HARPSICHORD. - From the Greek κόμβαλον, Latin cymbalum. A very ancient instrument, very probably of Eastern origin, consisting of 2 round metal plates, flat or convex, which are struck one against the other; or else of a kind of tambourine with a single head, with or without jingles, struck by the player's hand.The cymbalistae held them by means of handles or ribbons and used them above all to accompany dance or the movements or choral accents. It was perhaps in the Hebrewliturgy; certainly by the 5th century it was already in the Greek one, as a fragment of Pindar and some bronze examples attest to us. Subsequently it perhaps took on a symbolic meaning in rites and mysteries, and its depiction constituted a frequent decorative element in wall painting.
BibliographyE. Pottier, Cymbalum, in L. Daremberg-F. Saglio, Dictionnaire des antiquités grecques et romaines, I, p. 1697 ff.
BIBL.: E. Pottier, Cymbalum, in L. Daremberg-F. Saglio, Dictionnaire des antiquités grecques et romaines, I, p. 1697 ff.
Gentili, Anna Maria. “Cembalo.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. III, coll. 1286–1287. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949. https://azioneromana.com/article/cembalo.
MLA
Gentili, Anna Maria. “Cembalo.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. III, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1949, coll. 1286–1287. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/cembalo.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec3_cembalo,
author = {Gentili, Anna Maria},
title = {Cembalo},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {III},
pages = {1286--1287},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1949},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/cembalo}
}
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