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Pianoforte Guittar (Keyed cittern/English Guittar)

ca. 1785
Not on view
The English guittar [sic] was a six-course wire-strung cittern, most popular in Britain in the second half of the eighteenth century. Christian Claus was the first patent holder for the "pianoforte guittar", an invention which integrated a piano hammer mechanism into the body of the cittern. This novel instrument enjoyed tremendous popularity in the 1780s, but in 1789 Claus left London for New York (fleeing his creditors) and his competitors also ceased making them at around this time. There are a few pianoforte guittars by Claus that were made in New York.

This instrument would have originally had six keys on the soundboard (the location is still visible) which, when pressed, would cause hammers to strike the strings through the sound hole.

(Daniel Wheeldon, 2023)

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pianoforte Guittar (Keyed cittern/English Guittar)
  • Maker: Christian Claus (German, active London ca. 1783–1793 New York)
  • Date: ca. 1785
  • Geography: London, United Kingdom
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Various woods, bone, ivory, brass
  • Dimensions: Total length: 70.4 cm
    Fingerboard length: 22.4
    Fingerboard width, top/bottom: 4.5/5.75
    Body length: 37.7
    Max. body width: 30.2
    Narrowest point (neck foot): 5.7
    Body depth, neck: 9.4; foot and back: 6.9
    Vibrating length of strings: ca. 43 cm (bridge is movable)
    Diameter of rosette to outer linked circle: 12.2
    Bridge height: 18.5 mm
  • Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
  • Credit Line: Gift of Helen C. Lanier, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.241.3
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

More Artwork

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Pianoforte Guittar (Keyed cittern/English guittar), Christian Claus German, Wood and various materials, British
Pianoforte Guittar (Keyed cittern/English guittar)
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Cittern, Joachim Tielke German, Cypress, ivory, ebony, parchment, brass, German
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1767
Cittern, Gerard J. Deleplanque French, Maple, spruce, ebony, ivory, mother-of-pearl, brass, French
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1772

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