The charota, is a musical instrument played in Ireland, whose exact description is contested.

According to Irish historian Gratton Flood, it was a small harp played with a bow. The instrument could be rested on knees or on a table.[1]

Flood notes that the historian Gerbert[who?] had described the charota as an oblong instrument with six strings, four of which on a fingerboard and two off of it.[2]

Historian Carl Engel noted that a 6th-century CE Italian writer, Venantius Fortunatus, had mentioned the "Charota Britanna" in a poem, but did not mention any bow.[3]

See also

edit
  • Crwth, a similar Welsh instrument

References

edit
  1. ^ Nora Joan Clark (1 November 2003). The story of the Irish harp: its history and influence. North Creek Press. pp. 31–. ISBN 978-0-9724202-0-4. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  2. ^ William Henry Grattan Flood (1905). The story of the harp. Scott. pp. 9–. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  3. ^ Carl Engel (1876). Musical instruments ... Scribner, Welford, and Armstrong. pp. 93–. Retrieved 6 April 2011.