The psaltery is a very known instrument during the olden times. It is a string instrument that is actually from the same family as the zither or the harp with the only difference is that one would be using a bow to play it like a violin. If one is curious as to how psalteries originated, here is a brief background of this very influential instrument.
Nowadays, this instrument has already become a little bit different as compared to its forefather as it is now bigger and has a triangular shape. Like its forefather, it has a bunch of strings that would make sound but the only difference here is that there are some pins attached to it. Unlike its forefather, the modern one uses a bow to make music.
Now even though the original psaltery was created quite a very long time ago, the bowed version was only invented during the twentieth century. The earliest version was made sometime during the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar from the Bible wherein his servants would use it in order to entertain him. So as one can see, this instrument had a very rich history which began even during the Bible times.
Now aside from that, the psaltery was also mentioned during the Medieval times as an instrument that was played along with the zithers or harps. Now this version was different than the previously mentioned one as it was slightly bigger and had a sound hole that is located in the middle of the instrument. The purpose of this hole was to make the sound of the strings more apparent.
Now the year nineteen twenty five saw the introduction of the bowed version of the instrument. The one who created it was a German instrument maker who worked for the German company Clemens Neuber Company which patented the instrument so only they could produce it. Now before this was known as the bowed psaltery, it was first known as the violin zither.
After the creation of this one from the German company, the Americans tried to create something rather similar. They used Hawaiian culture as an inspiration for this type of instrument that they were creating. They called this creation of their the Ukelin and the sounds were actually quite similar to that of the Hawaiian ukulele.
Now this instrument really gained worldwide popularity after the ending World War II. A German primary school teacher known as Walter Mittman used the psaltery in some of his classes. He was following the footsteps of famous music teacher Edgar Stahmer who popularized the use of this instrument for classes.
In the modern world, the psaltery has withstood the test of time as many people still love to play it. The only difference is that nowadays, it can be played in so many ways with so many different bows. One can see that the instrument has not only withstood the test of time but it has also evolved over the years.
Nowadays, this instrument has already become a little bit different as compared to its forefather as it is now bigger and has a triangular shape. Like its forefather, it has a bunch of strings that would make sound but the only difference here is that there are some pins attached to it. Unlike its forefather, the modern one uses a bow to make music.
Now even though the original psaltery was created quite a very long time ago, the bowed version was only invented during the twentieth century. The earliest version was made sometime during the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar from the Bible wherein his servants would use it in order to entertain him. So as one can see, this instrument had a very rich history which began even during the Bible times.
Now aside from that, the psaltery was also mentioned during the Medieval times as an instrument that was played along with the zithers or harps. Now this version was different than the previously mentioned one as it was slightly bigger and had a sound hole that is located in the middle of the instrument. The purpose of this hole was to make the sound of the strings more apparent.
Now the year nineteen twenty five saw the introduction of the bowed version of the instrument. The one who created it was a German instrument maker who worked for the German company Clemens Neuber Company which patented the instrument so only they could produce it. Now before this was known as the bowed psaltery, it was first known as the violin zither.
After the creation of this one from the German company, the Americans tried to create something rather similar. They used Hawaiian culture as an inspiration for this type of instrument that they were creating. They called this creation of their the Ukelin and the sounds were actually quite similar to that of the Hawaiian ukulele.
Now this instrument really gained worldwide popularity after the ending World War II. A German primary school teacher known as Walter Mittman used the psaltery in some of his classes. He was following the footsteps of famous music teacher Edgar Stahmer who popularized the use of this instrument for classes.
In the modern world, the psaltery has withstood the test of time as many people still love to play it. The only difference is that nowadays, it can be played in so many ways with so many different bows. One can see that the instrument has not only withstood the test of time but it has also evolved over the years.
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