vihuela

musical instrument

Also known as: vihuela de mano

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Article History

In full:: vihuela de mano

Key People:: Luis Milán

Related Topics:: Spain; guitar; lute family

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vihuela, stringed musical instrument that in Spanish Renaissance art music held the popularity accorded the lute elsewhere in Europe. Built like a large guitar, it had six, sometimes seven, double courses of strings tuned like the lute: G–c–f–a–d′–g′. (The guitar then had four double courses.)

The vihuela was played by the aristocracy, the guitar by commoners. By the 18th century both instruments had given rise to the six-stringed guitar. The vihuela de arco was a viola da gamba, or viol. The term vihuela is also used to refer to a five-stringed instrument that became popular in Mexico as a feature of mariachi ensembles.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John M. Cunningham.