'Christopher Page's study of the Tudor gittern presents the reviewer with a challenge, since it is impeccably conceived, comprehensively researched and exquisitely written; so what can one add beyond words of praise?' John Milsom, Early Music
Introduction; 1. Imagery; 2. Who owned a gittern?; 3. The gittern trade; 4. 'An instruction to the Gitterne'; 5. Sounding strings; 6. The gittern and Tudor song; 7. Thomas Whythorne: the autobiography of a Tudor guitarist; Conclusion; Appendices: Appendix A. The terms 'gittern' and 'cittern'; Appendix B. References to gitterns from 1542–1605; Appendix C. The probate inventory of Dennys Bucke (1584); Appendix D. Octave strings on the fourth and third course; Appendix E. The fiddle tunings of Jerome of Moravia, swept strings and the guitar; Appendix F. The mandore and the wire-strung gittern; Appendix G. The ethos of the guitar in sixteenth-century France; Appendix H. Raphe Bowle.