Its top generally terminated in a grotesquely-carved human head. The cithers made in England during the eighteenth century have generally at the top some inlaid ornamentation in ivory, mother-of-pearl, or fancy wood.
Although not well suited for the performance of harmonious combinations, since its wire strings are twanged with a quill, and therefore only such chords can be properly produced as are on strings following each other in uninterrupted succession, the cither, nevertheless, possesses considerable charms.
There are several conjectures as to the derivation of the German name zither or zitter. Some suppose it to be from “zittern,” on account of the peculiarly trembling sound of the instrument. During the first centuries of the Christian era the word cythera (cithara) implied almost any stringed instrument, especially if the strings were twanged with a plectrum,
or with the fingers. It is also noteworthy, though perhaps only as a singular coincidence, that the Persians and Hindus have a three-stringed species of zither, which they call sitar, from the Persian word si, “three,” and tar, “a string.” The Hindu sitar is, however, now usually mounted with five strings.
The harp-guitar and harp-theorbo ([Fig. 47]) were manufactured in England with the intention of improving the sound of the guitar and theorbo by adopting for them the body of the harp.
There was also another invention of this kind, called the harp-lute.
The harp-ventura ([Fig. 48]) was invented at the beginning of the last century by Signor Angelo Benedetto Ventura, professor of music, and teacher of the guitar and harp-lute to the Princess Charlotte of Wales. The example given has a back of satin wood, and sides of turtle shell; the belly and pillar are painted and gilt. It has nineteen catgut strings, six of which are covered with wire.
The banduria ([Fig. 49]) a lyre-shaped guitar, was often strung with wire instead of catgut, and played with a plectrum generally made of tortoise-shell. The specimen illustrated is made of various woods, has three sound-holes, a machine head, and twelve catgut strings tuned in pairs.
The Spanish peasants call their rustic guitar vihuela; and it appears probable that the “gittrons that are called Spanish vialls,” mentioned in the list of musical instruments of Henry VIII. (Harl. MSS. 1419, p. 202) were small guitars of this description.
The Irish harp (clarseth) illustrated in [Fig. 50], belonged formerly to a celebrated Irish harper. A similar one, which is in the possession of the Marquess of Kildare, bears the date 1671.