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Instrument: Lute |
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 The name lute refers both to an instrument family or type within the Sachs_Hornbostel classification system, and a specific instrument, the western European lute, whose rich history can be traced back to the Ud, an Arabic instrument used since at least the 6th century. The essential features of this family as identified by Anthony Baines are: "a soundbox attached to a projecting neck, along which strings are stopped by a player's left hand." The varieties are nearly countless; among non-European relatives of the lute family are the rebab, a bowed musical instrument with a single string; the North Indian sitar and the Japanese three stringed shamisen, a plucked instrument with a long straight neck and square sound box.
Lutes from the Stearns Collections are illustrated right.
Generally, a European lute (the instrument, not the family) has a rounded or vaulted body crafted from steamed and bent strips of wood, a distinctly ornate single sound hole, and a long neck which is bent at the end (at |
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the pegbox) at nearly a right angle. Often, luthiers (instrument makers) use a mix of hard and soft woods , including rosewood, fir, pine and spruce. The sound is relatively soft but clear and distinct. You play a lute by strumming with your fingers or using a plectrum (pick).
Arto Wikla, Finnish luthier
In Europe, the lute was considered one of the most important instruments during the Renaissance era; played in solos or ensembles, lutes accompanied dances or vocal music. A myriad of published music collections dating from the 15th century and dedicated to the lute are a significant part of early Western musical heritage. During the second half of the 16th century, as bass sounding instruments became increasingly important to the musical repertoire, luthiers varied their work by adding lower strings and changing the way these strings were attached to the neck and body. Among the lower voiced models are the chitaronne and the theorbo.
The chitarrone, with its large body and single set of strings, probably developed in Florence, Italy during the late 1500s. Its name derives from the Italian word for guitar (chitarra), which traces back to the ancient kithara. In the 17th century, the chitarrone accompanied vocal solos and duets, and was included in larger ensembles for theater music such as Jacopo Peri's "Euridice" (1600) and Claudio Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" (1607).
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