A psaltery is a stringed musical instrument of the harp or the zither family. The psaltery of Ancient Greece dates back to at least 300 BC. It was a harp-like instrument. A string instrument (also stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... The harp is a chordophone which has its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... A Musima Guitar Zither 45 strings with 21 melody, 24 chords The zither is a musical string instrument, mainly used in folk music. ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ...

Psaltery of the 14th century from the book De Arythmetica, De Musica by M. Severinus Boethius

In the Christian era a psaltery consisting of a soundboard with several pre-tuned strings that are usually plucked, came into use. It was also known by the name canon, from the Arabic qanun. Although some linguists and music historians argue that the name comes from the greek word "kanon" which means rule, principle and also "mode" Psaltery: The picture shows a Psaltery of the 14th century from the book: De Arythmetica, De Musica by M. Servinius Boetius. ... Psaltery: The picture shows a Psaltery of the 14th century from the book: De Arythmetica, De Musica by M. Servinius Boetius. ... Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (AD 480 - 524 or 525) was a Christian philosopher of the 6th century. ...

The instrument is usually small enough to be portable; its shape and range vary. It is depicted in a number of artworks from the Medieval Period. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

Picture of a Psaltery from Ala Bohemica

In the 19th Century several forms came into use, notably the guitar zither and the Autoharp. Download high resolution version (716x1110, 199 KB)Psaltery: There are many different shapes in which the psaltery is found. ... Download high resolution version (716x1110, 199 KB)Psaltery: There are many different shapes in which the psaltery is found. ... The guitar zither is a musical instrument consisting of a soundbox, with two sets of unstopped strings. ... An Autoharp The Autoharp is a zither-like musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers which, when depressed, mute all the strings other than those that form the desired chord. ...

In the 20th Century, the bowed psaltery has come into wide use. It is set up in a triangular format so that the end portion of each string can be bowed. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The bowed psaltery is a form of stringed instrument. ... A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a two-dimensional figure with three vertices and three sides which are straight line segments. ... In music, a bow is a device pulled across the strings of a string instrument in order to make them vibrate and emit sound. ...

External links

• Psaltery
• Discussion of psalteries, with image from the exhibition Making Musical Instruments: The making of musical instruments in Canada by the Canadian Museum of Civilisation