Vulcan lyre

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In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Vulcan Lyre, alternatively called the "Vulcan Lute" and the "Vulcan Harp", is a stringed musical instrument of Vulcan origin. The instrument creates soothing tones when plucked.

On Star Trek: The Original Series, the character Spock, a Vulcan, can be seen playing the lyre in several episodes. Usually, communications officer, Lt. Uhura, accompanies Mr. Spock's music with her lovely voice.

The Vulcan lute was first seen in TOS: Charlie X. This was a non-working prop that was made of cardboard and fiberboard. The 24 to 28 (?) strings appear to be a white cotton twine. The sound was dubbed in -- with the "strings" making a harplike sound, and the knobs could be adjusted to give a shivery organlike sound.

Spock enjoyed playing this harplike instrument during his off-duty hours (TOS: Charlie X).

Spock used it to accompany Uhura's song "Beyond Antares" (TOS: The Conscience of the King).

It also appeared in TOS: Amok Time.

Spock joined in a folk session with some space hippies (TOS: The Way to Eden).

At this point, a "working" prop was created by a guitar studio in San Diego that is specially licensed to Paramount. It makes a real (non-dubbed) plucked sound, but no shivery organlike sound. All the wooden knobs are non-operational and serve no function other than to "look like" the early TOS lute. The strings of the playable 12-string harp made by the guitar studio are made of varying gages of wire-wound steel electric-guitar strings.

Spock plays "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" on it (The Final Frontier).

A Vulcan lute was seen in the mirror Kira Nerys's quarters (DS9: Through the Looking Glass).

The Bothan caused Tuvok to hallucinate that the lute which he used to play for T'Pel was sitting right in front of him. It was first referred to as a "lute" in this episode (VOY: Persistence of Vision).

Tuvok tells the children that this is a 5 stringed instrument that is tuned on a diatonic scale; Tuvok's youngest son is particularly found of it. The actual prop had 12 strings (VOY: Innocence).