Streichmelodion

Overview

The streichmelodion is a 19th-century string instrument developed in Moravia (in the present-day Czech Republic). It belongs to the bowed-psaltery family: a flat triangular wooden body strung with metal strings, played by drawing a bow across the projecting string ends. Its name combines German streich (“bowed”) and melodion (“melody instrument”), reflecting its purpose as a bowed melodic zither.

Origin & History

The instrument is documented as having been created in 1856 in the Moravian region of the Habsburg lands. Its design reflects a 19th-century European interest in inventing new instruments for amateur and parlour use, as well as for educational settings. The streichmelodion was not adopted widely outside its home region and remained a relatively niche instrument, although examples have survived in museum and private collections.

How It’s Played

The instrument rests on a table or in the player’s lap. Each string corresponds to a single note. The player draws a bow across the projecting end of one string at a time to sound that pitch, often in a sustained, expressive line. Compared with violin-family instruments the streichmelodion is much easier to learn for beginners, since each note has its own string and there is no need to develop precise left-hand intonation.

Cultural Significance

The streichmelodion belongs to a family of regional 19th-century instruments designed to make music accessible to amateur players in the home and at small gatherings. While it never became widely known, it is part of the broader story of European folk and parlour instrument design in that period and is occasionally encountered in folk-music revivals and historical-performance contexts.

Related Instruments

• Bowed psaltery – the broader instrument family
• Hammered dulcimer – a related plucked / struck zither cousin
• Zither – the wider European tradition
• Streichzither – another bowed zither family member
• Hardanger fiddle – a Scandinavian sympathetic-string fiddle

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the streichmelodion a violin?
No. It is a bowed zither: each string sounds a single note rather than being stopped by the fingers.

When was it invented?
It is documented as dating from 1856 in Moravia.

Is it still made today?
Not in any widespread production sense. Surviving examples are mostly historical, with occasional reproduction by specialist makers.