lira da braccio

musical instrument

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

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The lira da braccio was a bowed string instrument popular in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was played on the shoulder and featured five strings over the fingerboard, along with two additional drone strings.1

This instrument is related to the medieval fiddle and is considered a precursor to the modern violin. The term "lira" itself has a history dating back to the Byzantine era, referring to a bowed instrument that evolved from the Arab rabāb, which is the ancestor of European bowed instruments. The lira da braccio was an Italian development, and its bass version was known as the lira da gamba or lirone.23

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stringed instrument
The violin family
…of the violin was the lira da braccio, an elaborate instrument of the Renaissance, whose form foreshadowed the physical essentials of the violin body: the arched modeling of the belly and back and the shallow ribs. This shallow arched form probably encouraged or suggested another important detail: the use of…
Read More
…of the violin was the lira da braccio, an elaborate instrument of the Renaissance, whose form foreshadowed the physical essentials of the violin body: the arched modeling of the belly and back and the shallow ribs. This shallow arched form probably encouraged or suggested another important detail: the use of…
Read More