Curated OER
Lose the Lute!
Students use Shakespeare's plays to add modern music to match the mood in the play. They assign adjectives to the original songs of the play and find a song with the same mood. They work together to role-play the play with new music.
Curated OER
Fifth Grade Music: An Ancient Round, Vocal Music in the Renaissance
Fifth graders sing the melody for Sumer Is Icumen In, in unison and as a two-part round. They listen to a madrigal from Renaissance Italy and a lute song from Elizabethan England.
Other
Lute Harpsichord: A Forgotten Instrument
Interesting website on the lute-harpsichord, which is called "one of Bach's favorite keyboard instruments." Provides an in-depth history of this "forgotten instrument" and the ordinary lute.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Music in the Renaissance
Learn how the political, religious and economic changes in Europe during the Renaissance affected the music of the period. A slide show introduces viewers to a variety of instruments which were developed in conjunction with the new music.
PBS
Classics for Kids: Musical Instruments
An A-to-Z directory of all the instruments and tools of the orchestra. Each entry includes a description, a picture, and a sound sample.
Other
Guitar and Lute
Great website for information on guitars, lutes, and other musical instruments. A lot of free items like music, tablature, and art. Useful to those studying music, including beginners.
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College: Lutes, Old and New
A great website for a wide range of information about the lute. Includes pictures, questions and answers about the instrument, and even a directory of lute makers. Very useful for those interested in buying a lute.
Other
Classical Guitar: Illustrated History
At this site from Classical Guitar, the history of the guitar is extraordinary in its depth! Nice photographs accompany the text.
University of Michigan
University of Michigan: Instrument Encyclopedia: Baroque Violin
This brief article overviewing the history of the violin, and its role in a variety of musical genres, includes an image and references for further reading and research.
Curated OER
Eternal Egypt: Lute
This lute is a plucked string instrument with a half-pear-shaped body consisting of a small oblong sound box, or resonator, and a long neck.
Curated OER
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Music in the Renaissance: Lute
16th Century Lute, made in Germany; later turned into a guitar.