Bandora

A plucked string instrument of bass register with metal strings and scalloped and festooned body outline, said to have been invented in London in 1562. Besides having a considerable solo repertory, it was required to accompany some of the earliest printed English songs and was used in the classical mixed consort. There are many references to its use in the theatre and court entertainments in the late 16th century and the 17th; by the 18th it was falling into disuse. It had iron strings and brass wires, in twisted strands, running (usually) from lateral pegs over a glued bridge with a fret-like brass strip and hitch-pins. There were six or seven strings; tunings varied, but a typical one is C-D-G-c-e-a. Composers who used it include Morley, Leighton and Barley.