Musical instruments – Spain

Spanish post issued a set of stamps devoted to musical instruments featuring four string instruments, three of them plucked: guitar, lute and mandolin, and the other one, the violin, bowed.

The guitar is a plucked string instrument consisting of a wooden box, a neck on which is attached the fretboard, an acoustic sound hole in the center and six strings. The fretboard is embedded with metal frets that allow the different notes. This instrument is known as classical or Spanish guitar. There are four types of acoustic guitars: the classical guitar, the Flamenco guitar, the electric guitar and the electro acoustic guitar.

The lute is a guitar-like instrument with a deep round back and a teardrop-shaped soundboard. The sound hole is not open, but rather covered with a grille in the form of an intertwining vine or a decorative knot, carved directly out of the wood of the soundboard. There are different varieties such as the Arabic lute, the Chinese or pipe and the Spanish lute which was introduced in Europe from Al-Andalus in the Islamic period.

The mandolin is a musical instrument with four double strings and a soundboard which can be concave or flat. It is of Italian origin and has been used by many great classical and modern composers both in traditional music as well as in other music styles. Among its variations is the Italian mandolin, folk and bluegrass.

The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It consists of a sounding board of an elegant ergonomic shape. It comprises two upper bouts, two lower bouts, and two concave bouts at the waist, providing clearance for the bow. The back and ribs are typically made of maple. The soundboard has two openings in the middle called F-holes. It is used in classical, folk and modern music.

Title: Musical instruments – Spain
Date of Issue: 24 January 2011
Country: Spain
Denominations: 0,35 € x 4