Instrument
Mandora
Small type of lute with a shorter neck, fewer frets and fewer strings than the large lute.
What it means
The mandora is a smaller type of lute with a shorter neck, fewer frets and fewer strings than the large bass or treble lute. It belongs to the wide-ranging family of plucked instruments with a rounded body.
Musical use
In the 17th and 18th centuries the mandora served mainly as a simpler, easier-to-play instrument for accompanying songs and dances, while the large lute took on more demanding solo music. The mandora should be distinguished from the mandolin, which has a flatter body, usually with paired strings, and is played with a plectrum rather than the fingers.