Lyre

This forum is for discussion about the Anglo Saxon lyre, its history, music, construction and archaeology, and related instruments.

Medieval lyres and reconstructions.

The Cithara (a form of lyre) discovered at the Sutton Hoo burial site is quite easy and inexpensive to make. It has been dated at circa 650 A.D. in eastern England, with similar models found in Germany.

It seems that we can be certain that when the Anglo-Saxo ns use the word 'hearp e' they are referring to a musical instrument that is played by plucking strings. It is not so much a matter that the Anglo-Saxo ns unfortunat ely used the word 'hearp e' to mean a lyre; rather it was the case that they used the word 'hearp e' to mean both, what we now call, 'harp& #39; and 'lyre& #39; -- thus the confusion.

A reconstruc tion of a lyre found in an Anglo-Saxo n grave chamber.

Since the original builders of the Sutton Hoo instruments were not considerate enough to leave an owner's manual, any stringing or tuning of the reconstructed instruments is a guess.