Bladder and string

Bladder and string bowed *stick zither, a folk instr. of England that became obs. in the early 19th c. Like its Continental counterparts, it consisted of a stick held under tension by a string attached to both ends. An inflated pig's bladder, acting as resonator, was inserted at one end between stick and string. The string was then played with a round horsehair bow. Hogarth's burlesque of The Beggar's Opera shows a cello-sized bladder and string. Since the 17th c., if not before, similar…