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Live zither music
Live zither music - price list for promoters/major clients/bookers

 

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Live zither music in the Heraldic Hall and Prelate's Hall
is available for bookings


The enormous popularity of the zither in the 19th century was the reason it became a classical solo and accompanying instrument for Viennese ballads and melodies, a tradition which has been preserved and cultivated in the Piaristenkeller to this day. The Viennese zither player, Anton Karas (1906-1985), who was discovered and engaged by film director, Caroll Reed, in 1948, achieved international fame with his melody for the film "The Third Man", the most frequently requested music in the Piaristenkeller.

 

Interesting facts about the popularity of the zither

The father of Empress Sisi, Duke Max of Bavaria, was a talented zither player and a great patron of this musical instrument, and it was he who taught his favourite daughter, Princess Elisabeth, future Empress of Austria, to play. After her wedding, Her Imperial Highness continued with her tuition for a time with the Viennese master zither player, Franz Kropf. Zither playing became increasingly popular in the best circles from this time on; the zither became a fashionable instrument and its unexpected rise to fame was due to this fact.


Duke Maximilian of Bavaria, December 1808 - November 1888; Duke Max disliked court etiquette and was very close to the people. He liked to disguise himself as a simple traveller and to strike up a tune at farmers' markets and in the company of the common people....

The famous Tyrolean artist, Franz Defregger, has bequeathed to us a contemporary interpretation of "The Female Zither Player" - the original may be viewed in the monastery cellar - the ornate pen-and-ink drawing. This drawing shows how, at that time, the zither was "hit" as it lay on the player's lap.

By making the zither "socially acceptable" Sisi broke the spell that had hitherto kept the doors of high society closed to it; the unassuming little instrument was now equally at home both in the royal palace and in the wretched housing of the workman or in the farmhouse.

The Count of Bavaria began to patronise and support, not only the famous Petzmeyer, but also many up-and-coming zither players and manufacturers of instruments and he himself published 60 compositions for the zither. The zither playing Empress also had a favourable influence on the increasing popularity of the zither in the upper echelons of Viennese society and not only here. There was also the sense of a new era about to dawn in Austria which encompassed all social strata and turned the zither into a true national instrument

 

Interesting facts about the history of the zither


"Psaltery, the predecessor of the zither"
Photo credits Jan van Eyck School
(1385-1441): The Miraculous Fountain (Detail), Madrid, Prado

One of the leading zither makers in Vienna around the middle of last century was the Kiendl firm, which alone had made around 50,000 zithers during its 50 years of existence. This figure shows the enormous importance of zither playing in the era of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
 

Opinions about the origin of the zither differ. It is certain that the Greeks "played" simple melodies on a "monochord" - a one-stringed instrument whose pitch was determined by a moveable bridge.

From an historical perspective, the "psaltery" is the predecessor of the modern concert zither; trapezoidal psalteries are considered to be Scheitholts. However, logical development and history diverge considerably after the "psaltery" became obsolete. Even in the 16th century the most recent instruments do not pick up from the psaltery, but are considered"extensions" of the Scheitholt.

The "Scheitholt" originated in the Middle Ages and was a triangular, two or three-stringed musical instrument whose predecessors are found in the regions of Turkey and Persia. Some music historians are of the opinion that the Scheitholt is the predecessor of the so-called "raffele", our earliest zither that is still in existence and is played even in this day and age.

The first zithers were manufactured in Vienna using the mechanism which is still customary today. Carl J.F. Umlauf from Vienna created the so-called "Viennese pitch" with the fingerboard strings: a'-d'-g'-g-c. The richness of tone of the Viennese zither is impressive; it has 185 pitches whereas a normal piano only has 88.

During the 2nd half of the 19th century, Austria had 45,000 active zither players enrolled in associations. This was certainly also due to the fact that "Sisi" - as Empress Elisabeth was lovingly called by her subjects - was herself a keen zither player.