Medieval lute

English cittern, circa 1600. A stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance, descended from the Medieval citole, or citole. Its flat-back design was simpler and cheaper to construct than the lute. It was also easier to play, smaller, less delicate and more portable. Played by all classes, the cittern was a premier instrument of casual music making much as is the guitar today.

6 Course Renaissance Lute in Walnut, Sycamore, Flamed Maple, Redwood, Ebony and Satinwood

Mark Smeaton was a musician at the court of Henry VIII who got caught up in the adultery trial of Anne Boleyn. He was the only one of Anne's accused lovers to plead guilty. Mark was born around 1512, which means he was only in his early twenties when his life was abruptly ended by the blow of an axe. There is no record he ever married or had children. Almost nothing is known of his life before he came to court. There are legends that he was the son of a carpenter, born in Flanders, and that…

World4 Costume Culture History

A Canaith mandolin (pronounced: /kɑːˈneɪθ/ ka-NAYTH[4] listen) was a masterwork magic mandolin and one of the Instruments of the Bards.[2][1] Canaith mandolins were 8-string mandolins.[2] Like other Instruments of the Bards, they could only be used properly by bards, and could be dangerous if anyone else attempted to play or even carry them.[2][1] Bards wielding a Canaith mandolin had their charming abilities greatly amplified by their magic.[1] Like all Instruments of the Bards, these…

How did the lute come to be associated with the troubadour / traveling minstrel image? Surely, lutes in European culture have always been delicate and expensive instruments. Today, people’s …