| Title: | Theorbo |
| Original Title: | Théorbe ou Tuorbe |
| Volume and Page: | Vol. 16 (1765), p. 252 |
| Author: | Unknown |
| Translator: | Kirk Anderson [Wheaton College, MA] |
| Original Version (ARTFL): | Link |
| Rights/Permissions: |
This text is protected by copyright and may be linked to without seeking permission. Please see http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/did/terms.html for information on reproduction. |
| URL: | http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.did2222.0003.580 |
| Citation (MLA): | "Theorbo." The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert Collaborative Translation Project. Translated by Kirk Anderson. Ann Arbor: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, 2018. Web. [fill in today's date in the form 18 Apr. 2009 and remove square brackets]. <http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.did2222.0003.580>. Trans. of "Théorbe ou Tuorbe," Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, vol. 16. Paris, 1765. |
| Citation (Chicago): | "Theorbo." The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert Collaborative Translation Project. Translated by Kirk Anderson. Ann Arbor: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.did2222.0003.580 (accessed [fill in today's date in the form April 18, 2009 and remove square brackets]). Originally published as "Théorbe ou Tuorbe," Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, 16:252 (Paris, 1765). |
Theorbo. A musical instrument shaped like a lute, except that it has two necks [1], the second of which is longer than the first and holds the last four rows of strings, which make the lowest sounds. See Lute, and the Plates on musical instrument making.
This is a French word, although some trace it to the Italian word tiorba , which has the same meaning; others claim that it is the name of the instrument's inventor.
The theorbo , over the past 100 years, has taken the place of the lute and plays the basso continuo in concerts. It is said that it was invented in France by Mr. Hotteman, and that it spread from there to Italy.
The only difference between a theorbo and a lute is that the former has eight thick strings twice as long as those of the lute: this considerable length gives them such a sweet sound and such sustain that, not surprisingly, some even prefer the theorbo to the harpsichord. The theorbo at least has the advantage of being easily portable.
All these strings are normally single, however some models double the large strings with an octave and the small ones with another string in unison; since in this case the theorbo more resembles a lute, the Italians call it an arc-leuto or archi-luth . See Archlute.
1. More precisely, two fingerboards and two pegheads attached end-to-end on a single neck.