Lute

The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. It evolved from an instrument originally developed in the Middle East, which was also the ancestor of the superficially similar oud. The words 'lute' and 'oud' are both derived from Arabic al‘ud, "the wood". The player of a lute is called a lutenist, and a maker of lutes (or guitars) is called a luthier.

The lute in the modern world

The lute enjoyed a revival with the awakening of interest in historical music during the early Twentieth Century, and that revival was further boosted by the early music movement of the second half of the Twentieth Century. Lute performances are not common, but it should be possible to find one or more per year in any medium to large city in regions imbued with the Western musical tradition.

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Modern lutes are almost always replicas of those surviving historical instruments that are to be found in museums or private collections. They are only rarely found in music stores, and generally must be bought second hand in a very limited market or else ordered custom built from a luthier. As a result, lutes are generally more expensive than mass-produced modern instruments such as the guitar.

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The lutes most commonly encountered today are the 8-course tenor lute in g

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for solo performance of Renaissance works, the archlute for solo performance of Baroque works, and the archlute and theorbo for continuo parts in Baroque ensembles. However, some of the Renaissance material can be performed on a 6-course tenor lute and some very late Renaissance or transitional material requires a 10-course lute, so those instruments are not too uncommon. Other types are sometimes encountered as well, particularly in ensembles.

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The lute is a soft-voiced instrument, and thus rarely plays a role in large ensembles such as the modern symphony orchestra.

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