Cittern vs Gittern - What's the difference?
cittern | gittern | Related terms |
(musical instrument) A stringed instrument similar to a mandolin which is an early form of guitar.
* 1661 January 17, ,
* 1911', '' ,
* 1911 , ,
* 2000 , Musical Instruments Museum, Visitor's Guide ,
A relatively small, quill-plucked, gut-strung musical instrument, a predecessor of the guitar, that originated around the 13th century and came to Europe via Moorish Spain.
Gittern is a related term of cittern.
As nouns the difference between cittern and gittern
is that cittern is a stringed instrument similar to a mandolin which is an early form of guitar while gittern is a relatively small, quill-plucked, gut-strung musical instrument, a predecessor of the guitar, that originated around the 13th century and came to Europe via Moorish Spain.As a verb gittern is
to play on the gittern.cittern
English
(wikipedia cittern)Alternative forms
* cither * zitternNoun
(en noun)- This discourse took us much time, till it was time to go to bed; but we being merry, we bade my Lady goodnight, and intended to have gone to the Post-house to drink, and hear a pretty girl play of the cittern (and indeed we should have lain there, but by a mistake we did not), but it was late, and we could not hear her, and the guard came to examine what we were; so we returned to our Inn and to bed, the page and I in one bed, and the two captains in another, all in one chamber, where we had very good mirth with our most abominable lodging.
- The cittern consisted of a pear-shaped body similar to that of the lute but with a flat back and sound-board joined by ribs. The neck was provided with a fretted fingerboard; the head was curved and surmounted by a grotesque head of a woman or of an animal.
- The advent of the Spanish guitar in England led to the wane in the popularity of the cittern , also known at that time in contradistinction as the English or wire-strung guitar, although the two instruments differed in many particulars.
page 93,
- Antwerp was world-famous for its harpsichords, but it was also a centre, in the 16th century, where citterns , lutes, viols and later violins were constructed with skill.