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Curated category

Baroque instruments

  • MandolinIn 1787, Luigi Bassi played the role of Don Giovanni in Mozart's opera, serenading a woman with a mandolin. This scene cemented the instrument's image as an…
  • BassoonMusic historians generally consider the dulcian to be the forerunner of the modern bassoon. This hairpin-shaped instrument with a long, folded bore and a…
  • OboeCenturies before the Spanish and Portuguese conquests in the New World, an early version of the chirimía arrived in Europe from the Middle East due to…
  • ViolaThe word viola originates from the Italian language, where it served as a general term for string instruments before becoming specific.
  • HarpsichordThe harpsichord emerged in the late 14th century as a small instrument with a high pitch. Early makers crafted lightweight cases with thin walls and used…
  • LuteA cylinder seal from Uruk, dated to about 3100 BC and now held in the British Museum, depicts a woman playing what scholars identify as an early lute.