crwth

[ krooth ]

noun

, Music.

1. crowd ².

crwth

/ kruːθ /

noun

1. an ancient stringed instrument of Celtic origin similar to the cithara but bowed in later types

Word History and Origins

Origin of crwth¹

First recorded in 1830–40; from Welsh; cognate with Irish cruit “harp, lyre”

Word History and Origins

Origin of crwth¹

Welsh; compare Middle Irish crott harp

Example Sentences

Holding the drone, however, turned out to be unusually boring to perform, not to mention quite tiring, so more often than not it was played on an instrument instead: an organ, perhaps, or now almost forgotten instruments such as the crwth, the psaltery, the hurdy-gurdy or the symphony.

From Literature

The Welsh crwth, which survived until the end of the 18th century, is best represented by a specimen of that date preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and described and illustrated by Carl Engel.1 The instrument consists of a rectangular sound-chest 22 in. long, 9� in. wide and 2 in. deep; the body is scooped out of a single block, the flat belly being glued on.

From Project Gutenberg

Six catgut strings fastened to a tail-piece are wound round pegs at the top of the crwth; four of these strings lie over the sound-board and bridge, and are set in vibration by means of a bow, while the two others, used as drones and stretched across the left-hand aperture, are twanged by the thumb of the left hand.

From Project Gutenberg

Sir John Hawkins3 relates that in his time there was still a Welshman living in Anglesea who understood how to play the crwth according to traditional usage.

From Project Gutenberg

Edward Jones4 and Daines Barrington5 both give an account of the Welsh crwth of the 18th century which agrees substantially with Engel’s; the illustration communicated by Daines Barrington shows the strings of the crwth drawn through holes at the top, and fastened on the back, as on the Persian rebab and other Oriental stringed instruments.

From Project Gutenberg