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
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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.
Gallery
Image:Cittern MET DP163299.jpg|Cithrinchen in the Met Museum, New York, USA.
Image:Cithrinchen BNM Mu 13.jpg|Cithrinchen in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, Germany
Image:Cittern (Hamburger Cithrinchen), view 1, Hamburg, late 1600s - Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany - DSC03285.jpg|Cithrinchen in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany, front view
Image:Cittern (Hamburger Cithrinchen), view 2, Hamburg, late 1600s - Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany - DSC03286.jpg|Cithrinchen in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany, rear view