The lute
is among the oldest of plucked instruments having its origin in
antiquity. As early as the year 2000 BC lutes were pictured on
Mesopotamian pottery. The lute came to Europe from the Arab culture
towards the end of the thirteenth century but rose during the
fifteenth to a position of unique importance through the end of
the seventeenth.
Because of its lovely sound and its enormous repertoire, it occupies a very special place of honor during our Renaissance times. It is an instrument for every walk of life, from the street minstrels to the courts of Europe.
The very early Lutes had backs carved from a solid piece of wood, but in our times we use a series of separate ribs to construct the curved back. The strings are strung along the entire body, uninterrupted by any bridge. Raised lines on the fingerboard, known as frets, show the instrumentalist the location of half tones. The head of the lute is bent backward from the neck and contains the box for the pegs. There is no set number of strings.
The lute is often mentioned in English literature,
particularly in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare.
The Passionate Pilgrim, VIII
by William Shakespeare
If music and sweet poetry agree,
As they must needs, the siter and the brother,
Then must love be great 'twixt thee and me,
Because thou lov'st the one, and I the other.
Dowland to thee is dear, whose heavenly touch
Upon the lute doth ravish human sense;
Spencer to me, whose deep conceit is such,
As, passing all conceit, needs no defence.
Thou lov'st to hear the sweet melodious sound
That Phoebus'lute, the queen of music, makes;
And I in deep delight am chiefly drown'd,
When as himself to singing he betakes.
One god is god of both, as poets feign;
One knight loves both, and both in thee remain.
References:
Baines, Anthony. European & American Musical Instruments.
Viking Press, New York, 1966.
Buchner, Dr. Alexander (translated by Iris
Urwin). Musical Instruments Through the Ages. Batchworth
Press Limited, London, England, 1961.
Haas, Karl. Inside Music: How to understand, listen to,
and enjoy good music. Doubleday, New York, 1984. ISBN:
0-385-18536-7
Hindley, Geoffrey (ed.). The Larousse Encyclopedia of Music. Excalibur Books, New York, 1982.
Transporter
| Links | Chronology | Terms | Reference
| Credits | Feedback | Map
