We are always impressed by the admirable frescoes of which the Palladian villas are rich. Sometimes a servant peeps out of an open door, a trompe-l'oeil that used to deceive the amused guests of the residence.
But what background music did the noblewomen hear at the parties held in that sumptuousness? On what melodies did the gentlemen of the Serenissima in the Renaissance move their feet, at the rich dinners that took place in these halls?
Well, they probably swayed to the notes of the lute, the main instrument of the social evenings of the Renaissance courts, brought by the Arabs during the Middle Ages, but which has its roots in Ancient Egypt. Its shell made of wooden staves amplifies the sound and vibrations of the strings skilfully plucked by Renaissance players, while a series of ligatures divides the neck into eight or nine parts, called keys.
For over two hundred years the printed repertoire for lute grew and continued to evolve until 1700, when the lute was supplanted by the piano in the salons of the world.
The lute found wide success in the Renaissance thanks to its sweet, melodious and romantic sound, protagonist in an era of poems and gentle songs, dances, quadrilles and hilarious gentle verses.
In the 17th century its popularity in Italy began to wane, but it continued to be lively in the rest of Europe, gladdening the banquets and idle afternoons of noblewomen.
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