Tambourin à cordes

Tambourin à cordes (Fr.: string drum), European folk zither descended from the med. *chorus. Gerson in the 14th c. described it as having 2 strings; in the 15th c. it is depicted with 3. The instr. is formed of a rectangular box with a variable number of strings stretched over one of the long surfaces. They are struck, all at the same time, with a small stick. Frequently a one-hand-flute player accompanies himself on the tambourin à cordes, which he then suspends from his left forearm by a…