Shirley Abicair, who has died aged 96, became a television and radio star in the 1950s as a self-taught exponent of the zither, the stringed musical instrument best known for its distinctive rendition ...

On October 8, 1828, Missouri’s acclaimed zither maker, Franz Schwarzer, was born in Austria. Schwarzer was trained as a wood carver and architect. While still in Austria, he developed an interest in ...