This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Riatsala (talk | contribs) at 08:57, 21 December 2001. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 08:57, 21 December 2001 by Riatsala (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A round-backed plucked-string instrument, developed in the Middle East and called in Arabic al-oud. Arabic music.
THE EUROPEAN LUTE
The lute (its name a corruption of the Arabic) was brought Europe in the Middle Ages, but its heyday was the European Renaissance. The lute at that time had a variable number of strings, tuned in a pattern of fourths and fifths. It was particularly suited for the harmonies of the period, and was used as a solo instrument no less than as an accompaniment to singers or other instruments. Lutes were made larger and more complex (see archlute, theorbo) into the eighteenth century, when musical tastes changed and the instrument was abandoned.
Lute composers:
Francesco da Milano, John Dowland, Denis Gaultier, Johann Sebastian Bach, Sylvius Leopold Weiss.