Ģīga

The ģīga or divstīdzis is a two-stringed bowed zither found in Latvia.

Postage stamp showing Latvian traditional instruments, amongst those the ģīga (2nd instrument from top)

The instrument is descended from the psalmodicon (Latvian: vienstīdzis or manihorka), a bowed monochord developed in Sweden in 1829 for liturgical singing. From there it filtered down to the Latvian peasantry who sometimes added a second string for harmony.[1]

See also
  • Giga, a type of bowed lyre
  • Fiðla, a bowed zither native to Iceland

Sources

References
  1. Folklora.lv
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