Stoessel lute
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (October 2013) |
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| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Stössel lute, Stössel-laute |
| Classification | String instrument |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | (Composite chordophone) |
The Stoessel lute (German: Stössel-Laute) is a string instrument invented by Georg Stössel in 1914 in Cologne (Köln), Germany. Its steel strings are fingered not by putting one's hand round the neck, but over the end of it. To this end, most Stössel lutes have very short necks. It is, in effect, a hybrid between a necked string instrument and a zither. [1]
The instrument was very popular in Germany and elsewhere in the early 20th century; it was frequently used in German and Austrian schools in the inter-war period. The Second World War put an end to production and the instrument never regained its former popularity. Today musicians are making Solid bodied Electric versions. The Tuning for the Fretted Strings is in Thirds & the Stossel Bass Lute's Bass Strings are in a Re-entrant Tuning like the Lirone where the intervals go up a 5th & down a 4th.
References[]
External links[]
- The Stössel-lute, Greg Miner, Miner Music
- miscellaneous at ATLAS of Plucked Instruments
- Zither & Harp at SpringerMusic.co.uk
- String instruments
- German musical instruments
- Fretted zithers
- 1914 musical instruments