The Greeks had lyres of various kinds, more or less differing in construction, form, and size, and distinguished by different names; such as _lyra_, _kithara_, _chelys_, _phorminx_, etc. _Lyra_ appears to have implied instruments of this class in general, and also the lyre with a body oval at the base and held in the arms of the performer; while the _kithara_ had a square base and was held against the side by a sash around it. The _chelys_ was a small lyre with the body made of the shell of a tortoise, or of wood in imitation of the tortoise. The _phorminx_ was a large lyre, and, like the _kithara_, was used at an early period singly, for accompanying recitations. It is recorded that the _kithara_ was employed for solo performances as early as B.C. 700. [Illustration: FIG. 6.――A Muse with a HARP, and two others with LYRES. From a Greek vase in the Munich Museum.] The design on the Greek vase at Munich (already alluded to) represents the nine Muses, of whom three are given in the engraving (Fig. 6), viz., one with the harp, and two others with lyres. Some of the lyres were provided with a bridge, while others were without it. The largest was held probably on or between the knees, or were attached to the left arm by means of a band, to enable the performer to use his hands without impediment. The strings, made of catgut or sinew, were more usually twanged with a _plektron_ than merely with the fingers. The _plektron_ was a short stem of ivory or metal pointed at both ends. A fragment of a Greek lyre which was found in a tomb near Athens is deposited in the British Museum. The two pieces constituting its frame are of wood. Their length is about 18 inches, and the length of the cross-bar at the top is about 9 inches. The instrument is unhappily in a condition too dilapidated and imperfect to be of any essential use to the musical inquirer. The _trigonon_ consisted originally of an angular frame, to which the strings were affixed. In the course of time a third bar was added to resist the tension of the strings, and its triangular frame resembled in shape the Greek delta. Subsequently it was still further improved, the upper bar of the frame being made slightly curved, whereby the instrument obtained greater strength and more elegance of form. The _magadis_, also called _pektis_, had twenty strings which were tuned in octaves, and therefore produced only ten tones. It appears to have been some sort of dulcimer, but information respecting its construction is still wanting. There appears to have been also a kind of bagpipe in use called _magadis_, of which nothing certain is known. Possibly, the same name may have been applied to two different instruments. [Illustration: FIG. 7.――PAIR OF BRONZE FLUTES, with mouthpiece in the form of the bust of a Mænad holding a bunch of grapes. Greek. British Museum.]