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lyre

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The lyre () (from Greek λύρα and Latin lyra) is a stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the lute family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke that lies in the same plane as the sound table, and consists of two arms and a crossbar.

AI overview

The lyre is an ancient stringed musical instrument in which strings are attached to a yoke—a frame made of two arms and a crossbar—that sits flat against the instrument's sound table. It belongs to the lute family of instruments and has been used across cultures for thousands of years, making it historically significant in the development of musical traditions.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Instrument.name
Lyre
Instrument.image
Mousai Helikon Staatliche Antikensammlungen Schoen80 n1.jpg
Instrument.image_capt
Greek vase with muse playing the phorminx, a type of lyre
Instrument.background
string
Instrument.hornbostel_sachs
321.2
Instrument.hornbostel_sachs_desc
Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum
Instrument.developed
Sumer, Iraq, Bronze Age
Instrument.related
Barbitos Çeng Chang (instrument) Cithara or Kithara Crwth Endongo Harp Konghou Krar Rotte or Germanic lyre

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Mousai Helikon Staatliche Antikensammlungen Schoen80 n1.jpg
Show 3 more facts
Commons category
Lyres
Hornbostel-Sachs classification
321.21-5
inception
3200-00-00
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~24 min read

Article

26 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Classification
  • Ancient lyres
  • Eastern lyres
  • Bull lyres
  • Thick lyres
  • Thin lyres
  • Giant lyres
  • Western lyres
  • Phorminx
  • Kitharis
  • Barbitos
  • Cultural use in Ancient Greece
  • Construction
  • Number of strings
  • Origin
  • Central and Northern European lyres
  • Bowed lyres
  • Modern lyres
  • In popular culture
  • Other instruments called "lyres"
  • Global variants and parallels
  • See also
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • External links

The lyre () (from Greek λύρα and Latin lyra) is a stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the lute family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke that lies in the same plane as the sound table, and consists of two arms and a crossbar.

The lyre has its origins in ancient history. Lyres were used in several ancient cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The earliest known examples of the lyre have been recovered at archeological sites that date to c. 2700 BCE in Mesopotamia.

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