Literature and the Arts
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Music: Theory, Forms, and Instruments
psaltery

psaltery , stringed musical instrument. It has a flat soundboard over which a variable number of strings are stretched. Its origin was in the Middle East, and it is referred to in the Bible. It appeared in Europe in the 12th cent. and flourished until the late Middle Ages. The term psaltery is sometimes used as a generic term for all plucked zithers having flat bodies. The instrument is similar to a hammered dulcimer but is plucked instead of hammered. See illustrations accompanying dulcimer and zither entries.

psaltery

oxford

views updated Jun 27 2018

psal·ter·y / ˈsôltərē/ • n. (pl. -ter·ies) an ancient and medieval musical instrument like a dulcimer but played by plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

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psaltery

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views updated Jun 11 2018

psaltery. Medieval str. instr., played by plucking with a plectrum or the fingers, trapeze-shaped, and usually strung horizontally over a sound-board. Had sweet, pure tone. Can be played with bow. Tavener scores for 4 bowed psalteries in Toward the Son (1982).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE "psaltery ." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. . Retrieved November 27, 2024 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/psaltery

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