LUTHIER

"If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music." - Gustav Mahler

The word of the day today is “luthier”.

luthier |ˈloōtēər| noun

a maker of stringed instruments such as violins or guitars.

ORIGIN late 19th century: from French, from luth ‘lute.’

And this of course bring us to the related words:

lute |lju:t| noun

a plucked stringed instrument with a long neck bearing frets and a rounded body with a flat front that is shaped like a halved egg.

ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French lut, leut, probably via Provençal from Arabic al-‛ūd ‘oud’ (A plucked instrument resembling a lute)

lutenist |ˌluːt(ə)nɪst| (also lutanist) noun

a lute player.

ORIGIN early 17th century: from medieval Latin lutanista, from lutana ‘lute.’

Here is a lute made by luthier Stephen Murphy, being played by lutenist Valéry Sauvage. He plays “Fortune my foe” - A ballad tune by Elizabethan English composer, John Dowland.

Enjoy!