cittern

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cittern

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

cittern , stringed musical instrument of the guitar family having an oval body, a flat back, and a fretted neck. Its strings, made of wire and varying in number, were plucked. It was first made in the Middle Ages and at that time was usually called citole or sitole. The name cittern was given it in the 16th cent. in England, where, as in all western Europe, it was very popular until the early part of the 18th cent. It has also been called cister, cistre, cithern, cithren, citharen, cetera, cither, cithara, gittern, and sittron.

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cittern

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

cittern. Renaissance instr. something between a lyre and a guitar, but with metal str., a flat back, and pear-shaped body. Played with a quill plectrum. Name derived from Gr. kithara (lyre), and the cittern was known as cistra (Fr.), Cister (Ger.), and cithren (Eng.). In It. where it was developed it was called the cetra. Used as a solo instr. and in broken consort. Not to be confused with gittern. From late 17th cent. gave way to guitar but survived into early 20th cent. as folk instr. in Switz. and Ger.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "cittern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "cittern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 19, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-cittern.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "cittern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved December 19, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-cittern.html

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cithern

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

cithern, cittern instrument of the guitar kind. XVI. — L. cithara (see above), crossed with GITTERN.

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T. F. HOAD. "cithern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "cithern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 19, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-cithern.html

T. F. HOAD. "cithern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 19, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-cithern.html

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Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

How musician became the inventor of the modern cittern.(News)
Newspaper article from: The Journal (Newcastle, England); 10/16/2004; 472 words ; ...started to sort the problems out when I built my first cittern in 1973. "It was a cross between a Portuguese guittarra...out several hundred years ago. "They were called citterns so my new instrument became the first modern cittern."
TodaySunday concert: Relax to the sounds of the guitar, cittern and
Newspaper article from: Courier-News (Elgin, IL); 1/9/2000; 625 words ; Today Sunday concert: Relax to the sounds of the guitar, cittern and bodhran by folk musicians Cooper and Nelson as they perform...Phil Cooper sings and plays guitar, bowed psaltery and the cittern, which is a long-necked mandolin. Margaret Nelson sings...
FOLKIE RECOVERS RARE INSTRUMENT AFTER THEFT.(PREVIEW)
Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 1/12/1995; 700+ words ; ...and the folk musician's custom-made cittern a long-necked stringed instrument resembling...magical happened: Trimble learned that his cittern had been recovered intact. The instrument...him his lute. Trimble's long-lost cittern was recovered by Mark and Jennifer Aziere...
Harp Consort makes old music new
Newspaper article from: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 4/8/2001; ; 581 words ; ...afternoon. Player strummed expertly upon cittern and mandola, guitar-like instruments...embodied a class of itinerant, dancing gypsy cittern players. He offered an amalgam of Scottish...punctuated. Sometimes, Player danced with his cittern slung dashingly over his back; sometimes...
IT'S PARTY TIME FOR NO DEPRESSION MAGAZINE.(What's Happening)
Newspaper article from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA); 9/8/2000; ; 700+ words ; ...Cleveland on the 30th anniversary of his death. Cittern symposium The Seattle Cittern Symposium, a three-day gathering of players, luthiers and enthusiasts of the cittern, octave-mandolin or Irish bouzouki, is today...
The Boss is a star customer for Stefan.(News)
Newspaper article from: The Journal (Newcastle, England); 10/16/2004; 700+ words ; ...fans as The Boss placed an order for a cittern ( a guitar-like instrument made by...Springsteen and he took along one of my citterns with him. "Apparently Bruce saw it...reputation and sells hand-made guitars, citterns, mandolins and bouzoukis around the...
David Surette: The Green Mandolin.(Sound recording review)
Magazine article from: Sing Out!; 3/1/2009; ; 660 words ; ...Pigeon on the Gate," played on multiple citterns. The harmonization of the tunes is particularly...Pitchfork." The combination of guitar and cittern is especially sweet on the O'Carolan...En Dro/Gavotte," featuring David on cittern and Keith on guitar. The fire of the...
Baltimore Consort
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 5/22/1992; ; 387 words ; ...consort for a variety of viols, recorders and flutes, lute and cittern and a small bagpipe, and played expertly with energy and a...eloquently, the timbre of the wooden flute was distinctive, the cittern took on a silvery sound, and the bagpipe was plaintive...
* weekend sampler
Newspaper article from: The Press; 6/1/2002; ; 700+ words ; ...Galore is Helen Webby (CS principal harp) and Davy Stuart ex- Rua on guitar and cittern. Helen's virtuoso harp playing and Davy's sensitive guitar and cittern accompaniment breathe new life into Celtic classics. Members $5, guests $7...
PERFORMANCE NOTES.(Entertainment)
Newspaper article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR); 4/23/2009; 700+ words ; ...clarinet and Heila and Safar on alto flute and piano. The concert will end with Heila's "Cittern Suite," a cycle of fiddle-inspired songs for cittern, a member of the mandolin family, performed by Heila. A donation of $5 to $15 is suggested...

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