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Woman Playing a Theorbo to Two Men, oil on canvas by Gerard Terborch, 1667-1668. (Baroque Art)

What’s That Sound?: 8 Intriguing Early Musical Instruments

Young men throw balloons and glitter from above the mosque at the celebration Eid Al-Fitr after prayers playing with balloons outside of Al-seddeeq mosque, Al-Mansourah, Egypt. 17 July 2015.

the Beatles. Publicity still from Help! (1965) directed by Richard Lester starring The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) a British musical quartet. film rock music movie

What's the Difference Between Tempo and Rhythm?

Candles Burning On Table In Church

What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?

Undated photograph of American violinist Nathan Milstein playing a 1716 Stradivarius violin. Undated photo.

What’s So Special About Stradivarius Violins?

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World map. Continents. Oceans. Mendel thumb ok

Just How Many Oceans Are There?

Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.

Why Is Ireland Two Countries?

Venus, view of the northern hemisphere based on observations made by the Magellan spacecraft. The Maxwell Montes, Venus' highest mountain range, is the bright spot just below the center of the image. The Montes, and the dark areas above and to its left,a

5 Weird Facts About Venus

Hindu Holi Festival celebrations with colored water, powder and colorful flower petals thrown over celebrants at a Hindu temple in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India on March 24, 2021.

Holi: Festival of Colors

Close up of periodic table, focus on nickel, copper, zinc, palladium, silver, cadmium

When Was the Periodic Table Invented?

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Lead image for "A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps"

A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps

oud: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	al-ʿūd • oud

Photos

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Topics

lute family guitar lute sitar mandolin biwa tambura bandurria mandora balalaika bouzouki

Quiz

Gong. Closeup of a khong wong gong circle chime. Thai classical musical instrument, part of piphat ensemble. (percussion, music)

Music Quiz

Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)

Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz

List

Woman Playing a Theorbo to Two Men, oil on canvas by Gerard Terborch, 1667-1668. (Baroque Art)

What’s That Sound?: 8 Intriguing Early Musical Instruments