Psaltery
Historic harp-like plucked instrument with a triangular frame, played with the fingers.
What it means
The psaltery is a historic plucked instrument of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It consists of a flat, usually triangular or trapezoidal box over which several strings are stretched. The player holds it on the lap or in front of the chest and plucks the strings with the fingers or a quill. The sound recalls a harp but is brighter and finer.
Musical use
The name goes back to the Greek psalterion, a stringed instrument used for the recitation of the psalms. The psaltery was widespread in the Middle Ages and is seen in numerous pictures of angels and kings. It is regarded as a forerunner of instruments such as the dulcimer, in which the strings are struck, and, with a keyboard, later of the harpsichord and the piano.
The psaltery should be distinguished from the harp, whose strings stand free in a frame without a box, and from the dulcimer, in which the strings are struck with beaters.
Performance practice
If you play a psaltery, pluck the strings with even pressure so that the sound stays clear. Damp strings that should not sound with the other hand.