Psaltery

Psaltery
Family	Cordophone
Sachs-Hornbostell index	422.1

The psaltery (psalterium) is an instrument in the family of medieval board-zithers.

Definition

The psaltery (psalterium) is an instrument in the family of medieval board-zithers. It is usually made of piece of wood or a woodbox with soundholes that can be rectangular, triangular, trapezoidal, or, more rarely, circular or square. It is generally held against the chest but can also be placed in front of the musician or held in the hand. The number of strings, which are of different lengths, is usually around 12 (depending on the period and the type of image). The instrument is often plucked with one or both hands, sometimes played with a plectrum, and, more rarely, struck with mallets.

The latin term psalterium is used to describe a large variety of antique and medieval string instruments. It derives from the greek ψάλλειν which means "plucked with the fingers". Durant the 3rd century, it appears in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, alongside the term nebel. The Hebrew word mizmor is also translated with psalmos to describe an hymn sung harp, which gave its name to the Book of Psalms [1].

In medieval iconography, the psaltery can be played by musician angels, by hybrids [2], by professional musicians [3], by the Elders of the Apocalypse [4], by a skull from the Danse macabre[5] or even an allegory of Music[6]. It is most frequently played by King David, considered to be the author of the Book of Psalms. He is often depicted playing the psaltery in the initial opening Psalm 1 Beatus vir or Psalm 80 Exultate Deo, alongside the carillon [7].

Examples of psalteries

DP296527
IRHT 035421 2
Personnification de la musique jouant du carillon
Madonna and Child with saints and angels, Daddi, Bernardo (active ca. 1280-1348), painting
Mary, Queen of Heaven, Master of the Saint Lucy Legend (fl. ca. 1475-1505), painting
Six anges musiciens jouant de la cornemuse, de la guiterne, du psaltérion, de la harpe et de la flûte à bec