ce was really enchanting.

Michael Praetorius[6] gives various tunings for the cittern as well as
an illustration (sounded an octave higher than the notation).

[Illustration: French]

[Illustration: Italian 4 course]

[Illustration: Italian 6 course]

During the 18th century the cittern, citra or English guitar, had twelve
wire strings in six pairs of unisons tuned thus:

[Illustration]

The introduction of the Spanish guitar, which at once leapt into favour,
gradually displaced the English variety. The Spanish guitar had gut
strings twanged by the fingers. The last development of the cittern
before its disappearance was the addition of keys. The keyed cithara[7]
was first made by Claus & Co. of London in 1783. The keys, six in
number, were placed on the left of the sound-board, and on being
depressed they acted on hammers inside the sound-chest, which rising
through the rose sound-hole struck the strings. Sometimes the keys were
placed in a little box right over the strings, the hammers striking from
above. M.J.B. Vuillaume of Paris possessed an Italian cetera (not keyed)
by Antoine Stradivarius,[8] 1700 (now in the Museum of the
Conservatoire, Paris), with twelve strings tuned in pairs of unisons to
E, D, G, B, C, A, which was exhibited in London in 1871.

The cittern of the 16th century was the result of certain transitions
which took place during the evolution of the violin from the Greek
kithara (see CITHARA).

_Genealogical Table of the Cittern._

Assyrian Ketharah Persian Rebab
____________|_____________ :
| | :
Persian and Arabic Greek Kithara Arab Rebab
Kithara | :
| | :
Moorish Guitra, Roman Cithara European Rebec
Cuitra or Guitarra or Fidicula :
| :
Cithara in transition or Rotta :
___________________________|________________________:
| | |
Cithara in transition Guitarra Latina _Cittern_
or Guitar or Vihuela de Mano
| |
Spanish Guit