Please help if you can: "cithon"?

Question

Dear All,Sorry to trouble you with a request.Does any one of you have an idea of what a "cithon" is? It should be an ancient musical instrument of some sort. It is listed among various others in a book I am translating and I am at a loss as to what it could possibly be, let alone finding an Italian word for it... I have tried the Web, the dictionaries, etc. already but so far, to no avail.Here is the quote, in case it should help:" A later inventory of Robert Hesketh names a small orchestra of instruments which includes 'vyolls, vyolentes, virginalls, sagbutts, howboies and cornetts, cithon, flute and taber pypes'."(Actually, the "vyolentes" are a problem too, but I guess they must be some sort of ancient string instrument, possibly similar to a cello?) TIA for any help, ciaoIsaWork like you don't need money,Love like you've never been hurt,And dance like no one's watchinghttp://web.tiscali.it/alfabeto auschwitz/index.htm

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Dear All, Sorry to trouble you with a request. Does any one of you have an idea of what a ... an Italian word for it... I have tried the Web, the dictionaries, etc. already but so far, to no avail.[/nq]
Try cittern.
m.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Does any one of you have an idea of what a "cithon" is? It should be an ancient musical instrument ... a small orchestra of instruments which includes 'vyolls, vyolentes, virginalls, sagbutts, howboies and cornetts, cithon, flute and taber pypes'."[/nq]
It could be an odd (phonetic, in a non-rhotic dialect) spelling of "cittern", though why it should be listed between the cornetti and the flute if this is the case escapes me.
[nq:1](Actually, the "vyolentes" are a problem too, but I guess they must be some sort of ancient string instrument, possibly similar to a cello?) TIA for any help, ciao[/nq]
violetts, i.e. violetti. Which is likely to simply mean violins (violini), especially as it's standing right next to "viols". Of course "violins" at this period will often (though by no means always always) refer to the whole family of instruments, not just the treble member of it. See Peter Holman's book "Four and Twenty Fiddlers: The Violin at the English Court, 1540-1690" for an authoritative review of the often confusing and ambiguous English-languge terminology of this period for stringed instruments.

"Violyents" could as well be simply a phonetic spelling of "violins" (especially if the scribe was from somewhere near Minnesota, which I suppose isn't too likely in this case... but still, a writer who could get "cithon" out of "cittern" would be capable of anything, I should think).
The so-called "English violett" that crops up in the 18th century, a sort of viola d'amore with more than the usual number of sympathetic strings, is probably a total red herring in this context, so don't be tempted!
I reckon I'd go for "viole e violini" in Italian, or more likely "viole da gamba e violini" to avoid any thought of violas.

You could try over in rec.music.early for other guesses.

Roland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food.

NB mail to my.spamtrap (at) verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Dear All, Sorry to trouble you with a request. Does ... the dictionaries, etc. already but so far, to no avail.[/nq]
[nq:1]Try cittern.[/nq]
Merriam-Webster (m-w.com) also has: zither, cither, cithern, and cithren.

Best Donna Richoux

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Does any one of you have an idea of what a "cithon" is? It should be an ancient musical instrument ... a small orchestra of instruments which includes 'vyolls, vyolentes, virginalls, sagbutts, howboies and cornetts, cithon, flute and taber pypes'."[/nq]
My guess would be one of "cither"/"cittern":
a Renaissance stringed instrument like a guitar with a flat pear-shaped body
or "zither":
a stringed instrument having usually 30 to 40 strings over a shallow horizontal soundboard and played with pick and fingers

probably the former. They're all derived from Latin "cithara", which might give you a clue for Italian.
[nq:1](Actually, the "vyolentes" are a problem too, but I guess they must be some sort of ancient string instrument, possibly similar to a cello?)[/nq]
I'd guess simply "violin",with "vyoll" being viols.

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >The whole idea of our government is
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >this: if enough people get togetherPalo Alto, CA 94304 >and act in concert, they can take

http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I'd guess simply "violin",with "vyoll" being viols.[/nq]
Yes. In the words of Lou Reed:
Just like poison in a viol
Hey she was often very viol

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Dear All, Sorry to trouble you with a request. Does any one of you have an idea of what a ... guess they must be some sort of ancient string instrument, possibly similar to a cello?) TIA for any help, ciao[/nq]
Probably the same as a cittern. Here's a picture of one from the catalogue of my most favourite shop in the whole world, the Early Music Shop in Bradford. Chat them up and they'll let you play a double bass contra recorder.
http://www.e-m-s.com/cat/stringed/stringed/citterns.htm

They also have Vihuelas, which might be your vyolentes: http://www.e-m-s.com/cat/stringed/stringed/vihuelas.htm

David
==
RIP Kathleen Ferrier, died 08/10/1953
Too young, too young.

Usenet · Answer

>
>
I wonder whether 'vyolentes' here means 'hard' as in not soft. Hard what I don't know hard fiddle?
Or did the ones with sympathetic strings need to be made of sterner stuff?
Richard Maurer To reply, remove half
Sunnyvale, California of a homonym of a synonym for also.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2](Actually, the "vyolentes" are a problem too, but I guess they must be some sort of ancient string instrument, possibly similar to a cello?)[/nq]
[nq:1]violetts, i.e. violetti. Which is likely to simply mean violins (violini), especially as it's standing right next to "viols". Of course "violins" at this period will often (though by no means always always) refer to the whole family of instruments...[/nq]
Thanks a lot for this and the rest I had to snip, it was most helpful and informative.
[nq:1]"Violyents" could as well be simply a phonetic spelling of "violins" (especially if the scribe was from somewhere near Minnesota, which I suppose isn't too likely in this case...[/nq]
Sixteenth-century Lancashire, in case it was keeping you awake at night (I so hope not :-))
[nq:1]I reckon I'd go for "viole e violini" in Italian, or more likely "viole da gamba e violini"...[/nq]
Like that. Sounds "removed" enough for my purpose. Thank you very much.

Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching
http://web.tiscali.it/alfabeto auschwitz/index.htm

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Try cittern.[/nq]
[nq:1]Merriam-Webster (m-w.com) also has: zither, cither, cithern, and cithren.[/nq]
Of (******) course. Thanks to you, mUs1Ka and all the others who pointed me in the right direction. I had tried different spellings (after the taber-pype -> tabor-pipe adventure), but hadn't been able to come up with one that would work. So, very simply, "una cetra". Thanks a lot.

Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching
http://web.tiscali.it/alfabeto auschwitz/index.htm

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Does any one of you have an idea of what a "cithon" is?[/nq]
[nq:1]Probably the same as a cittern. Here's a picture of one from the catalogue of my most favourite shop in the whole world, the Early Music Shop in Bradford. http://www.e-m-s.com/cat/stringed/stringed/citterns.htm[/nq]
I had a look at the picture and now I am wondering about the caption:

"CITTERNS: The classical barbers shop instrument, wire strung and with solid frets."
Why "barber's shop" instrument?...
Thnaks, ciao,

Isa
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching
http://web.tiscali.it/alfabeto auschwitz/index.htm

Please help if you can: "cithon"?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions