by Sam Cronk

There are two basic "categories" of lyres which are classified according to performance practice: a)instruments which are "plucked" or played by hand, and b)those which are bowed. Ethnomusicologist Curt Sachs described two bowed lyres which have existed since the middle ages - the Welsh "crwth", which has a nearly rectangular shape, and a Scandinavian variant which features strings made from horsehair.
The bägänna, a large eight or ten-string lyre, made of a trapezoidal wooden frame fitted with a skin-covered sound box, is a rare instrument whose origins are believed to go back to Antiquity. King David is said to have played it to relieve the insomnia of his step fatherSaul. The bägänna's bass vibrations are said to bring peace to the soul. The instrument, associated with the Ethiopian Coptic Church since the 4th century, was played primarily at Christmas and Lent.
The lyre's distinctive shape has become a visual metaphor for Western musical culture; it was featured in the pedal supports of early grand pianos and is the logo for the piano manufacturer Steinway and Sons. You can find the same shape in contemporary glockenspiels and elaborate musical stands from the early 20th century.