Cithrinchen

{{short description|Distinctively shaped cittern of the Renaissance and Baroque periods}}

{{Infobox instrument

| name =Cithrinchen

| image =Tielke bell cittern.jpg

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| caption =Cithrinchen or Bell cittern by Joachim Tielke in the V&A Museum, London, UK.

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| names =Bell cittern, Citrinchen, Hamburger cithrinchen

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| related =*Cittern

• Orpharion
• English guitar
• Portuguese guitar

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The Cithrinchen or Bell cittern was a distinctively shaped instrument of the renaissance and baroque periods. It was usually strung with doubled courses of thin, light tension brass or steel strings. It usually had 3 soundholes (with decorative roses) and 5 (or sometimes 6 or more) courses (pairs) of strings. It was popular in Germany, England and Sweden. {{Cite web|url=http://www.studia-instrumentorum.de/MUSEUM/zistern.htm|title=Zistern}}{{Cite web|url=https://atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/cittern.htm|title = ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - cittern}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.instrumentenbau-kilian.de/hamburgercithrinchen.html|title=Hamburger Cithrinchen}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mkg-hamburg.de/de/sammlung/sammlungen/musikinstrumente/cithrinchen.html|title = Cithrinchen}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/32IUD3AQWEOXLS3VXWCXZXFTEKUYRGUW/|title = Cithrinchen - Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek}}

Most such instruments built nowadays are reconstructions of historical instruments, or modern mandolin-type instruments which simply use the same body shape as the historical Cithrinchen.