Autoharp (chord zither)

... Let us play the harp to the Lord. Let us play the zither to the Lord... The zither, mentioned in Agnieszka Osiecka's text "Praise the Lord", is a musical instrument with a history dating back to biblical times. It was once widely used in folk music across the globe. The zither belongs to the group of chordophones, instruments in which the sound source is a vibrating string stretched between two points. The zither has a flat, often trapezoidal body, between the ends of which stretch the strings; there are usually a dozen to several dozen strings. Unlike guitars and lyres, they feature no neck or arms. Zithers come in many types. The principal ones are the classical, chord and autoharp (keyboard) zither. Although zithers are largely forgotten today, they were popular in the 19th century, especially in German-speaking countries. The zither with keys, also known as autoharp, gained recognition among American country musicians - Johnny Cash and Janis Joplin played it.  Donated to the museum in 2020, the keyboard zither was manufactured at Reichert's, in Germany, in the first half of the 20th century. It is notable for its decal depicting a bird, most likely a sparrow, sitting on a flowered branch. The bottom panel has three small feet on which the instrument rested while lying flat when played in front of the musician. Agnieszka Słowińska