Scan 193
Catalogue of the Stearns collection of musical instruments, 1921
31 lines. Read by computer on 17 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 165. See the scan on archive.org.
11087. Cittern (Fr. Cistre; Ital. Cetera; Ger. Cister) ………. England
2Flat, pear-shaped body. Ornamental rose of brass representing David with his harp. Four pairs of wire strings and two single strings.
3Circa 1800. Length, 70.5 cm.; width, 31.5 cm.; depth, 8 cm.
4Signed—"Preston, London."
5The Cittern enjoyed a great vogue in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but after the Peninsular War it was supplanted by the Guitar. Allusions to it are frequent in English literature.
71088. Chitarra Battente (Fr. Guitare toscana, Guitare en bateau; Ger. Schlagguitarre) ……………………. Italy
8Deep body decorated with inlaid scroll work. Five pairs of wire strings. Ten varieties exist, exemplifying modifications in stringing and, occasionally, in the manner of performance, as the Chitarra coll'arco, which is bowed.
9Length, 70 cm.; width, 17.5 cm.; depth, 12.5 cm.
111089. Chitarra Battente ……………………………… Bohemia one of two readings
121089. Chitarra Battente ……………………………………… Bohemia one of two readings
13Deep body, beautifully inlaid with ivory, as is also the neck. Six strings. Length, 81 cm.; width, 20 cm.; depth, 10 cm.
14Signed—"Andreas Ott, in Prag, 1658."1
161090. Chitarra Battente ……………………………… Italy one of two readings
171090. Chitarra Battente ……………………………………… Italy one of two readings
18Deep body, beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Five pairs of wire strings. Length, 90 cm.; width, 28 cm.; depth, 18 cm.
19Nos. 1089 and 1090 are among the choicest treasures in the Collection.
211091. Cithrinchen.2 Flat pyriform body. Five pairs of wire strings. Reproduction of an instrument, signed—"Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, 1676"—made by Lyon and Healy, and presented by them to the University. It is a rarely beautiful instrument…….. Germany
22Length, 76.5 cm.; of body, 37.5 cm.; width, 35.5 cm.; depth, 2.7 to 8 cm.
241092. Cetera. Italian cittern …………………………… Italy one of two readings
251092. Cetera. Italian cittern ……………………………………… Italy one of two readings
26The pear-shaped body is flat. The neck terminates in a carved head, representing Diana, and, on the back, two cherubs supporting a
281 The inscription on the instrument is unmistakably "Ott," but there is no record of a maker of that name, while "Ott" was a celebrated craftsman. Following the opinions of G. Kinsky and Curt Sachs as expressed in personal letters to the author, the latter name is given.
302 Georg Kinsky, in his valuable Kleiner Katalog der Sammlung alter Musikinstrumente (Musikhistorisches Museum von Wilhelm Heyer, in Köln), pp. 94, 95, describes a beautiful example of a citrinchen by Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, 1694, and in Tafel 19 gives two illustrations (front and back views). The resemblance in principle to the quinterne (chiterne), used in Italy and Germany in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, is evident. Sachs (p. 84) gives citharino-mit einer von unten offnen Deck—and (p. 174) Hamburger cithrinchen, in addition to the one noted above (1091).
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.