you would be surprised at the resulting sound. No  sound of little toy musical boxes, nor a modern, harsh, thin, disagreeable sound. (The connoisseur will know which renowned brand of lyres I mean, but courtesy forbids me to say the name).
   The sound  of well tuned, well played, well cared for lyres from Lira Aurelio stands out as:

-          beautiful balance between elements of warmth and light in the sound,
-          delicate and pure sound, never thin or feeble volume,
-          great variety of the tone, depending on play technic,
-          ample fanning out, horizontal, “social” sound (in comparison to the wanting to dominate,    
             snide, vertical sound from the known solo instruments of an orchestra).         
 -           good resulting sound by playing together of several different lyres.  

    It may look pretentious if I mention it, but it is a often had experience, that a well cared for instrument improves in purity, delicacy and sensibility, if handled with care and love! The experienced lyrist knows this, it is easy to understand too, but not everybody cares about it: 

       -          Wash the hands before playing, strings keep their argentine “new” sound much longer and do not get dull so quickly.
 -           Careful wrap the lyre when not playing, if possible in a silken scarf or cloth, that protects and keeps the imponderable aura of the lyre. (Cotton material is not recommended at all, because always keeps a little humidity.)
-          All caring deeds, that show the respect and love for an instrument, that gives us so much joy and fulfilment with his sound, a balsam our soul is craving for.  

    In one opportunity I was flabbergasted as I heard a Small Soprano Lyre,  from a client, that had been played about a year. The purity and delicacy of sound had improved remarkably. The touch had such a sensibility, really incredible. This woman cherished and protected her lyre as a truly treasure. (The other face of the coin have I seen too, it’s a pity…)        

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