PSALTERY: Israel musical instrument

A psaltery is a string musical instrument that belongs to the family of zither.

The psaltery of the ancient Greece was an instrument that has similarities with the harp. The word psaltery comes from the ancient Greek ‘ψαλτήριον’ which means ‘stringed instrument, psaltery or harp’ and that from the verb ‘ψάλλω’ which means ‘to touch sharply, twitch or to pluck’ and in the case of the strings of musical instrument sit means ‘to play a stringed musical instrument with the fingers and not the plectrum’. in the King James version of the holy bible, psaltery d its plural which is psalteries is used to describe some word hat their meaning not known now: in Psalm 71:22 and I Chronicles 16:5; nevel (נבל) in I Samuel 10:5; 2 Samuel 6:5; I Kings 10:12; I Chronicles 13:8; 15:16, 20, 28; 25:1, 6; II Chronicles 5:12; 9:11; 20:28; 29:25; Nehemiah 12:27; Psalms 33:2; 57:6; 81:2; 92:3; 108:2; 144:9; and 150:3; and pesanterin (פסנתרין) in Daniel 3:5, 7, 10, and 15.

source of picture: www.potsdampublicmuseum.org

In the Christian period, a psaltery made up of a soundboard with many pre-tuned strings that are often plucked came into use. The instrument was also known with the name ‘canon’ from the Greek language ‘κανών’ which means ‘rule or principle’. The Modern Greek folk instrument is known by its diminutive ‘kanonaki’. The shape and range of the instrument vary but the musical instrument is often small enough to be portable.

From the 12^th century through to the 15^th century, this musical instruments are generally seen in manuscripts, paintings and sculpture all through the European continent. They differ much in shape, and the number of strings.

In the 19^th century, many related instrument that are of the same family came into use, notably the guitar zither and the autoharp. The 20^th century, the bowed instrument ‘psaltery’ came into general use. It is set up in a triangular shape so that the end portion of each of the instrument’s string can be bowed.