Bandora (instrument)

illustration from Syntagma Musicum Theatrum Instrumentorum seu Sciagraphia, Wolfenbüttel, 1620CE.

The bandora or bandore[1] is a large long-necked plucked string-instrument that can be regarded as a bass cittern though it does not have the re-entrant tuning typical of the cittern. Probably first built by John Rose in England around 1560, it remained popular for over a century.[2] A somewhat smaller version was the orpharion.

The bandora is frequently one of the two bass instruments in a broken consort as associated with the works of Thomas Morley, and it is also a solo instrument in its own right. Anthony Holborne wrote many pieces for solo bandora. The multiple lute settings of Pacoloni appear both with and without optional wire-strung instruments.

  1. ^ "Bandore, bandurria, bandurya". English, Leo James. Tagalog-English Dictionary. 1990.
  2. ^ "ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - lutes". www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com.