Theorbo

The chitarrone belongs to a type of lute which is fitted with a variable number of bass strings in addition to the six, fingered double-stringed courses of the standard instrument. As the bass strings require a greater length, the instrument is built with a second, longer neck which has its own pegbox. The bass strings do not run over the finger board and thus cannot be altered in pitch during playing. They are tuned diatonically, and each string serves as a single bass note. In order to adapt old lute bodies built for six courses to the requirements of later times, in the 17th and 18th century many of these instruments were modified and equipped with a second pegbox. They are sometimes referred to in German as “theorbierte Lauten” (theorbed lutes). (rh)

Lit.: Rudolf Hopfner: Masterpieces from the Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. A Short Guide through the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Vol. 1, Vienna 2019