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Barcelona Music Museum

Rubab and Gralla

The rubab and gralla are two surviving medieval instruments still played today. Photo by Rafael Vargas. Barcelona Music Museum.

 

The rubab and gralla are two surviving medieval instruments still played today. Photo by Rafael Vargas. Barcelona Music Museum.

 

The rubab and the gralla are both monodic instruments, which means they can only play one note after another; these have survived down to today from medieval times. The rubab was the first bowed-string instrument from the Islamic world to be introduced to the West. This one is from the Maghreb region, made in the 19th century; it has two strings and is made of parchment.

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