The rebec (sometimes rebecha, rebeckha, and other spellings, pronounced or ) is a bowed

stringed instrument In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Musicians play so ...

of the

Medieval era In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

and the early

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. In its most common form, it has a narrow boat-shaped body and one to five strings.

Origins

Popular from the 13th to 16th centuries, the introduction of the rebec into Western Europe coincided with the Arabic conquest of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

. There is, however, evidence of the existence of bowed instruments in the 9th century in Eastern Europe. The Persian geographer of the 9th century

Ibn Khurradadhbih Abu'l-Qasim Ubaydallah ibn Abdallah ibn Khordadbeh (; 820/825–913), commonly known as Ibn Khordadbeh (also spelled Ibn Khurradadhbih; ), was a high-ranking bureaucrat and geographer of Persian descent in the Abbasid Caliphate. He is the aut ...

cited the bowed

Byzantine lira The Byzantine lyra or lira () was a medieval bowed string musical instrument in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. In its popular form, the lyra was a pear-shaped instrument with three to five strings, held upright and played by stopping ...

(or ''lūrā'') as a typical bowed instrument of the Byzantines and equivalent to the pear-shaped Arab ''

rebab ''Rebab'' (, ''rabāba'', variously spelled ''rebap'', ''rubob'', ''rebeb'', ''rababa'', ''rabeba'', ''robab'', ''rubab'', ''rebob'', etc) is the name of several related string instruments that independently spread via Islamic trading rout ...

''. The rebec was adopted as a key instrument in Arab classical music and in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

it was used in the tradition of Arabo-Andalusian music, which had been kept alive by descendants of Muslims who left Spain as refugees following the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

. The rebec also became a favorite instrument in the tea houses of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. The rebec was first referred to by that name around the beginning of the 14th century, though a similar instrument, usually called a ''lira da braccio'' (arm lyre), had been played since around the 9th century. The name derives from the 15th century

Middle French Middle French () is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the mid-14th to the early 17th centuries. It is a period of transition during which: * the French language became clearly distinguished from the other co ...

''rebec'', altered in an unexplained manner from the 13th century

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th kit and the generic term fiddle">Pochette (musical instrument)">kit and the generic term fiddle. A distinguishing feature of the rebec is that the bowl (or body) of the instrument is carved from a solid piece of wood. This distinguishes it from the later period vielles and Viol, gambas known in the Renaissance.

Tuning

The number of strings on the rebec varies from 1 to 5, although three is the most common number. Early forms of the instrument commonly had 2. The strings are often tuned in fifths, although this tuning is not universal. Many depictions of the rebec show its bridge as flat, which would mean that several strings were bowed at the same time. This suggests that the strings would likely be tuned in fifths and fourths similar to the fiddle and mandora. The instrument was originally in the treble range, like the violin, but later larger versions were developed, so that by the 16th century

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

s were able to write pieces for consorts of rebecs, just as they did for consorts of

viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

In use

The rebec was often played by professional minstrels and musicians at feasts. In northern Europe, musicians typically held it at the shoulder, while musicians in southern Europe and northern Africa held it down in the lap and gripped the bow from below. The use of frets on the rebec is somewhat ambiguous. Many scholars who have written about the instrument have described it as fretless. However, some illustrations from the 13th century onward depict frets on the rebec. It is possible to attribute this discrepancy to the fact that frets on bowed instruments appeared in Europe in the early renaissance, but not in England until the 15th century. In time, the viol came to replace the rebec, and the instrument was little used beyond the

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

period. The instrument was used by

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

masters until the 18th century, however, often being used for the same purpose as the kit, a small pocket-sized violin. The rebec also remained in use in

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

, especially in

eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Andalusi nubah Andalusī nūbah (نوبة أندلسيّة), also transliterated nūba, nūbā, or nouba (pl. nūbāt), or in its classical Arabic form, nawba, nawbah, or nōbah, is a music genre found in the North African Maghrib states of Morocco, Algeria, Tu ...

, a genre of music from

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, often includes the rebec. Chilote Waltz (a variation of traditional

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

, played in Chiloe Island,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

) also uses the rebec.

Artists

* The original Michael Nyman Band included a rebec before the band switched to a fully amplified lineup. * Les Cousins Branchaud, a

group from

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada, includes a rebec player. * Ensemble Micrologus, an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

medieval music Medieval music encompasses the sacred music, sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries. It is the Dates of classical music eras, first and longest major era of Western class ...

group, has a member who performs on rebec. * Tina Chancey is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in early bowed strings like the rebec. She also plays in

Hesperus In Greek mythology, Hesperus (; ) is the Evening Star, the planet Venus in the evening. A son of the dawn goddess Eos ( Roman Aurora), he is the half-brother of her other son, Phosphorus (also called Eosphorus; the "Morning Star"). Hesperus' Rom ...

, an early music and folk music group. * Dominique Regef is a French musician, composer and improvisor who performs on, among other instruments, the rebec. * Giles Lewin, while being more famous for his work on violin and bagpipes, also plays the rebec in the Dufay Collective. * Sisters Shirley and Dolly Collins have released a number of albums that include the rebec. * Oni Wytars, a European music group, often includes the rebec in their performances. * Sérgio Roberto Veloso de Oliveira (from Mestre Ambrósio and Siba e a Fuloresta), and Antônio Nóbrega plays the rebec in a very Brazilian folkloric way, which has a large number of players in its north-east part. * A rebec, played by Shira Kammen, is used in the song "Kingfisher" on the 2010 album

Have One On Me ''Have One on Me'' is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom, released on February 23, 2010, via Drag City (record label), Drag City. It is a triple album produced by Newsom and mixed by longtime collaborators Jim ...

by American multi-instrumentalist

Joanna Newsom Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. After recording and self-releasing two EPs in 2002, Newsom signed to the independent label Drag City (record label), Drag City. Her debut album, ''The Milk-Eyed ...

.Have One On Me album booklet

In popular culture

Hugh Rebeck is a minor character in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'', one of the musicians called by Peter in an oft-cut scene. Presumably, he is named for the instrument that he plays. In a scene in ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'', a goatherd entertains Don Quixote and

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza (; ) is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spain, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, ...

by playing a rebec and singing a love song. A rebec featured prominently in one of

Ellis Peters Edith Mary Pargeter (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her pen name Ellis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of ...

' (12th century) Brother Cadfael stories: Liliwin, the title character of ''The Sanctuary Sparrow'', earned his living by playing that instrument. His rebec was damaged by a mob that accused him of murder, but one of the monks repaired it and returned to him at the end of the story.

References

External links

"rebec"
definition at Dictionary.com ("Word of the Day" on April 30, 2022)
The Rebec
– Short history of the rebec, and sound sample.

* ttp://www.soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/the-rebirth-of-the-rabeca-fiddle-of-brazil/ The Rebirth of the Rabeca Fiddle of Brazilbr>The Rebec Page
– Origins, morphology, construction, and sound sample.
Tenor rebec photo
* {{Authority control Bowed string instruments Early musical instruments Italian musical instruments Swiss musical instruments Medieval musical instruments