Elizabethan Music - Elizabethan Stringed Instruments The collection of Elizabethan stringed instruments included the musical instruments from the Medieval period together with the musical instruments which emerged during the Elizabethan era. There were many Stringed Elizabethan Musical Instruments. String instruments were either plucked or bowed. The following list of Elizabethan stringed instruments is not exhaustive but contains the majority of this category of Instruments:
The Harp - The harp was about 30 inches in length
The Fiddle - Fiddles were played with a bow or plucked and usually held under the chin or in the crook of the arm. One of the most popular street musical instruments
The Rebec - The rebec was a musical instrument with a round pear-shaped body ( an early violin )
The Psaltery - The Psaltery was a cross between a harp and a guitar
The Dulcimer - The Dulcimer was played by striking the strings with hammers
The Hurdy-gurdy - the hurdy-gurdy was introduced in the 12th century - the bow was replaced by strings attached to a wheel which was cranked by a handle - extremely popular form of Street music
The Viol - Viols were played with a bow and initially held on the lap or between the legs
Viola da Gamba - Italian term for "viol of the leg" played with a bow and held between the legs
The Lute - Favored by the Elizabethan courtiers
Chittarone - a lute which could reach 6 feet tall
Cittern or Gittern - Similar to a modern guitar
Elizabethan Stringed Instruments Details, facts and information about other Elizabethan Instruments and Elizabethan Music can be accessed via the Elizabethan Era Sitemap or from the following links:
