This historic zither photo from 1932 comes to us courtesy of Pat Mohre, great-granddaughter of Henry Nowak, shown here with one of his early zithers. After a long run in Vaudeville, Henry Nowak settled in Chicago where he and his ensemble performed regularly in the Bierstube of the Bismarck Hotel. For more information on the life of Henry Nowak, see his story "What is a Symphonichord?"

As a youth, Henry Nowak emigrated to the United States from Austria. Growing up in Hoboken, NJ, he found employment as a musician and eventually with Vaudeville where he toured the US and Europe extensively. As a professional musician he was also inventive and mechanically inclined, and with this his creativity found a unique outlet. In this article we discuss the Symphonichord, one of his favorite musical inventions.

This circa 1960s photo of the Los Angeles Zither Ensemble comes to us courtesy of Jane Weidhofer. The ensemble, led by Alberta Krader, was frequently called upon to perform at folk festivals and other public venues. Ms. Krader is shown seated center in the middle row. Ms. Weidhofer is in the back row, second from the right.

Members of the Philadelphia Zither Ensemble and friends recently enjoyed the company of renowned zitherist Johannes Popp and his family. On October 8, 2012, the group came together for an evening of music in Rockledge, PA. Kurt Maute, who attended the event, has kindly provided the following article.

As the record gained popular appeal, labels such as Columbia, Edison and Victor sought artists in order to grow their ever expanding catalog of musical offerings. Records produced here in the US included numerous zither selections by musicians with roots in German-speaking countries. In this article, we explore these early zither recordings.

This photo comes to us courtesy of Raymond Tidrow. Shown here with his perfecta zither is Raymond's great-grandfather, A. W. Schepp. Born in Magdeburg, Germany, A. W. Schepp began playing the zither at age 12 and immigrated to the US as a teenager. His enthusiasm for the zither came to fruition through the formation of the American Zither Verband in 1912.

Light and inexpensive, the zither was a popular instrument in the household as well as for those requiring a portable form of entertainment. As such, it's no surprise that the zither appeared in group photographs of German and Austrian soldiers during periods of leisure. The interpretation, transcription and translation of the World War I-era postcards presented here have been kindly provided by Jane Curtis.

In the late 1800s, the zither reached a pinnacle of popularity in the U.S. With so many zither players, creative minds sought to improve the instrument or engineer accessories for playing. The rights to these inventions were secured through the issuance of patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This article presents several of these early zither patents and their respective inventors.

From the mid-1800s to present day, audiences in the US have been entertained by the sounds of the zither. Music programs often included solo performances, with ensemble and multi-voice zither arrangements of selected works. The pieces performed were familiar to the German speaking regions of Europe, but popular American favorites were also included. This page provides a sampling of those past performances.

American Zither Verband, Second Congress, 1913