Table of Contents
The Strumento de Porco is a variety of the psaltery, a stringed instrument of the zither family. It was originally made from wood, and relied on natural acoustics for sound production.
By the twelfth century the Eastern psaltery, known as the qanun, had been introduced to Spain by the Moors. from there it spread further into Europe, where it was given its name ‘psaltery’, derived from the ancient Greek ‘psallein’ (to pluck with the fingers). The psaltery could be found in a triangular shape, trapezoidal or in the shape of a pig’s head (hence called Strumento de Porco).
Paddy Bush plays the Strumento de Porco on Kate’s songs Kashka From Baghdad and Egypt.
References
- Psaltery. Wikipedia, retrieved 23 September 2017.
- Bernard Brauchli, The Clavichord. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, cop. 1998. ISBN 0521630673.
