The charota, is a musical instrument played in Ireland, whose exact description is contested.
According to Irish historian Gratton Flood, it was a small harp played with a bow. The instrument could be rested on knees or on a table.
Flood notes that the historian Gerbert[who?] had described the charota as an oblong instrument with six strings, four of which on a fingerboard and two off of it.
Historian Carl Engel noted that a 6th-century CE Italian writer, Venantius Fortunatus, had mentioned the "Charota Britanna" in a poem, but did not mention any bow.
See also
- Crwth, a similar Welsh instrument
References
Nora Joan Clark (1 November 2003). The story of the Irish harp: its history and influence. North Creek Press. pp. 31–. ISBN 978-0-9724202-0-4. Retrieved 6 April 2011. 978-0-9724202-0-4 ↩
William Henry Grattan Flood (1905). The story of the harp. Scott. pp. 9–. Retrieved 6 April 2011. https://books.google.com/books?id=IJoIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA9 ↩
Carl Engel (1876). Musical instruments ... Scribner, Welford, and Armstrong. pp. 93–. Retrieved 6 April 2011. https://books.google.com/books?id=jO4PAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA93 ↩