A lute is a stringed musical instrument with a rounded, pear-shaped body and a neck with frets, popular in Europe from medieval times through the 1700s. Picture something that looks like a wooden teardrop attached to a guitar neck. Players pluck the strings with their fingers or a pick, creating a warm, gentle sound that once filled royal courts and village squares.

The lute was the guitar of its era. Skilled lutenists (lute players) performed everything from dance music to complex compositions. In Shakespeare's time, a young person learning the lute was like someone today learning piano or guitar. The instrument appears throughout Renaissance paintings, often played by angels or nobles.

Though the lute fell out of fashion as violins and keyboards became more popular, some musicians today still play historical lutes or their descendants. The oud, popular in Middle Eastern music, is closely related to the European lute.