Thank you Dennis - and Joseph - the 1295 date tallies with Janin Le
Lutour's beginning service as a minstrel to the Prince of Wales -
presumably it's in this list of musicians employed in the year 1295
that the word 'lute' appears. but the OED doesn't know about it?..
Andrew
On 9 Dec 2009, at 12:46, dc wrote:
dc écrit:
The oldest source mentioned in the OED is from the following century.
1. A stringed musical instrument, much in vogue from the 14th to
the 17th centuries, the strings of which are struck with the
fingers of the right hand and stopped on the frets with those of
the left.
1361 2 Durham Acc. Rolls 127 In uno viro ludenti in uno loyt.
c1386 Chaucer Manciple’s T. 268 For sorwe of which he brak his
minstralcye, Bothe harpe, and lute, and giterne, and sautrye.
But see here:
<http://books.google.com/books?
id=2pWBZd20P6oC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=lute
+1295&source=bl&ots=gtRDKsvU1-
&sig=OK1xows_6bHKlFr4WLDBea6rDvM&hl=en&ei=c5gfS9XFIYf64AbVi4naCg&sa=X
&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=fal
se>
The lute player, 'Janin Le Lutour' was among the King's minstrels,
and is the earliest lute player in England whose career can be
traced. He first appears in royal accounts in 1285 as 'Johann Le
Leutour'. He is listed among the Prince ol Wales's minstrels for
the years 1295-1303, and thereafter remained in royal service
until Edward I's death in 1307.
There's also a reproduction of the "Westminster Festival Roll"
showing payment to "Janin Le Lutour" on the preceding page.
Dennis
To get on or off this list see list information at
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
