Chapter House Rebec

Original design based on instrument depicted in wall painting in the Westminster Abbey Chapter House, London, England. It is Maple, recycled Douglas fir, and Black Walnut.

Another instrument I based on the Westminster Abbey Chapter House wall paintings. The popularity of the 3- and 4-string rebec lasted several hundred years, eventually evolving into the dancing master's kits of the 17th century and then losing favor to the "modern" violin. The fairly flat bridge allowed the player to stroke two or more strings at once. It is assumed that chords were played instead of melodies, and it was used as a backup to vocals and/or other instruments. It wasn't until the 1600s to 1700s that a more arched bridge was used to facilitate playing single-string melodies like the violin.

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