What is the history of the bowed psaltery?
The ancient psaltery as mentioned in the bible, was a strummed or plucked instrument. The bowed psaltery is a more modern instrument, about one hundred years old. Some folks say it goes back much further. The written reference I found states that it is a Tyrolean folk instrument. Tyrol is a section of the Alpine region of Europe that has borders in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. There it is called the “streichpsalter”, which translates to “stroked psaltery”. The reference also states that it was used in schools to teach children about music. To me, the history of the bowed psaltery is as mysterious as the sound it creates. The bowed psaltery was brought to the US around 1960 by a German master violin luthier when he and his family moved here. His was one of the first ones I saw and heard in 1980, and that kicked off my great passion for the bowed psaltery.
