The family tree of stringed musical instruments reaches far into the past. The orchestral instrumentation everyone recognizes today did not emerge fully fledged in the 18th century, but developed over time and across cultures. Their earliest ancestors were often plucked or hammered, and the adoption of the horsehair bow expanded those capabilities. The bowed psaltery is a relative newcomer, and produces its own unique, ethereal sound.
Hearing one reminds many people of an ancient harp, with a touch of the violin and dulcimer. Although the word is found in the Bible, the instrument being described was named by medieval scholars most familiar with the music of their own day. While the psaltery did have ancient origins in the Middle East, it is considered a part of the modern chordophone family.
This includes nearly any musical device that has strings amplified by a resonator. They have become part of modern culture as expressed through composition, and define the sound that modern orchestras produce. Many are electronically amplified today, and all possess chromatic capabilities. The psaltery-like instruments favored by Renaissance-era musicians did not, and their popularity waned.
The original instrument did not disappear, but simply changed. If instruments possessed DNA, it would be found in hammered dulcimers and their descendants, including harpsichords, and later on the piano. Although the addition of keyboards allowed composers greater freedom of expression, there is an appeal even today to the mystical, clean sounds it can produce.
The current shapes, sizes, and playing techniques emerged fairly recently. Popular history places the birth of the modern version in Germany over a century ago, but the true beginnings probably have no specific date. The addition of a horsehair bow separates ancient instruments from modern, and their design makes playing one comparatively uncomplicated. The sounds are medieval, but the mechanisms are modern.
Twenty-first century versions are shaped a little like a science-fiction space cruiser, in the form of a long, narrow isosceles triangle. They are available in soprano and alto formats, and both are less than 24 inches long. The soprano version has a higher and brighter tonality, while the alto is somewhat darker, with a chromatic capability that extends the lower range. Both are portable and personal.
Playing a violin can be difficult because good technique usually takes years of practice, but not a psaltery. It possesses two distinct sides, with spaced string pegs representing the black keys of a piano on the left, with corresponding white key spaces on the right side. Written music does not necessarily have to use standard notation, but can simply designate bow spaces.
When a musician draws the horse-hairs across the space between two pegs, a tuned note is sounded. Rather than attempting to bow from the highest point in the strings, like a violin or cello, players enter from one side or the other. There is really no incorrect way to hold it, and it is actually hard to make mistakes. With practice, a novice can create beautiful music, and there are currently live demonstrations and sheet music samples available on line.
Hearing one reminds many people of an ancient harp, with a touch of the violin and dulcimer. Although the word is found in the Bible, the instrument being described was named by medieval scholars most familiar with the music of their own day. While the psaltery did have ancient origins in the Middle East, it is considered a part of the modern chordophone family.
This includes nearly any musical device that has strings amplified by a resonator. They have become part of modern culture as expressed through composition, and define the sound that modern orchestras produce. Many are electronically amplified today, and all possess chromatic capabilities. The psaltery-like instruments favored by Renaissance-era musicians did not, and their popularity waned.
The original instrument did not disappear, but simply changed. If instruments possessed DNA, it would be found in hammered dulcimers and their descendants, including harpsichords, and later on the piano. Although the addition of keyboards allowed composers greater freedom of expression, there is an appeal even today to the mystical, clean sounds it can produce.
The current shapes, sizes, and playing techniques emerged fairly recently. Popular history places the birth of the modern version in Germany over a century ago, but the true beginnings probably have no specific date. The addition of a horsehair bow separates ancient instruments from modern, and their design makes playing one comparatively uncomplicated. The sounds are medieval, but the mechanisms are modern.
Twenty-first century versions are shaped a little like a science-fiction space cruiser, in the form of a long, narrow isosceles triangle. They are available in soprano and alto formats, and both are less than 24 inches long. The soprano version has a higher and brighter tonality, while the alto is somewhat darker, with a chromatic capability that extends the lower range. Both are portable and personal.
Playing a violin can be difficult because good technique usually takes years of practice, but not a psaltery. It possesses two distinct sides, with spaced string pegs representing the black keys of a piano on the left, with corresponding white key spaces on the right side. Written music does not necessarily have to use standard notation, but can simply designate bow spaces.
When a musician draws the horse-hairs across the space between two pegs, a tuned note is sounded. Rather than attempting to bow from the highest point in the strings, like a violin or cello, players enter from one side or the other. There is really no incorrect way to hold it, and it is actually hard to make mistakes. With practice, a novice can create beautiful music, and there are currently live demonstrations and sheet music samples available on line.
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