A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Zither

ZITHER. An instrument of such ancient origin that it has been considered as contemporaneous, if not identical, with the Psalter mentioned in Holy Writ. It appears to have been known amongst the Greeks under the name of Kithara. It consisted of a shallow sounding-box of gracefully curved outline, the strings passing across and let into the lower rim of the sounding-board. The instrument was placed on a pedestal called a chalkóma, the player standing and using a plectrum. It would be of little interest to trace the various changes, modifications, and improvements which the zither, as now known, has undergone, but we may safely adopt the Darwinian theory with regard to it, as there can be no doubt that the modern zither is as superior to the ancient kithara as man is to his remote ancestor. To proceed, therefore, to the description of the instrument as constructed about half a century back, when it became a favourite amongst the peasantry of the Styrian and Bavarian Alps. To the shallow sounding-box and mode of fastening the strings in the ancient instrument, a finger-board was added with frets, representing chromatic and diatonic intervals. At this period the highest number of accompaniment and bass strings seldom exceeded a dozen, while the finger-board had only three strings—these of metal. It was due to the efforts of Petzmayer^[1], an Austrian peasant and natural musician, that the zither, despite its simplicity, came into public notice, as he played his native Ländler (a species ofcountrydance music) in most of the principal continental theatres and concert-halls, always with great success. Like Gusikow, Picco, and others, Petzmayer was a born musician who, without education and by the mere force of native genius, produced the greatest effects from the simplest materials. The writer of this article can testify to the fact that in his hands the zither was invested with a charm to which few could be insensible, and had that kind of attractiveness which was truly characteristic. Thus the zither gained a slight footing in the musical world, and as a natural consequence Petzmayer was succeeded by other players, who claimed to rank higher in the scale of art. They turned their attention to increasing the capacities of the instrument, and with a view to this began to add more strings both to tire fingerboard and accompaniment. This, while affording a wider scope to the player, did not increase the carrying power of the zither, a want which made itself felt when the instrument became a favourite in England, where it was first introduced about the year 1850, chiefly by the writer of this article, a native of Dresden. It would occupy too much space to attempt a description of the numerous alterations to which the zither has been subjected during the past twenty years, nor would it be of much profit to give a detailed account of these changes, inasmuch as none of them supplied the desired increase of tone.

The above drawing represents the Arion zither, which is, without doubt, up to the present time, the most powerful zither as well as the most elegant in structure. It owes its origin to the writer, and Schunda of Buda-Pest was the first manufacturer who carried out the idea. The improvement consists in the more suitable shape of the resonance-box and in the method of fastening the strings. The use of a bridge across the instrument acts as in the violin, and brings the vibrations of the strings into closer connection with the sounding-board.

The stringing of the zither is as follows:—

Fingerboard.

The two A strings are of steel, the D of brass, the G of steel covered with silver wire, the C of brass covered with copper wires.

Accompaniment Strings.

Bass Strings.

The strings marked with an asterisk are of gut, the rest are made of silk overspun with silver wire, and some few with copper wire, the diversity of colour helping to assist the eye of the player. Some professors in Germany are not content with less than 40 or even 46 strings, but as the additional strings lie beyond the range of the hand, and can therefore only be used in very slow tempo, they are of little practical advantage, and only tend to increase the size of the instrument.

In most zithers made in Vienna the fingerboard strings are tuned as follows:—

This is considered by Viennese players an advantageous disposition of the strings, especially in playing Ländlers; but for classical music it would be found a great hindrance.

Three kinds of zithers are in use, varying in length of strings and consequently in pitch. These are—(1) The Treble zither tuned to concert-pitch; (2) the Concert zither a tone below, whilst (3) the Elegie zither will only stand a third or even a fourth below concert-pitch.

In playing the zither the thumbs of both hands are used, also the first, second, and third fingers, but in few cases is either of the fourth fingers needed. The fingers and thumb of the left hand are placed on the frets, the three fingers of the right hand are devoted to the bass and accompaniment strings, while its thumb is used to strike the melody strings, the operation of the left hand alone being insufficient to produce the full sound.

The thumb of the right hand is provided with a partially-opened ring with which to strike the melody strings. The best rings are of silver or gold. The ring is to the zither what the bow is to the violin. As in the one case the skill of the violinist is estimated by his manner of handling the bow, so in the other the beauty of the performance depends greatly on a judicious management of the ring.

II. A few words must be devoted to another member of the zither family—viz. the Streich or Bow Zither, which is, as its name implies, played with a bow. Here the resonance-box is heart-shaped, and a fretted finger-board is fitted across it.

The tone of the instrument is however so thin and wanting in volume that it is unworthy of consideration, especially as it is now almost entirely superseded by the Philomèle and Viola-zither, which have very rapidly grown into favour in London of late, especially in aristocratic circles.

The Viola-zither is shaped like a Viola. The Philomèle is represented in the above drawing. These two instruments are, as regards the method of playing, precisely similar, the difference exists only in shape. They may be considered as close rivals of the violin, which they much resemble in tone. The finger-board is the same as that of the zither. Beneath the head is a little foot to steady the instrument, which is placed on the edge of a table, while the body rests on the lap of the seated player. This position, together with the fretted finger-board, gives it a considerable advantage over the violin as regards ease in acquiring proficiency, and difficult violin music can be mastered in a comparatively short time. The tuning is like that of the violin, viz. E, A, D, G. The E and A are of steel, the D of brass, and the G the same as on the violin. Gut strings may be used if preferred, but they somewhat rob the Philomèle of its individuality.

There are numerous manufacturers of the zither all over Germany, who make thousands of instruments annually. The largest and oldest firms are those of Kiend'l in Vienna, and Tiefenbrunner in Munich. Both are of world-wide renown. An immense amount of music is published for the zither. The best-known composers and publishers are Umlauf in Vienna, Grassmann in Frankfort, Hoenes in Trier, Heckel in Mannheim, Stomps in Luxemburg, Schulz, and Hart & Son, London.

The cithern-player of Giorgione at Venice is well known. Mendelssohn mentions it among the pictures for his sister to see (Letter, Sept. 14, 1839).

[ C. Sch. ]

1. Johann Petzmayer was born at Vienna in 1810, and then transferred himself to Munich, where he was living in 1870, See Appendix, Petzmayer.