![X5686 - svenskluta - Alfred Brock - 1931 - foto Mikael Bodner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/X5686_-_svenskluta_-_Alfred_Brock_-_1931_-_foto_Mikael_Bodner.jpg)
The Swedish lute ( sv, svensk luta) is a musical instrument developed from the early
cittern
The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...
, with a
theorbo
The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box (a hollow box) with a wooden top, typically with a sound hole, and a neck extending ...
'ed neck with several bass strings running offset from the fretboard. The modern Swedish lute generally has six strings over the fretboard, and four or more free-running strings.
Overview
Prominent among early developers of the Swedish lute was
Matthias Petter Kraft, who in the latter half of the 18th century built the lute played by the famous Swedish musician and composer
Carl Michael Bellman
Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as well ...
.
Aside from Swedish musicians, the American folk musician
Richard Dyer-Bennet
Richard Dyer-Bennet (6 October 1913 in Leicester, England – 14 December 1991 in Monterey, Massachusetts) was an English-born American folk singer (or his own preferred term, "minstrel"), recording artist, and voice teacher.
Biography
He was b ...
also performed on the instrument, having studied in Sweden under
Sven Scholander
Sven Scholander (1860–1936) was a Swedish singer, musician, composer and sculptor. Sven Scholander. ''sv.wikipedia.org''. Retrieved: August 21, 2012. His musical innovations led to a revival in Swedish lute playing while his solo performances o ...
.
References
External links
Svenskalutan.seat HarpGuitars.net
YouTube: Lillebror Söderlundh performing "En valsmelodi"
Swedish musical instruments
Mandolin family instruments
Lutes
{{lute-stub