How the archlute makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the archlute belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The archlute (Spanish: archilaúd, Italian: arciliuto, German: Erzlaute) is a European plucked string instrument developed around 1600 as a compromise between the very large theorbo, the size and re-entrant tuning of which made for difficulties in the performance of solo music, and the Renaissance tenor lute, which lacked the bass range of the theorbo. Essentially a tenor lute with the theorbo's neck-extension, the archlute lacks the power in the tenor and the bass that the theorbo's large body and typically greater string length provide.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does an archlute sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the archlute?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.321-5).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q1633881 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Archlute – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Rijksmuseum – CC0 1.0