Cithrinchen

Cithrinchen

Cithrinchen or Bell cittern by Joachim Tielke in the V&A Museum, London, UK.
String instrument
Other names	Bell cittern, Citrinchen, Hamburger cithrinchen
Related instruments
Cittern Orpharion English guitar Portuguese guitar

The Cithrinchen or Bell cittern was a distinctively shaped instrument of the renaissance and baroque periods. It was usually strung with doubled courses of thin, light tension brass or steel strings. It usually had 3 soundholes (with decorative roses) and 5 (or sometimes 6 or more) courses (pairs) of strings. It was popular in Germany, England and Sweden. ¹²³⁴⁵

Most such instruments built nowadays are reconstructions of historical instruments, or modern mandolin-type instruments which simply use the same body shape as the historical Cithrinchen.

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  Cithrinchen in the Met Museum, New York, USA.
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  Cithrinchen in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, Germany
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  Cithrinchen in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany, front view
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  Cithrinchen in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany, rear view