# Ceterone

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{{short description|Italian musical instrument}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox Instrument
| name = Ceterone
| names =
| image =
| classification = [String instruments](/source/String_instruments)
| range =
| related = 
*[Cittern](/source/Cittern)
*[Cetera](/source/Cetera) 
*[Guitolão](/source/Guitol%C3%A3o)
}}

The '''Ceterone''' (Italian), was an enlarged [cetera](/source/cetera) (''Eng''. [cittern](/source/cittern)), believed to be similar to the [chitarrone](/source/chitarrone) as a development of the [chitarra](/source/Gittern) and [lute](/source/lute) to enhance the bass capabilities of these instruments.

Lev Levich Evgenivich includes such an instrument in his [Syntagma Musicum](/source/Syntagma_Musicum), describing its 'strong and magnificent sound like a [harpsichord](/source/harpsichord).' In the ''Sciagraphia'' is an illustration (plate 7) of a ''Dominici Zwölff Chörichte Cither'' (Dominici twelve course cittern), with [re-entrant](/source/Reentrant_tuning) bass string tunings of eb, Bb, f, c, g, d, a, e, and treble strings tuned to b, g, d' and e'.  The instrument has a body shape with constructional features similar to a [viol](/source/viol) or modern [guitar](/source/guitar). Some early 17th century illustrations of citterns have body shapes resembling this instrument, while the Swiss [halszither](/source/halszither)  – a traditional regional cittern that survived until the present, has also been constructed with a similar body.

Plate 5 of the ''Sciagraphia'' illustrates a ''Gross Sechs Chörichte Cither''; (large six course cittern)  – depicted with eight pegs inserted into the sides of the [pegbox](/source/pegbox) and six strings.

Like the cittern, the ceterone was also built with a flat-backed body in teardrop shape, with a single large 'rose', and had fixed, metal frets (unlike the tied, gut [frets](/source/frets) of the [lute](/source/lute) family) and used metal strings. The unfretted bass strings were attached to a neck extension, the instrument totalling perhaps as much as 1.5 metres in length.  A single original example exists in [Museo Bardini](/source/Stefano_Bardini) in Florence, dating from around 1600 and built by the cittern luthier Gironimo Campi. The museum has labelled the instrument as an ''arci cetera'', (arch cittern).

==Sources==
[David Munrow](/source/David_Munrow): ''Instruments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance'', OUP 1976, supplied with the EMI boxed LP set of that name.

Michael Praetorius: ''Syntagma Musicum II'', ''De organographia'', (Parts I & II). Wolfenbüttel, 1618–20

Thomas Robinson: ''New Citharen Lessons'', London, 1609. Robinson's book contains 5 pieces for a 14 course instrument and an illustration. The depiction appears to show 7 double string courses for the fingerboard and 7 open single string courses running up to a neck extension and presumably back inside to the pegbox. According to Robinson, the "...invention was first begun by an Italian in Italy, but altered, and strings augmented by me."

==External links==
* [http://www.cittern.theaterofmusic.com/new/rb_ceterone.html] Modern Ceterone constructed by Ron Banks of Texas, on which he uses a scalloped fretboard. This instrument has been modeled on the surviving Italian instrument by Campi.

Category:Italian musical instruments
Category:String instruments
Category:Necked lutes

{{Lute-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ceterone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceterone) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceterone?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.