X5686 - svenskluta - Alfred Brock - 1931 - foto Mikael Bodner

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.se

at HarpGuitars.net
YouTube: Lillebror Söderlundh performing "En valsmelodi"
Swedish musical instruments Mandolin family instruments Lutes {{lute-stub