MusiLLection

The lute, a plucked string instrument whose gentle and intimate sound shaped centuries of European music. The lute is among the most ancient string instruments known to humanity. Its origins can be traced back more than 4,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia in the Near East. The Western lute, however, has a shorter and more specific history: it entered Europe during the period of Moorish rule in Spain, which lasted from 711 to 1492. The very name of the instrument derives from the Arabic al-ʿūd , meaning “wood.” Lute virtuosos became highly esteemed figures at European courts, where the instrument’s refined and intimate tone was ideally suited for both solo performance and accompaniment. Throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the lute played a central role in supporting the love songs of troubadours, its gentle resonance perfectly aligned with the aesthetics of courtly expression. Two centuries later, German craftsmen settled in Italy and established celebrated centers of lut...