Cimbalom

Cimbalom [Gk. *kymbalon], dulcimer of the Hung. gypsies, the basis of their orchestra. In the second half of the last century the cimbalom was modernized by Schunda of Budapest; it is now a shallow trapezoid box resting on 4 legs, with 2 bridges and 35 courses of metal strings, of which the lowest 16 are trichord and are spun; the upper courses have 4 or even 5 strings to a note. Some strings pass over both bridges, others over 1 only, and some are not divided by a bridge at all, but sound…