Lyre

The Lyra (Greek λύρα ) is an ancient stringed instrument from the family of lyres ( Jochlauten ), which dates from the 9th century BC. In contrast to the kithara, to which it related, and from which it is sometimes difficult to distinguish, it has no foot.

The number of gut strings changed with the initial period of 3-4 on later 7 or rarely 8 strings. They are excited in a plane between the body and the upper cross bar.

There was the lyre in two different versions:

  • The Chelys (turtle lyre ) had a resonator in the form of a tortoise shell and arms in the form of goat horns.
  • The barbitos had long, striving towards one another up arms and was played mainly in scenes from the Dionysiac mythology, for example, of satyrs.

The lyre was regarded in ancient Greece as an invention of Hermes, which they handed over to his brother gods Apollon as compensation for his cattle theft. In the Hellenistic period it was a symbol of poets and thinkers, from which later developed the concept of poetry.

From the ancient instruments lyre and kithara later various forms of harp, which is why they can also be called a preform of the harp arose.

In the contemporary Greek and Dalmatian folk music is meant by Lyra a violin -like string instrument with three or four strings.

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