5 strings Oval Fiddle 

5-string fidula based on the fiddles carried by the elders of the Portico de la Gloria in Santiago de Compostela, 12th century.

The term fiddle comes from the medieval Latin fitola, fidel, vidula or vitula, although it has also been called rabel due to the resemblance of the instrument to the Arabic rabel. Nowadays, the term fiddle is only assigned to vihuelas or bowed violas prior to the 16th century. F. Díez places its origin in the Latin vitulari, which means to give signs of jubilation, as it was used to accompany singing.

The fiddle arose in the early Middle Ages and evolved until the late Middle Ages, to reach the Renaissance with the violas da gamba, violas da braccio and liras da braccio. 

The opening of this oval fiddle through which the sound comes out has a ‘B’ shape and the pegbox or head takes the shape of a rhombus, while the pegs that hold the strings in the pegbox are hemispherical, as they are smaller than the cubic ones and are used in instruments with five strings. A common model of viola that appears in stone representations and manuscripts in Europe between the 12th and 14th centuries.

With a deep and sweet sound, it is a perfect instrument to accompany singing or other instruments.