Cittern

The cittern (also: Cythera, Miner zither, neck zither, resin zither, Luther zither, Thüringer zither, waldzither, cisterns, Aspen ( MHG ), from Greek κιθάρα kithara, cf guitar ) is a plucked string instrument from the family of Box -necked lutes. It exists in a variety of designs, which is why the cittern is not regarded as a particular instrument, but as an instrument family.

History and design

The cittern was derived between the 10th and 12th century from the lute. Have Cistern, in contrast to most sounds, always metal strings. These are double strings ( choirs ) made of steel, brass, iron, or sometimes silver. The number of strings varies and the mood is by no means uniform. Often in an open atmosphere Cistern will be used.

The body of the cittern may drop or pear-shaped, or also have an outline similar to a bell (Hamburger Cithrinchen ). It has frames that are wider towards the neck, and a sound hole. The frets are embedded firmly in the fretboard.

The mostly small scale and the open atmosphere meant that the cittern in the Renaissance period as well as for beginners easy to play folk instrument rather widespread.

To the family of Cistern includes the Orpheoreon and Pandora.

Name of diversity

In German-speaking countries there are different names for Cistern, which always made ​​for great confusion and worry. In addition to the names mentioned above were in the course of history nor the terms Citer, Cithar, Citter, Cythar, Cytthar, Sister, Siter, Wartburg sounds Ziethar, Ziter, Zithar, Zütter, and Zyther in use. The old name jitter and all the names that include - zither, the confusion with the zither makes easily possible. By the well-known, especially in the name of Switzerland neck zither ( zithers have no neck ) provides a clear distinction. The term zither Luther apparently arose in the 19th century by the assumption that Martin Luther is said to be a "Master of the cittern ." There are, however, no historical evidence.

Technique and mood

The choirs are struck with the right hand with a pick or a quill pen, the left hand grasps. There are different moods at Cistern, usually you will encounter open tunings like: cc ee gg c'c ' e'e ' g'g ' ( sechschörig ); occasionally also on Mandolastimmungen. During the Renaissance Cistern usually had four ( e'e 'd' d' gg hh ) to ten choirs, have modern variants usually five to six.

Originally, the cittern to mediaeval Bordunspielweise was used on the so-called Italian mood interpret (hh gg d' d ' e'e ') and the French mood ( aa gg d' d ' e'e ') in vierchörigen Cistern of the 16th century way: the melody was used on the 4th or 3rd Choir, plus the two next lower choirs were struck as empty drone. In the Renaissance period, then developed the polyphonic style of play. Cistern can be melodic, used purely as an accompanying instrument, but also as a polyphonic solo instrument.

Types and naming

English guitar

A certain type of Cistern, which was widespread in Europe from about 1750 to 1850, was from about 1800, the term English guitar. The English suffix was to distinguish it from the Portuguese guitar. The guitar, which unlike today - mostly six single strings - then had five choirs, was not yet widespread in 1800, especially in England, and the former names for cittern ( cittern, cithern, cetra or citra ) and guitar ( grids, guitar or guittar ) were used interchangeably from about 1750.

The strings of the guitar were English plucked with the fingers like a lute or guitar, and not struck with the plectrum, as usual in the cittern. The English guitar usually had a teardrop-shaped body, and two bass strings and four choirs in the open atmosphere ce gg c'c ' e'e ' g'g ' ( C major ). Since 1760 had the English guitar a so-called Preston's machine, which was a vortex mechanics of vertical screws that were associated with small hooks that stuck out through slots in the head forward, and to which the strings were hung. With a special key you could turn back the four -edged heads of the screws, and then tune the strings. Often holes were drilled into the fingerboard, in which a capo could be mounted between the first three or four frets. Due to the easy handling, the open tuning, and the ease of use of different keys through the use of capos attained the English guitar very wide spread in the social middle class.

Cithrinchen

The Cithrinchen, also written Citrinchen, is a smaller variant of the cittern with a bell-shaped body. It has on the painting by Per Krafft 12 strings, but can also only 10 strings guitar as the English have.

Portuguese guitar

The Portuguese guitar ( guitarra portuguesa ) developed in the 19th century in Portugal. She is a widely used today independent development of the Renaissance cittern and the English guitar and became very popular due to their use in Fado. She has five choirs and the mechanics of Preston's machine. There are two different types of modern Portuguese guitar, a model from Coimbra and one from Lisbon. The Coimbra model has the mood a'a ' g'g ' d' d ' aa' gg 'cc ' and the Lisbon model b'b the mood ' a'a ' e'e ' bb' aa ' dd'.

Krienser neck Zither

Around 1880 came in Kriens in Switzerland a variant of the cittern with a small, guitar -like body, the neck Krienser zither. It forms, with mandolin, guitar, double bass and table zither a part of Krienser house music.

Waldzither

Beginning of the 20th century in Germany a more modern design of the cittern, the waldzither, in the context of migrant bird movement a popular folk instrument. In the 1970s, she found in the German folk music again more use, and since the 1980er/1990er years also occasionally in the music of the medieval scene, for example, from the medieval rock band In Extremo.

The waldzither usually has four choirs and a single bass string. It is usually in the open C major mood c gg c'c ' e'e ' g'g ' voted.

Flat mandolin and mandola

The mandola, mandolin in design as Flachmandoline and Mando Cello can be used as work closely with the cittern or as belonging to the family of Cistern viewed. They have metal double strings and the flat body of a cittern. Mandola and mandolin have four strings choirs, which are tuned in fifths rule in a row - at Mandolin gg d' d ' a'a ' e'' e''. Open tunings are rather uncommon in those instruments.

Irish Bouzouki

The Irish Bouzouki (Irish bouzouki ) has in common only the name with the bouzouki. It was developed in the 1960s in Ireland. She has mostly four choirs and the broad, flat body of the cittern, in contrast to the rounded pear-shaped body ( shell -necked lute ) of the Greek bouzouki. Some instrument makers provided the Irish bouzuki also with a vaulted ceiling.