ZITHER

A zither consists of a flat wooden sound box across which numerous strings are stretched. The European zither evolved in the late 18th century as a folk music instrument in Bavaria and Austria. It is designed to be placed horizontally either on the player’s lap or on a table-top and is played with the fingers and a plectrum. Its name is a German rendering of the Greek word cithara, from which the modern word ‘guitar’ also derives. As it has a rounded side away from the players, our instrument is termed a ‘Salzburg’ zither . It was made by J. Haslwanter, who was working in Munich in the mid-19th century.

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