Scheitholt
The Scheitholt or Scheitholz is a historical string instrument and an early preliminary stage of today's zither . It is one of the drone counters .
Origin and Distribution
The Scheitholt was a further development of an instrument-like object known from antiquity, the monochord , a narrow wooden box with only one string. Scheitholt originally referred to firewood cut into logs. At the latest since the 16th century the instrument was called that, presumably because it had a similar shape or size. However, there were a number of other, mostly local, names for the instrument. Nationwide it was still known under the name Hummel . In the Bavarian-Austrian area, the Scheitholt can be traced back to the 14th century. In France it is mainly called Épinette des Vosges because it occurs exclusively in an extremely small area of the southeastern Romansh-Lorraine High Vosges. Most of the French do not know this local musical instrument and its name. It cannot be ruled out that the Scheitholt was introduced into the Vosges by German or Saxon miners or by charcoal burners and glassmakers from the Alpine countries in the course of immigration.
It is most likely from Asia Minor or the Caucasus . In the course of the migration of peoples, it then made its way west into the Alpine region. The Scheitholt was first described in detail in the German-speaking area by Michael Praetorius . The instrument found attention again in German folk groups after it came back to Europe from the USA as the Appalachian Dulcimer . The pleasing hourglass shape has been known in Kentucky since 1870.
Scheitholte and bumblebees were played in the Alpine regions, in southern Germany, in northern Germany, in the Saxon Ore Mountains and in Upper Lusatia until the 19th century. In some regions of Norway, Langeleik is still part of the characteristic folk music tradition.
description
The Scheitholt consisted of a long, narrow wooden box with a simple peg board at the head end and which was initially strung with two or three strings. In addition to brass, these strings were often made of simple materials such as animal hair, dried intestines or waxed flax. There was no fingerboard in the usual sense, wires were embedded in the wood under the strings as frets . From the 16th and 17th centuries, the Scheitholte had three to four strings. In the further development the sound body was enlarged and an independent fingerboard was glued on. With the change in shape around the middle of the 18th century, the Scheitholt became the Kratzzither or Scherrzither .
Style of play
The Scheitholt was played similarly to today's zither. It was placed horizontally on a table or on the thighs, the left hand stroked the strings with a stick, while the thumb and forefinger of the right hand tore the strings directly or with a horn or wooden stick or goose quill. Individual strings acted as drones .
Literature and websites
- Cultural Department of the City of Munich (ed.): The Tiroler Raffele and the Allgäuer Scherrzither , September 1990
- Andreas Michel: Scheitholt and early forms of the scratch zither.
- Andreas Sumerauer: Illustration, description and dimensions of the instrument according to Praetorius
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Épinette des Vosges and other zithers ( Memento from July 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Culture Department of the City of Munich (ed.): Das Tiroler Raffele and the Allgäuer Scherrzither . September 1990.
- ↑ Michael Praetorius: Syntagma musicum, Volume II, Theatrum Instrumentorum, Wolfenbüttel 1620, Plate XXI: "8. Scheidtholtt."
- ^ Andreas Michel: Scheitholt and early forms of the Kratzzither.