Can anyone ID this instrument?

[Southway]

A friend posted this on facebook, but had no idea what it was. Any ideas? Looks like it could be some sorta bass, but that's probably just because it's pictured standing upright. There's really no clues as to how big it is. Six main strings and a bunch of other strings behind a lattice work.

 

[frankieC]

Well, I can tell you that the "bunch of other strings behind a lattice work" (lol) are called sympathy strings. They are tunable and are there to vibrate on their own with no fingering, as you play the main strings. Much the same way a sitar works.

I don't know what the instrument is called, but it sure looks "Eastern".

How big is it?

 

[twocargar]

I thought it looked more European than Eastern. After a bit of Googling instruments with sympathetic strings, here's what I found. It looks like a baryton. Pretty interesting read.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baryton

 

[Southway]

Thanks, y'all! Very interesting!

 

[BassChuck]

My initial response was "Viola d'Amore". But they are mostly smaller instruments with the sympathic strings below the fingerboard. Seemingly the same concept, but with more strings for bowing and more strings for sympathic vibration.

 

[fretlessguy]

Go to www.minermusic.com. Greg is a collector of antique and unusual instruments. He can also play most of them. He may have a picture and description of that very instrument. Whatever it its, it is very old indeed.

 

[fraublugher]

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Prince Nikolaus Esterházy - might command. At first he lived at Eisenstadt, circa 30 miles south-east of Vienna; by 1767 the family's chief residence, and Haydn's chief place of work, was at the new palace at Eszterháza. In his early years Haydn chiefly wrote instrumental music, including symphonies and other pieces for the twice-weekly concerts and the prince's "Tafelmusik," and works for the instrument played by the prince, the baryton (a kind of viol), for which he composed circa 125 trios in ten years

 

[spade2you]

Did anyone determine the name of this unique instrument?

 

[JFOC]

Looks like twocargar nailed it, it's identical to the one in the wikiphoto.

baryton