One of the most aristocratic instruments of Renaissance Europe, the lute developed from the Arabic oud (meaning “wood”), first brought to Spain by the Moors.
The lute has a pear-shaped body and a rounded back made from many thin strips of wood. Strings are arranged in pairs called courses, with a single top string known as the chanterelle (“singing string”). The lute was widely used for solo performance and for accompanying singers, and court lutenists were held in great esteem.
