Ah the lute! Classic! Symbolistic! It simply oozes of zazz! A instrument with such rich history deserves at least two blog posts to cover it! Whats that? I created a blog post last year on the lute? What a coincidence! Enjoy the revised version:
The European lute is a musical instrument that hails from Europe (obviously). It originally had four strings, a short slanted neck, and a small rounded hollow body. It was most commonly made of junk, such as small wooden boxes and a variety of hollowed plants such as gourds. However, as their popularity grew, they began to be made with pressed wood and up to as many as forty- eight strings!
The European lute is an idea that was basically stolen from the Arab musical instrument known as al ‘ud, which translates to “the wood”. The ‘ud was introduced to Europe by the Moors during their attempted conquest and occupation of Spain that lasted from 711 AD to 1492 AD. Therefor, the lute probably existed long before this, but we have no way of knowing. Theopean lute originally had four strings, a short slanted neck, and a small rounded hollow body. It was most commonly made of junk, such as small wooden boxes and a variety of hollowed plants such as gourds. However, as their popularity grew, they began to be made with pressed wood and up to as many as twenty four strings!
Lutes are still used in music today, although it mostly only appears in Renaissance themed music. It has also been used in all different genres of music through out the ages, such as various blues, jazz, classic and even rock songs. Its unique high-pitched sound has been modified into many interments like the banjo.
A video were the fire complements the playing ncely: Melancholy Galliard - Renaissance LuteWritten by John Dowland (1563-1626) a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I.
And, of course, some pictures:
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