Eric J Roth - Performer, Composer and Arranger

Known from biblical times, the lute travelled to the west from China and
Europeans had claimed the lute as their own and used it in ensemble with
instruments and voices.

In the sixteenth century, the plectrum was abandoned for a finger style
which allowed for more complex polyphony to be realized.  This was the
birth of the renaissance lute which, in various guises, remained the
instrument of choice for the next 200 years.