dulcimer

dul·ci·mer

D0418900 (dŭl′sə-mər)n.1. A narrow, often hourglass-shaped stringed instrument having three or four strings and a fretted fingerboard, typically held flat across the knees while sitting and played by plucking or strumming. Also called Appalachian dulcimer, mountain dulcimer.2. The hammered dulcimer.

[Alteration (influenced by Latin dulcis, sweet) of Middle English doucemer, from Old French doulcemer, doulcemele, probably from Latin dulce melos, sweet song : dulce, neuter of dulcis, sweet + melos, song (from Greek).]

dulcimer

(ˈdʌlsɪmə) n1. (Instruments) a tuned percussion instrument consisting of a set of strings of graduated length stretched over a sounding board and struck with a pair of hammers2. (Instruments) an instrument used in US folk music, consisting of an elliptical body, a fretted fingerboard, and usually three strings plucked with a goose quill[C15: from Old French doulcemer, from Old Italian dolcimelo, from dolce sweet, from Latin dulcis + -melo, perhaps from Greek melos song]

dul•ci•mer

(ˈdʌl sə mər)

n. 1. a trapezoidal zither with metal strings that are struck with light hammers. 2. a modern folk instrument with three or four strings plucked or strummed with the fingers. [1560–70; alter. of Middle English dowcemere < Middle French doulcemer, dissimilated variant of doulcemele < early Italian dolcimelo,dolzemele < Latin dulce melos sweet song]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	dulcimer - a stringed instrument used in American folk music; an elliptical body and a fretted fingerboard and three stringsstringed instrument - a musical instrument in which taut strings provide the source of sound
	2.	dulcimer - a trapezoidal zither whose metal strings are struck with light hammerscither, zither, zithern - a musical stringed instrument with strings stretched over a flat sounding board; it is laid flat and played with a plectrum and with fingers

Translations

cymbałyдульцимерцимбалыsantur

dulcimer

(dŭl`sĭmər), stringed musical instrument. It is a wooden box with strings stretched over it that are struck with small mallets. The number of strings may vary. The dulcimer is related to the psalterypsaltery
, stringed musical instrument. It has a flat soundboard over which a variable number of strings are stretched. Its origin was in the Middle East, and it is referred to in the Bible. It appeared in Europe in the 12th cent. and flourished until the late Middle Ages.
..... Click the link for more information. and modern zitherzither
, stringed musical instrument, derived from the psaltery and the dulcimer. It has a flat sound box over which are stretched from 30 to 45 strings; these are plucked with the fingers and a plectrum. In the 18th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. . It originated in the Middle East and was adopted in Europe in the Middle Ages. It is known, in varying forms, in Turkey, Iran, China (including Tibet), and other parts of Asia, the Middle East, and N Africa. The popularity of the dulcimer continued in Western Europe until the 17th cent., when it sharply declined, though a German, Pantaleon Hebenstreit, enlarged it to make an instrument called the pantaleon in the early 18th cent. It is still much used in Eastern Europe in Romani (Gypsy) bands. In Appalachia a plucked dulcimer very similar to the zither is popular. It has an elongated hourglass shape and is held on the player's lap.

Dulcimer

a hammered stringed instrument. The dulcimer consists of a flat wooden body in the shape of a trapezoid, with strings stretched over the upper soundboard. The sound is produced by striking two wooden sticks or hammers against two to five metal strings. The instrument’s range extends from E in the bass clef to E in the third octave.

An ancient instrument, the dulcimer is depicted on ancient Assyrian monuments. It has been known in Western Europe since the 18th century; it achieved its greatest popularity in Hungary and Slovakia. The Moldavian (ţambal, the Armenian and Georgian santir and tsintsila, and the Uzbek chang are all related to the dulcimer. The chromatic dulcimers developed in the late 19th century by the Hungarian master craftsman V. Schunda formed an instrument family by adding an alto, bass, and contrabass dulcimer to the original dulcimer; such dulcimers are used in folk orchestras. In 17th-century Russia the harpsichord was called a dulcimer.

I. F. Stravinsky included a dulcimer part in The Fox and Ragtime for 11 instruments.

REFERENCE

Modr. A. Muzykul’nye instrumenty. Moscow, 1959. Pages 80–82.

dulcimer

Music1. a tuned percussion instrument consisting of a set of strings of graduated length stretched over a sounding board and struck with a pair of hammers 2. an instrument used in US folk music, consisting of an elliptical body, a fretted fingerboard, and usually three strings plucked with a goose quill

dulcimer

dul·ci·mer

dulcimer

dul•ci•mer

dulcimer

dulcimer

Dulcimer

REFERENCE

dulcimer

dulcimer

Words related to dulcimer

noun a stringed instrument used in American folk music

Related Words

noun a trapezoidal zither whose metal strings are struck with light hammers

Related Words