"What used to be is not of interest to us because it once was, but because it is, in a certain sense, still here, by still exerting an influence on our times." (Gustav Droysen)
 

In the period of the High Renaissance the lute, which had already been “played with great enthusiasm” in pre-Christian times by the Persians and was brought to Europe by the Arabs, was regarded as the most perfect and ideal instrument.