Kwitra
The kwitra (also quwaytara, kouitra and quitra; in Arabic: الكوترة (a-kwitra)) is an Algerian stringed instrument, sometimes referred to as the Algerian lute. The instrument is tied to Andalusian musical traditions of Moorish people who were pushed out of the Iberian peninsula in the 15th century. That tradition has shrunk further; where the kwitra was once seen in Algeria, today it is mainly an Algerian instrument.
Kwitra
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- Name
- Kwitra
- Field
- chordophone · lute
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
The kwitra (also quwaytara, kouitra and quitra; in Arabic: الكوترة (a-kwitra)) is an Algerian stringed instrument, sometimes referred to as the Algerian lute. The instrument is tied to Andalusian musical traditions of Moorish people who were pushed out of the Iberian peninsula in the 15th century. That tradition has shrunk further; where the kwitra was once seen in Algeria, today it is mainly an Algerian instrument.
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wikidata · Q6450485
In this article
Overview
Overview
The literal meaning of kwitra in Algerian Arabic (and possibly in the extinct Andalusian Arabic) is "small guitar". It is a regional instrument in the lute family of instruments, related to Italian chitarra. It has eight strings in four courses. It is tuned G3 G3, E4 E4, A3 A3, D4 D4. The traditional strings are made of animal intestines. They usually have a carved soundhole in the shape of a bowl or vase.
Andalusi music group in Moorish café at the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Kwitra • Names — Kouitra, quitra, quwytara • Background — string • Classification — String instrument • Hornbostel Sachs Desc — Composite chordophone • Related — Oud, mandolin, mandolute
Historically prominent musicians
Historically prominent musicians
• Cheikh Sfindja • Mouzino • Mohamed Ben Teffahi • Ahmed Essabti • Mohammed Bahar (recordings exist) • Philippe Lourenço • Faten Sioud • Ahmed Echaytan
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Rough Guides. The Rough Guide to World Music: Africa & Middle East. 254. 2006.
- 2.Metropolitan Museum of Art. Quwaytara, late 19th century, Moroccan.
- 3.ATLAS of Plucked Instruments – Africa.
- 4.Quwaytara. The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. 176. 1984.
- 5.Azzouz El Houri. La famille du Oud. 11 February 2006.
References
Citations
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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