Historical reference: Do not rely on this information. It is very old. About this collection
Dulcimer, a four-sided stringed instrument with a sounding board, played by striking the strings with small hammers. It is the prototype of the pianoforte, but owing to the absence of any contrivance for checking the vibrations of one note before another is sounded (" damping"), the effect is somewhat blurred. It is probably of Oriental origin, and is now used only by the Hungarian gipsies.