Vihuela

Uncommon card · No. 178070

The vihuela (Spanish pronunciation: [biˈwela]) was a fretted string instrument developed in Spain during the 15th century and widely used there throughout the 16th century. In its best-known form, the vihuela de mano ("plucked vihuela"), it was plucked with the fingers, had a flat, waisted body resembling that of a guitar, and was typically tuned like a Renaissance lute. It became an important instrument for solo and accompanied music in 16th-century Spain, and a substantial repertory survives in printed collections. The name vihuela was also applied to bowed instruments, known as vihuela de arco ("bowed vihuela"). The bowed vihuela developed in the Crown of Aragon, in eastern Spain, in the late 15th century and subsequently influenced the early development of the viol family.

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