Zither with a Metal Frame

Do you have an item of historical interest to share with the zither community? Did you have an ancestor that played the zither? This is the place to share your stories.

Moderator: Dave

Post Reply
User avatar
Dave
Posts: 352
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:55 pm
Location: Chestertown, Maryland
Contact:

Zither with a Metal Frame

Post by Dave »

A few years ago I acquired an early American picture post card showing a man seated at a table with a zither. The table provides a playing surface for the musician, and also functions as holder for a cluster of objects, including a stereoscope. To place it, print on the back of the postcard reads, "Made at FRETER BROS., at Bridgeport, O., Bellaire, O., Martins Ferry, O. & Wheeling, West VA. On the zither, there appears to be a rag tucked above the sounding board between a bar mounted on the instrument.
gunzelmann1.jpg
gunzelmann1.jpg (88.94 KiB) Viewed 3946 times
Just recently, not without surprise, I discovered a companion to the image shown above. In the following image, the musician is kindly holding the zither where it can be clearly viewed. It appears to be a zither with a metal frame, of the kind patented by Gebrüder Gunzelmann in Nürnberg in 1885.
gunzelmann2.jpg
gunzelmann2.jpg (403.73 KiB) Viewed 3946 times
The original German patent explains that the metal frame prevents warpage of the soundboard and while providing a great, sonorous tone.
DE000000033512A.pdf
(71.07 KiB) Downloaded 193 times
Following is an advertisement for this maker that was included in the April, 1909, issue of “Centralblatt Deutscher Zither Verein,” published in Munich.
gunzelmann3.jpg
gunzelmann3.jpg (626.7 KiB) Viewed 3946 times
Sometimes it takes years for these little pieces to fall into place, but it's quite nice when they do. :-)

Dave
We do not take humor seriously enough. —Konrad Lorenz
Rudy Mueller
Posts: 603
Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:33 am
Location: Grafton WI 53024 RMUELLERMKE@GMAIL.COM

Re: Zither with a Metal Frame

Post by Rudy Mueller »

Now I know where the cigar burns came from on the underside of my Dad's Förg.

The guy in the picture may have been using a wet rag to put out a cigar fire. The hat on the guy at the left looks like a genuine "Miesbacher".

Rudi
Post Reply