#alauta

• Lute — An ancient plucked string musical instrument, having a vaulted pear-shaped resonance box, a short neck bent backwards at a right angle, provided with frets; a lute. It was extremely popular in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries, and in the Romanian space, it represented the core instrument of early folk musicians before the widespread adoption of the violin.
• Folk musician — A folk musician from Romania and the Republic of Moldova who performs traditional music (party, wedding, mourning music) within traditional troupes (taraf), usually playing the lute, violin, cimbalom, cobza, or accordion. In a historical sense, the lăutari formed special guilds passed down from generation to generation, being the core keepers of the oral musical folklore heritage.
• Young folk musician — An archaic, popular, or hypocoristic diminutive for alăutar; a young musician who plays the lute, or an apprentice fiddler who accompanies a traditional band to learn the craft of instrumental performance. In traditional lyric poetry, the term is used with an affective or poetic value to describe a discrete performer of love songs.
• Young female folk musician — An extremely rare, archaic, or regional feminine form for 'alăutaș'; a young woman or girl who performs traditional tunes on the lute, or a female apprentice within a traditional folk band. In vintage folklore and literary contexts, the term added a poetic and affective connotation, describing a female presence providing musical accompaniment at intimate gatherings.