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zithers without chords

Not surprisingly, it appears that simple all-melody instruments represent the earliest variety of American fretless zithers. Though there is no doubt that similar instruments existed for centuries before the 1800s, the types referred to here compose a small group and are of a specific form.

The simple all-melody zither was re-invented in many different body styles throughout the years, with variants still being introduced as recently as the 1950s. This page takes a look at a few of them.

Note: The terms "with chords" and "without chords" refer to whether or not an instrument has its accompaniment strings grouped into designated chords.

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earliest American fretless zithers

The two instruments below are of a type believed to represent the predecessors of the family of fretless zithers made by the late 19th century's major manufacturers, Zimmermann, Menzenhauer, Schmidt, and the Phonoharp Company. They are simple all-melody fretless zithers . These appear to be of American origin, given their abundance in the US. In the way of actual evidence of this theory, an example of a similar type exists which bears claim of an American patent from the 1870s. It is supposed that this and perhaps the previous decade constitute the approximate period of these instruments' production.

These early fretless zithers are characterized by their having the tuning information and usually string numbers imprinted in an arc across the soundboard. Often the sound hole is adorned with a stenciled ornament of a delicate pattern. These zithers also quite often have the tuning pins set into the edge of the frame.

early fretless zithers, left to right:

1. This is an example of what seems to be the commonest form, a 15-string model. Its range is that of a typical fretless zither's melody section, two diatonic octaves of C. The sound hole ornamentation and tuning information are the usual for this form. And as is usually true of these, the tuning pins are set into the instrument's edge, an unfortunate structural and functional error. Beyond this fault, the instrument is framed very lightly. It would not withstand being tuned to pitch and is thus not a candidate for restoration. Nonetheless, these are worthwhile as curios.

2. This example is a 20-string model and has a total range of three octaves. However the lower half of its lowest octave is not complete. It begins with the G below the usual low C melody string of a typical fretless zither, but the next string jumps to that C, skipping the A and B in between. From there, it has two diatonic octaves of C, followed by the D, E, F, and G above the highest C string of usual fretless zither melody range.

This instrument has the tuning pins set into the block through the instrument's front as came to be the usual. There is no head bridge. Instead, screws serve as individual bridges for each string. It is interesting to note that an idea similar (though not identical) to this was adopted by Oscar Schmidt Company and incorporated into the design of certain autoharp models over 100 years later.

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new century harp

The "new century" of this instrument's name refers to the 20th, in the early years of which the "new century harp" was patented and first produced. Functionally, the idea is that the player creates chords from individual strings, rather than having designated strings pre-grouped into chords, as in the case of chord-zithers, ukelins, etc.

This instrument was probably produced in only one model. The examples shown are functionally identical, differing only in their decalcomania.

new century harps, left to right

1. This may be an early form, as it bears decals not familiar as belonging to any of the major manufacturers

2. This example has the "harps" soundhole decal, which appears frequently on Menzenhauer & Schmidt chord-zithers of the period. It bears the "Hudson-Fulton" soundboard decal, also a M&S favorite, but the identifying text was cut off before it was applied.

3. Again we have the Menzenhauer & Schmidt "harps" soundhole decal, and again the soundboard decal is a cut-off M&S favorite, this time the "Niagara Special."

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psaltery

The term "psaltery", as used by the manufacturers of the instruments presented here, was applied to a simple zither-type instrument with 15 melody strings only. It is tuned in two diatonic octaves of C, but beginning and ending on G. Or it could be said that it is tuned in two modal octaves of G; the F strings are tuned natural, rather than sharp. Judging by the joinery and finish, these look to have been made by Schmidt. These instruments were promoted by a music educator at Columbia University named Satis Coleman, and her name appears on the labels inside them. She also published a book specifically for this instrument, which focuses on its use in the school setting.

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American zither

Another "psaltery"-type instrument, the "American zither" has no chords, only melody strings. It appears in a variety of forms, some of them quite dissimilar from others. A couple of types are shown.

American zithers, left to right

1. This one has 17 strings, tuned to two diatonic octaves of C, plus a high D and E beyond the high C. This example looks to have been made by the Phonoharp Company, given the body style and the "vine" edge border ornamentation.

2. This is a Model No. 1 Phonoharp, minus the grate attachment. Oddly, the tuning pins are set into the edge, rather than through the instrument's front as with those of the Phonoharp.

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meloharp

Like the psaltery above, this later model all-melody zither is also an Oscar Schmidt product. The "psaltery" nomenclature was dropped in favor of the fitting name, "meloharp". Another unrelated instrument, an autoharp with a round body, was produced around the 1890s and also called a meloharp.

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harp celest

The body of this instrument is very similar to that of a No. 2 Phonoharp, which is in turn very like a small-model Zimmermann autoharp or a Menzenhauer No. 0 chord-zither When pinned as an all-melody zither, without chord-grouped accompaniment strings, and sold without a gizmo, it was called by a few different names, one of the commonest being "harp celest".

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Gideon's harp

The Gideon's harp uses an interesting roughly trapezoidal body style something like a mirror-image of usual zither design. It is a simple all-melody zither with 20 strings. Its prescribed range is over 2 1/2 diatonic octaves, beginning at C and ending at A. This takes the prize for for highest stock melody note of any plucked fretless zither and family-wide ties with the highest note of the violin-uke.

These were also commonly sold under the name "harpolute." They are clearly the work of the Phonoharp Company.

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