The zither
Daruvar, the 20th century

wood, iron
craftwork

 

length = 50,5 cm
width = 30,2 cm
length of key = 8,5 cm


Et 48228ab
The Collection of Musical Instruments

Description

The zither was used in a family setting in old town at the end of the 19th century. The book containing sheet music found in the box and written in German testifies to this usage.

Note

Besides classical music concerts which took place in concert halls and theatres, and which were praised in the media as one of the elements which defined a given place as civilized, “unpretentious, popular segment of music culture” was developing - in a family and friendly setting, at various events organized by charities, in the summertime at restaurant gardens and city squares, and in the wintertime at bars and inns. Zither playing which emerged in the 1860s, and which peaked in the 1880s and 1890s, was a key part of that segment of culture in Zagreb. (Boltužić 2003: 220)