The tradition & historical record
2 min read · 2 sourcesThe Streichmelodion (STREISH-meh-loh-dee-ən, lit. "stroke melodion") or Breitoline (BRAI-toh-leen-nə: a portmanteau of Breit, the surname of the inventor, and violin in German) is a bowed zither, similar in size and form to a viola. Structurally, the instrument is best described as a kind of fretted violin. The Streichmelodion was created in 1856 by Leopold Breit in Brno, evolving from the alpine zither and inspired by the Streichzither. The Breitoline is described as having a richer, more robust tone than the Streichzither, and has a compass slightly lower than that of a viola. Breitolines are played with the body of the instrument resting on the player's lap (hence the name "lap harp"), with the part of the zither between the neck and headstock resting on a table. Many Streichmelodions were produced in Markneukirchen at the Ernst Rudolph Glier factory during the 19th century. The instrument has a bridge, with its ribs having a steep curve, similar to those of the viola da gamba. The instrument has a curved fingerboard with around 29 frets, with fretboard markers inlaid at the fifth, ninth, 12th, and 25th frets. Like most classical string instruments, it has two F Holes. The pegboxes were asymmetrical, leaning to the left. Most models of the instrument have four strings, although Breit's original version had five. Streichzithers came in various different sizes, including viola, cello and bass, although tunings for each are disputed. 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Streichmelodion”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
Streichmelodion is Moravian string instrument created in 1856, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2