Lira da Braccio

Lira da Braccio

Obverse of the Lira da Braccio by Giovanni d'Andrea (1511)

The Lira da Braccio ( Italian , about "Armlyra") is the basic type of a family of string instruments of the Renaissance .

description

Like the viola da braccio , the lira da Braccio has its origins in the medieval fiddle . The lira was used both in the ensemble and to accompany the solo singing . Their strings are partly above the fingerboard and partly next to it as so-called drone strings , usually two. The usually seven handle strings run over a flat bridge, which allows polyphonic playing.

There are different sizes and moods of the lira, also as a tenor instrument. A common mood in the 17th century was Ggdad ′, for which Bordunchor Dd could step. The largest variant is the lira da gamba , the family's bass instrument.

Preserved historical copies of the lira are now in museums and collections. The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien owns an instrument built by Giovanni d'Andrea at the beginning of the 16th century .

literature

Hugo Ruf (ed.): Riemann Musiklexikon . Updated new edition in five volumes, Schott, Mainz 2012, Vol. 3, ISBN 978 3 7957 0006 5 , p. 220.

Web links

Commons : Lira da braccio  - collection of images

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Erich Valentin : Handbuch der Musikinstrumentenkunde. Gustav Bosse, Regensburg 1954, p. 426.
2. ↑ Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna: Lira da braccio. Retrieved December 14, 2018 .