Cittern - Wikipedia Played by people of all social classes, the cittern was a popular instrument of casual music-making much like the guitar is today The cittern is one of the few metal-strung instruments known from the Renaissance music period (others being gut-strung)
Cittern | Renaissance, Plucked String Fretted | Britannica cittern, plucked stringed musical instrument that was popular in the 16th–18th century It had a shallow, pear-shaped body with an asymmetrical neck that was thicker under the treble strings
What is a Cittern Instrument? – Learn more about the Cittern Although some people may think of guitars when they hear “cittern”, this is not really an accurate association The cittern shares more similarities with the guitar than just its name: both instruments are plucked stringed instruments from Europe that share similar physical qualities
Citterns - Hobgoblin Music The Cittern used by today's folk-bands has its ancestors in the renaissance Citterns and the English Guitar, but it is now more closely related to the flat-back Bouzouki - the main difference being that the Cittern has 10 strings in 5 courses, a slightly shorter neck and often a rather larger body
Cittern - The Folk Music Academy While the cittern has a long history, it experienced a revival in the 20th century, particularly in the folk music scenes of the United States and United Kingdom Today, the cittern remains popular among musicians who appreciate its unique sound and versatility
ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - cittern In large parts of Europe (but specially France, the Low Countries and England) the cittern became popular as a folk instrument in the 16th and 17th century However in this type the body was not carved, but built from separate pieces of wood, glued together
Guide to Citterns - Sound Genetics In 1973, Stefan Sobell created a modern five-course folk instrument called the cittern Although it’s not quite the same as the renaissance cittern, but Mr Sobell said that he saw the instrument in a book, and it gave him the idea for the name, which he then 'borrowed' for his new invention
Cittern - Lute Society of America The cittern had a long life as an actively-played instrument, and was used over a wide geographical area, resulting in an evolution of the design and variation in tuning in different contexts
Cittern (The Diary of Samuel Pepys) The cittern is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance It looks much like the modern-day flat-back mandolin and the modern Irish bouzouki It was cheaper to construct than the lute and also easier to play, smaller, less delicate and more portable
Frequently Asked Questions about the Renaissance Cittern The cittern is a small, metal-wire strung, plucked instrument from the Renaissance with a generally limited note range It looks much like the modern-day flat-back mandolin and is the ancestor of the modern Irish cittern and bouzouki, as well as the so-called "English Guitar"