Kithara or cithara, musical instrument of the ancient Greeks. It was a plucked instrument, a larger and stronger form of the lyre, used by professional musicians both for solo playing and for ...

Dobson, Austin (Henry Austin Dobson), 1840–1921, English poet and essayist. From 1856 to 1901 he was employed in the Board of Trade. His volumes of light verse include Vignettes in Rhyme (1873...

Lyra [Lat.,=the lyre], northern constellation lying S of Draco, E of Hercules, and W of Cygnus. Although many civilizations represented it as a bird, it was also depicted as a tortoise. The wh...

Orpheus, in Greek mythology, celebrated Thracian musician. He was the son of Calliope by Apollo or, according to another legend, by Oeagrus, a king of Thrace. Supposedly, the music of his lyre...

Lyric, in ancient Greece, a poem accompanied by a musical instrument, usually a lyre. Although the word is still often used to refer to the songlike quality in poetry, it is more generally use...

Lyrebird, common name for Australian passerine birds named for the appearance of the tail plumage of the male superb lyrebird, Menura novaehollandiae, when displayed during courtship. There ar...

Antiope, in Greek mythology. 1 Theban princess, daughter of Nycteus. She was seduced by Zeus and bore him twin sons, Zethus and Amphion. Fleeing to Sicyon to escape the wrath of her father, sh...

Hepplewhite, George, d. 1786, English cabinetmaker and furniture designer. His style is characterized by light, curvilinear forms, painted or inlaid decoration, and distinctive details such as...

Pythagoras of Rhegium, fl. 5th cent. B.C., Greek sculptor. In a signature on a pedestal at Olympia he declares himself a Samian, but the period of his training and work belongs to Rhegium, Ita...

Impala, species of antelope, Aepyceros melampus, closely related to the gazelle and found in the savannah and bush country of E and S Africa. It is the antelope most commonly depicted in illus...