theorbo

American  

[thee-awr-boh] / θiˈɔr boʊ /

noun

• theorbos
  plural

1. an obsolete bass lute with two sets of strings attached to separate peg boxes, one above the other, on the neck.

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theorbo British  

/ θɪˈɔːbəʊ /

noun

1. music an obsolete form of the lute, having two necks, one above the other, the second neck carrying a set of unstopped sympathetic bass strings

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• theorbist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• theorbos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of theorbo

1595–1605; < Italian teorba, variant of tiorba, special use of Venetian tiorba, variant of tuorba traveling bag ≪ Turkish torba bag; so called from the bag it was carried in

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

theorbo theorbos

Ms. Salvant’s 2023 release, “Mélusine,” included songs that dated back to the 12th century, sung in four languages, and made prominent use of the theorbo, the plucked lute used for Baroque basso continuo accompaniment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

A pair of harps, placed antiphonally in boxes at opposite sides of the stage, plus a theorbo, offer an otherworldly descant, as do the sounds of the celesta and chimes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

A harpsichord, a theorbo and a viola da gamba sound alongside an upright piano and an electric organ.

From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

Seattle Baroque Orchestra will perform the world premiere of Aaron Grad’s “Strange Seasons,” a new concerto for electric theorbo and an ode to Puget Sound’s weather, Nov. 11 at Benaroya Hall.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2017

Here I learned to play on ye theorbo, taught by Sig.

From Sylva, Vol. 1 (of 2) Or A Discourse of Forest Trees by John Nisbet

And it invariably had to go with old, not modern, instruments: recorders, valveless horns, theorbos, violins with gut strings and Baroque bows.

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2012

The players are from Juilliard415, the school’s early-music group, complemented by guest artists on the Baroque harp and theorbos.

From New York Times ● Nov. 19, 2010

He seems to have made an expert and scientific study of it, and the reader hears continually the sound of lutes, harpsichords, violas, theorbos, virginals, and flageolets.

From Among Famous Books by John Kelman

The homely sound, likewise, of a rustical hornpipe is more agreeable to my ears than the curious warbling and musical quavering of lutes, theorbos, viols, rebecs, and violins.

From Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 3 by Peter Anthony Motteux

The front of the stage is opened, and the band of twenty-four violins, with the harpsicals and theorbos which accompany the voices, are placed between the pit and the stage.

From Dryden's Works Vol. 3 (of 18) Sir Martin Mar-All; The Tempest; An Evening's Love; Tyrannic Love by John Dryden