‘Ud

‘Ud, (Arabic for “twig” or “flexible rod”), musical instrument, short-necked Arabian lute, having a large, wooden, pear-shaped body and belly, and a vaulted back with 16 to 21 ribs. The ‘ud is both the etymological and the physical ancestor of the European lute, the name of which is derived from the phrase al-‘ud, Arabic for “the lute.” The ‘ud is easily distinguishable from its European counterpart by its relatively short fretless neck, a scratchplate to protect the belly from the plectrum, and its undulating pegbox, which projects back at an angle of nearly 90° to the neck. The instrument may be found in lengths from about 65 to 77 cm (about 25 to 30 in), and it has one to three plain or decorated sound holes. Many different woods, and sometimes mother-of-pearl, are inlaid on the sides of the fingerboard and the back. The most common modern form of the ‘ud, noted as early as the 8th century, has five gut or nylon strings in courses of two strings per note, and a range of slightly more than two octaves. It has a number of tunings. Modern versions with two, four, six, and seven strings are also known. The size, decoration, and number of strings on these instruments vary by region and period.

The ‘ud is used to accompany singing in a wide range of secular music, and it figures prominently in the famous collection of stories known as Arabian Nights. The history of the instrument is elusive. The use of silk for the strings suggests a Chinese influence. However, the ‘ud may have been invented in the mid-3rd century during the reign of the Sassanid king Shapur I, later spreading west into North Africa and Europe and east to China. By the end of the 7th century it had arrived in the Arabian Peninsula, and by the 10th century it was present in Spain and Morocco.