Lute

The instrument in Figure 1 is a type of lute, which is a stringed instrument that became popular in Europe towards the end of the Medieval period. This instrument, though, has a significant past that stretches almost a millennium before in the Eastern world. In particular, the lute originated from an Arab instrument called the ‘ud, which is a similar stringed instrument that is thought to have come to Spain around the 9th century (Santa Maria Bouquet 2010). Furthermore, there are older medieval instruments known as lutes, as in Figure 2, which are largely from the Islamic world. The lute in Figure 2 is from Egypt. Over time though, this instrument evolved, changing its form slightly, to a point where individuals began to classify it as a new Western instrument, and this transition occurred around the 13th century (Santa Maria Bouquet 2010). By the end of the Medieval era, the instrument evolved to have an extra string, and the length of the strings changed from its original form. Figure 2 actually shows one of very few surviving lutes from the medieval period, and as such it is thought to have been owned by a relatively wealthy individual, owing to its careful craftsmanship. As a whole, this instrument shows that as part of the cultural exchange that occured between Europe and the East, music played a central role, as a distinctly Arab instrument assimilated with European culture.