Vihuela Strings

The vihuela, pronounced biˈwela in Spanish, emerged as a fretted plucked string instrument in 15th-century Spain, boasting a figure-of-eight shape akin to a guitar for durability and ease of transport, yet tuned like a lute. It served as the Spanish counterpart to the lute in Italy and enjoyed a vast repertoire during the 15th and 16th centuries. Typically, it featured five or six sets of doubled strings.

Known as the viola de mà in Catalan, viola da mano in Italian, and viola de mão in Portuguese, the vihuela's names were functionally interchangeable across regions. In its advanced form, it resembled a guitar with six double strings crafted from gut. Tuning mirrored that of the contemporary Renaissance lute, employing a combination of fourths and a mid-third (44344 tuning), akin to the modern guitar except for the third string, which was tuned a semitone lower.

Evolved from flat-backed lutes in the mid-15th century within the Kingdom of Aragón in northeastern Iberia (Spain), plucked vihuelas gained popularity across Spain, Portugal, and Italy from the late 15th to the late 16th centuries. During the latter part of the 15th century, some vihuela players transitioned to using a bow, paving the way for the development of the viol.