Kinnor
Encyclopedia
Kinnor is the Hebrew name for an ancient Israelite
lyre
mentioned in the Bible
(Genesis iv. 21) and commonly translated as harp
.
cithara
, Though the Kinnura is a better representation which was in use among the Semitic peoples.
A symbolic representation of the kinnor appears on ancient Hebrew coins.
The kinnor has been called the national instrument
of Israel.
In modern Hebrew, the word kinnōr refers to a violin
.
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Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
mentioned in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
(Genesis iv. 21) and commonly translated as harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
.
History
The identification of the instrument is uncertain, but a few historians of musical instruments say it is similar to the GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
cithara
Kithara
The kithara or cithara was an ancient Greek musical instrument in the lyre or lyra family. In modern Greek the word kithara has come to mean "guitar" ....
, Though the Kinnura is a better representation which was in use among the Semitic peoples.
The kinnor has been called the national instrument
National instrument
The term national instrument can refer to:*National Instruments, an American corporation*The national instrument of a nation, referring to a musical instrument of particular cultural and social importance...
of Israel.
In modern Hebrew, the word kinnōr refers to a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
.
External links
- http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/instruments.htm
- http://www.chelseashul.org/Music/Skarbova.htm
- Bo Lawergren, “Distinctions among Canaanite, Philistine, and Israelite Lyres, and Their Global Lyrical Contexts,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 309 (Feb., 1998), pp. 41-68.
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