Tag Archives: Archaeoacoustics

Article: The Lyre (evolution of music and ancient musical instruments)


The Lyre

The lyre is a stringed instrument of the harp family that has two curved arms connected at the upper end by a crossbar. The strings are stretched between the crossbar and the sound box and are plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. In ancient Greece, the lyre accompanied poetry and song. Ancient Greece had two lyres—the kithara, which was used by the professional musician, and the lyra, the smaller instrument of the amateur. The lyre is typically associated with which Greek god? More… Discuss

Ancient Greek Music – The Lyre of Classical Antiquity