What is a Baroque theorbo?
The theorbo was used during the Baroque music era (1600–1750) to play basso continuo accompaniment parts (as part of the basso continuo group, which often included harpsichord, pipe organ and bass instruments), and also as a solo instrument.
What are the three main instruments of the Baroque period?
Baroque orchestra instruments usually included: strings – violins, violas, cellos and double basses. woodwind – recorders or wooden flutes, oboes and bassoon.
Is archlute and theorbo the same?
Archlute. Renaissance tuning with a long extension and single bass courses. The archlute differs from the theorbo in that it does not have re-entrant tuning, so you can play from all renaissance lute tablature. The repertoire for this type of lute greatly benefits from having nine or ten frets on the neck.
What is the theorbo made of?
Like its strings, the frets of the theorbo and those of the lute are made of sheep’s gut, and are movable. This allows the player to ‘fine tune’ their instrument. It’s known that some players used steel strings. The theorbo is part of the lute family.
Who invented the archlute?
Handel was among the composers outside Italy who also composed for the archlute. The instrument evolved as something of a hybrid between the theorbo and the baroque lute. Like the theorbo, the archlute is a very large instrument, with a long neck and two peg boxes.
How does an archlute work?
archlute, large 16th-century bass lute provided with additional bass strings, or diapasons, and producing a deeper sound that could be used in orchestral basso continuo parts. The diapasons were tuned according to individual preference, usually in a descending scale from the lowest principal string.
Who created the theorbo?
Late 16th century Florentine court musician Antonio Baldi is usually credited with the invention of the theorbo, but it must be remembered that the core of the instrument is basically a bass lute with centuries of historical evolution preceding it.
What does the word theorbo mean?
Definition of theorbo : a stringed instrument of the 17th century resembling a large lute but having an extra set of long bass strings.
What is the theorbo quizlet?
The theorbo is a(n) plucked string instrument capable of producing chords as well as a bass line.
What is 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 out from the soundbox.
How many strings does a theorbo have?
theorbo, large bass lute, or archlute, used from the 16th to the 18th century for song accompaniments and for basso continuo parts. It had six to eight single strings running along the fingerboard and, alongside them, eight off-the-fingerboard bass strings, or diapasons. Both sets of strings had theorbo | musical instrument | Britannica
What is the pitch of a theorbo?
This is a small theorbo, with string lengths of 70cms and 120cms. As such it is more likely to be used for the solo repertoire. The pitch should be D for the first string, the longer theorbos being a 4th lower at A. However, this theorbo was used for accompaniment in a baroque ensemble, and was tuned to A.
How do you play a theorbo?
The theorbo is played much like the lute, with the left hand pressing down on the fingerboard to vary the resonating length of the strings (thus playing different notes and making chords, basslines and melodies playable) while the right fingertips pluck the strings.