The History of the Psaltery

The History of the Psaltery

The psaltery, also known as psalterion, salterio, psalter, saltere, sauterie, psalterium, has been in existence for more than 3,000 years. The psaltery made its appearance

in the translation of the Old Testament named Septuagint, of the 3rd century B.C. In that translation, the psaltery could be found particularly in the book of Pslams; where the word Ð''nebel' translated into psalterion. Notice the word psalterion and psaltery share the first couple letters. The book of Pslams came to possess another name, the PsalterÐ'--the first six letters of psaltery. As one may have guessed, the psaltery became an important and popular instrument, especially for religious use such as playing hymns.

Because of the psaltery, the harpsichord and dulcimer can trace their roots as far back as 300 B.C. The psaltery is fairly small and usually held when played; but the psaltery can also be played on a table like its brother the dulcimer. The dulcimer and psaltery may be easily confused when both are seen played on the lap. Their shape of a trapezoid resembles each other closely, as well as the strings attached horizontally across the instruments' bodies. However, when both instruments are played, listeners can immediately distinct the psaltery from the dulcimer. While the dulcimer produces its own unique sound via hammer strikes, the psaltery is plucked, bowed, or played with plectrums. Most of the dulcimer's roots can be traced back to the psaltery, but the way the instrument is played comes from the pianoforte.

The psaltery also gave root to the harpsichord. It took nearly a century for the harpsichord to stand in its final stage. It started in the late 1300s with the psaltery; when a keyboard was added to the psaltery. Later in Flanders during the early 1400s, the instrument evolved again. A thick case, with no jack rail, was added to the psaltery. Little improvements continued on through the 1900s by various people and musicians until it became what we now know as the harpsichord. If the harpsichord is viewed from the top, people can easily see the remnants of the psaltery. The strings still remain, as well as one of the shapes of the psaltery.

All three instruments mentioned above are obviously string instruments. The instruments do not only exist in their original form but in acoustic and electric as well. These instruments are mainly head and used in folk music. With all the similarities the psaltery, dulcimer, and harpsichord share, they are categorized in the zither and string family.

The psaltery was played, initially, during celebrations or times of praise in ancient Greece; but it grew to be played in whatever necessary occasion centuries later. The psaltery was played by mistrals, amateurs, and a variety of musicians until the instrument's popularity started fading in the 1500s. In the 20th century, the popularity of Hawaiian music exploded, leading to the psaltery's comebackÐ'--specifically the bowed psaltery. The instrument was sold under various Hawaiian-inspired names, such as Ukelin, in order to boost sales. It was also reconstructed from the traditional trapezoid shape into a triangle and played with a bow instead of plectrums.

The psaltery is a simple instrument, and also one of the easiest instruments to play in the world; unlike the piano, the psaltery only takes a couple days to master. The body of the instrument is mainly composed of a resonating wood box. The body shape has changed a couple times throughout the course of time. It was originally shaped like underwear; later the psaltery took on other shapes like the trapezoid, rectangle, and triangle. The strings are attached to metal or wooden pegs at either the top or bottom end of the body. Back then the psaltery had bronze strings but today wire is used instead. The strings are placed next to each other at a close distance for the conventional way of playingÐ'--plucking. The longer strings produce the low pitches while the shorter strings produce the high pitches like so:

The length of the strings runs from the top of the body to the bottom. Each string sings one note, which means no matter where you pluck on one string it will make the same noise. The psaltery may be played on the lap, held against the chest, or with a strap worn around the neck if