The vihuela is a Spanish Renaissance string instrument that appears to be a cross between a lute and a Renaissance guitar. It usually was tuned like a 6-course lute, fourth - fourth - major third - fourth - fourth, though the smaller versions sometimes were tuned so all the strings sounded notes of a triad (for example, G-B-d-g-b-d'). The shape of the vihuela was more similar to a modern guitar than to a lute. The same instrument was known in Italy and Portugal as the viola (not to be confused with the bowed stringed instrument of the same name; but note that the terms vihuela and viola - in either sense here - are apparently closely etymologically related; both words have distant family ties with "fiddle"!). The vihuela was in common use in the 15th and 16th centuries, though it was replaced by the guitar shortly thereafter.

The vihuela has long since passed from common use, but modern replicas are made for use in early music circles.

The first composer to publish a collection of music for the vihuela was the Spanish composer Luis de Milán, with his big book Libro de música de vihuela de mano intitulado El maestro of 1536. The notation of the music in this book is tablature, and all the music is easily performed on the guitar.

External links

• Several photos of vihuelas can be found among the instrument photos at Wayne Cripps' lute pages.

Discography

• Delphin (with Vihuela sound samples)
• Fuenllana: Vihuela Music
• Milán, Narváez