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Encyclopedia ID 152

Kantele

Also known as Finnish plucked zither

Kantele: photograph by Paul Lenz
Photo: Paul Lenz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Pluck the glowing strings in order as notes drift down, then improvise freely on a five-string diatonic board.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Finland.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Northern and Eastern Europe.

Sources

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