cithara

The modern zither - named after the ancient Greek instrument known as a kithara, or cithara - is a stringed instrument with a flat, shallow sound box. Stretched across the wooden... Aeolian harp. Aeolian harp. Named after Aeolus, the Greek god of wind, the Aeolian harp is a stringed musical instrument invented in about ...

The kithara, an instrument of the lyre family, had seven strings of equal length and a solidly built, wooden body, usually with a flat base. Strings of gut or sinew were stretched from a holder at the base of the instrument over a bridge to the crossbar that joined the two sidepieces.

Kithara (Latin: cithara) was used in competitions and public performances, including recitations of epic poetry, rhapsodies, odes, lyric songs, etc.

cithara; perhaps Heb. kinura, kinnor), one of the most ancient stringed instruments, traced back to 1700 B.C. among the Semitic races, in Egypt, Assyria, Asia Minor, Greece and the Roman empire, whence continued use of it spread over Europe.

The lyre when played stood in an upright position between the knees, while the cithara stood upon the knees of the player. Both instruments were held with the left hand, and played with the right (Ovid.

The cithara originated from Minoan-Mycenaean swan-neck lyres developed and used during the Aegean Bronze Age. Scholars such as M.L. West, Martha Maas, and Jane M. Snyder have made connections between the cithara and stringed instruments from ancient Anatolia.

The cithara was played primarily to accompany dance, epic recitations, rhapsodies, odes, and lyric songs. It was also played solo at the receptions, banquets, national games, and trials of skill. Aristotle said that these string instruments were not for educational purposes but for pleasure only.

The cithara was played primarily to accompany dance, epic recitations, rhapsodies, odes, and lyric songs. It was also played solo at the receptions, banquets, national games, and trials of skill. Aristotle said that these string instruments were not for educational purposes but for pleasure only.

The “Cithara of the Golden Age” (Greek: κιθάρα, kithāra, Latin: cithara) was an advanced relative of the more popular lyre. As opposed to the simpler lyre, which was a folk-instrument, the cithara was primarily used by professional musicians, called kitharodes.

The number of strings on instruments of this period ranged between six and 12. The ancient Greeks knew two different types of lyre - the cithara (or kithara, in Greek) and the lyra.

Etymology. From Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára). Doublet of cither, guitar, and zither.

The horseshoe-shaped lyre is smaller in size, has two hollow raised arms that are curved and connected near the top by a crossbar. Contrary to the lyre, the kithara has a rectangular shape, the body of the instrument is greater in terms of size and carries luxurious ornaments and bigger arms.