Music: Theory, Forms, and Instruments

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music Further reading

kithara

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

kithara or cithara , musical instrument of the ancient Greeks. It was a plucked instrument, a larger and stronger form of the lyre , used by professional musicians both for solo playing and for the accompaniment of poetry and song. It consisted of a relatively square wooden box that extended at one end into heavy arms. Originally it had 5 strings, but later there were 7 and finally 11 strings. These were stretched from the sound box across a bridge and up to a crossbar fastened to the arms. Since the strings were of equal length, tuning was determined only by the thickness and tension of each string. Because of its size and weight, it rested against the body of the player and was held in position by a band. The player usually stood when performing.

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"kithara." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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kithara

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | Copyright

kithara. Ancient Gr. str. instr. shaped like lyre but plucked by fingers.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "kithara." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "kithara." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-kithara.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "kithara." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-kithara.html

Learn more about citation styles

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