luretère

The luretère is a historical stringed instrument in the lute family, attested in late medieval and early modern sources. The name, from French luth and the suffix -ère, signals its relation to lutes, though precise origins are unclear. Descriptions portray a compact instrument with a bowl- or flat-backed body, a shallow soundbox, a short neck, and a fretboard. It typically carried two to four courses of gut strings, sometimes with sympathetic strings for resonance.

Playing technique combines plucked lute practices with features akin to the zither: players plucked with a plectrum or fingers, with melody on the higher strings and harmony on the lower strings. Tunings were usually diatonic or modal, suitable for courtly songs and simple dances. Ornamentation included slides and grace notes described in treatises.

History and distribution: The luretère appears in French and Iberian sources from the 15th to 17th centuries, with associations to southern French courts and Catalonia. Surviving instruments are rare; evidence is largely textual and iconographic, leading to varying reconstructions.

Modern practice: In contemporary scholarship and performance, the luretère is sometimes reconstructed by luthiers and used in experimental or historically informed ensembles to explore timbre and technique; however, no standardized model exists, and opinions about its exact construction vary.