Psaltery

The Psalter or Psalms ( gr psallo: " Pluck A String " ) is considered the archetype of zither and dulcimer, also harp, harpsichord and the clavichord were inspired by it. Its sound box is usually trapezoidal, rectangular or decorated in " pig head shape " and often rich.

History

The origins of the Psalter extend into the oriental culture room to the two basic forms: the period Persian percussion instrument santur and the Arabian kanun plucked instrument. A precursor with a triangular body is in the 5th century nabulum under the Latin name and decacordum known. In the development phase of the European instruments in the first half of the 13th century, it must, as numerous illustrations prove to have been a fundamental string instrument.

The body shape of the Psalter 's many forms, and it appears as a simple triangle, in so-called pig head shape, as a half- trapeze, trapeze and as a square. The latter form has been provided for 1404 with keyboard and to the harpsichord and clavichord (with Heinrich Arnold of Zwolle still referred to as the second type of Dulce Melos ) further developed.

Not small stir among the visual artists of the time triggered the innovation, the psaltery held with the fingers or a plectrum to pluck now like the dulcimer to beat them with sticks ( in Zwolle, the first type of Dulce Melos called ). Some of them are the players namely with chopsticks from, but keep doing the much too closely spaced strings of the psaltery at.

An instrument historically very curious aspect, the revival of the Psalter as salterio in Italy since about 1700 dar. Although it is clearly established, with its alternately via webs out strings choirs as a dulcimer, it was plucked almost exclusively by means of " penne " ( Ringplektren ).

Another, albeit much younger version of the Psalter is the bowed psaltery. It is not plucked or struck, but with a bow.