Zither

The zither is a musical instrument belonging to a class of chordophones, or stringed instruments. One of its relatives is the ancient Greek cithara (kithara), which, based on mythology, was played with great mastery by Apollo and was an attribute of Erato, the muse of romantic poetry. In Christian symbolism, the zither symbolised human nature and the body. It was often combined with the harp, which was regarded as a symbol of the soul. Zithers have flat, often trapezoidal, sounding boxes. The sound is produced by vibrating the strings stretched between the two ends of the body. Traditionally, they were played while sitting with the instrument placed flat in front of the player on a table. To prevent the zither from moving while playing, they have small feet attached to the back of the body. Modern zithers usually have no decoration, but in the past they were often beautifully embellished with paintings or inlaid with mother-of-pearl. There are many types of zither, the basic ones being the concert zither, the keyboard zither (dolceola) and the chord zither (autoharp). They were often used by folk musicians in many parts of the world. While they were most popular in the 19th century, they are rarely played today. The featured zither dates back to the first half of the 20th century. The workshop in which it was made is unknown. The instrument is embellished with decals depicting bush branches and birds. The ornately turned column also catches the eye. Agnieszka Słowińska