harp
(Click to enlarge)
harp

for a lampshade
(© School Division, Houghton Mifflin Company)
(härp) pronunciation
n.
  1. Music.
    1. An instrument having an upright triangular frame consisting of a pillar, a curved neck, and a hollow back containing the sounding board, with usually 46 or 47 strings of graded lengths that are played by plucking with the fingers.
    2. Any of various ancient and modern instruments of similar construction.
    3. Informal. A harmonica.
  2. Something, such as a pair of vertical supports for a lampshade, that resembles a harp.
intr.v., harped, harp·ing, harps.
To play a harp.

phrasal verb:

harp on

  1. To talk or write about to an excessive and tedious degree; dwell on.

[Middle English, from Old English hearpe and from Old French harpe, of Germanic origin.]

harper harp'er n.
harpist harp'ist n.

harp

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Double-action pedal harp
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Double-action pedal harp (credit: Courtesy of Lyon-Healy)
Plucked stringed instrument in which the resonator, or belly, is perpendicular to the plane of the strings. Harps are roughly triangular. In early harps and many folk harps, the strings are strung between the resonating body and the neck. Early harps and many folk harps lack the forepillar or columnforming the third side of the trianglethat characterizes frame harps; the column permits high string tension and higher-pitched tuning. Small, primitive harps date back to at least 3000 in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East. In Europe they became particularly important in Celtic societies. The large modern orchestral harp emerged in the 18th century. It has 47 strings and a range of almost seven octaves. It plays the entire chromatic (12-note) scale by means of seven pedals, each of which can alter the pitch of a note (in all octaves) by two semitones through tightening or relaxing the strings by turning a forklike projection against it; it is thus known as the double-action harp. Its massive resonator permits considerable volume of tone. Aeolian harp.

For more information on harp, visit Britannica.com.

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How is a harp made?

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Background

A harp is a musical instrument consisting of a triangular frame open on both sides which contains a series of strings of varying lengths that are played by plucking. The length of the string determines how high or low a sound it makes. A modern concert harp stands about 70-75 in (1.8-1.9 m) high, is about 40 in (1 m) wide, weighs about 70-90 lb (32-41 kg), and has 47 strings, ranging in size from a few inches to several feet in length.

Smaller instruments similar to the harp include the lyre, which has strings of the same length but of varying thickness and tension; the psaltery, which has a frame open only on one side; and the dulcimer, which is similar to the psaltery but which is played by striking the strings with a hammer rather than plucking them.

History

The earliest harps probably developed from hunting bows and consisted of a few strings attached to the ends of a curved wooden body. A harp used in Egypt about five thousand years ago consisted of six strings attached to this kind of body with small wooden pegs. By 2500 B.C., the Greeks used large harps, consisting of strings attached to two straight pieces of wood which met at an angle.

By the ninth century, frame harps, which enclosed wire strings within a triangular wooden frame, appeared in Europe. They were fairly small [2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 meters) high] and were used by traveling musicians, particularly in Celtic societies. Many performers of traditional music (who are usually known as harpers rather than harpists) still use this type of instrument today.

The inability of these harps to play accidentals (notes a half-tone higher or lower than the notes of the scale to which the strings were tuned) led to a number of experiments. Harps were built with extra strings to play accidentals, either by increasing the number of strings in a single row or by adding a second row of strings parallel to the first to form double strung harps. In Wales, some harps had three rows of strings.

Instead of increasing the number of strings, some harpmakers devised mechanisms for changing the length of the strings, thereby adjusting the pitch. By the end of the seventeenth century, hooks were used in the Tyrol region of Austria to shorten strings as needed, providing two notes from each string. In 1720, Celestin Hochbrucker added seven pedals to control these hooks. In 1750, Georges Cousineau replaced the hooks with pairs of metal plates and doubled the number of pedals to produce three notes per string.

In 1792, Sébastien Érard replaced the metal plates with rotating brass disks bearing two studs, each of which gripped the string like a fork when the disk turned. He also reduced the number of pedals back to seven by devising pedals which could occupy three different positions each. Érard's design is still used in modern concert harps today. In the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century, innovations were made in harpmaking by the American harp manufacturing company Lyon and Healy. These innovations included redesigning the stave back and the sound chamber of the harp.

Raw Materials

A harp is basically a large wooden triangle, usually made primarily of maple. The front, vertical side of the triangle is known as the column or the forepillar. The upper, curved side of the triangle is known as the neck. The third side of the triangle is known as the body. White maple is the best wood for these three sides because it is strong enough to withstand the stress of the strings. The soundboard, which is contained within the body and which amplifies the sound of the strings, is usually made of spruce. Spruce is used because it is light, strong, pliable, and evenly-grained, enabling it to respond uniformly to the vibrations of the strings to produce a rich, clear sound. The middle of the soundboard, known as the centerstrip, is attached to the base of the strings and is usually made of beech. Beech is used because it is tough enough to bear the tension of the strings.

The curved plate on the neck of the harp, to which the strings are attached, is made of brass. The disks which control the length of the strings are also brass, as are the pedals which control the disks. These external metal parts are often plated with gold for appearance and to resist tarnishing. The complex internal mechanism which connects the pedals to the disks, known as the action, is made of brass and stainless steel, with some parts such as washers made of a hard plastic such as nylon.

The strings of a harp are made of a variety of materials, including steel, gut (derived from the intestines of sheep), and nylon. Each material has different properties which make it suitable for a particular length of string.

The surface of a harp may be treated with clear lacquers or wood stains of various colors such as ebony or mahogany. It may also be inlaid with decorative woods such as walnut or avodire (a pale yellow West African wood). Some harps are gilded with 23 karat gold leaf. The soundboard may be decorated with paint or gold decals.

Design

Each harp is a unique work of art. The design of the harp depends on the needs of the performer. Traditional harpers require small, light instruments with strings controlled by levers. Classical harpists require much larger instruments with strings controlled by pedals. The exterior design of harps varies from simple curves with natural finishes to intricate carvings with a wide variety of decorations ranging from abstract geometric designs to romantic floral displays.

The Manufacturing
Process

Making the wooden components

  • Boards of spruce, maple, beech, and other woods are received by the harpmaker and inspected. In order to perfectly match the grain of harp with a natural finish, boards of wood all from the same tree may be received together. The boards are then stored for about six months to become adjusted to the local climate in order to avoid any future problems with splitting or cracking.
  • Power woodcutting machines cut the boards into rough approximations of the pieces needed. More detailed shaping of these pieces is done with hand held woodcutting tools. Harpmakers learn their craft in a series of apprenticeships. New workers build the base of the harp, then go on to learn the skills needed to build the body and the soundboard. Only the most experienced harpmakers work on the column and the neck. Many thin layers of wood are glued together under pressure to foim wooden parts which are stronger than solid wood. The various wooden parts are then stored to await assembly.

Making the metal components

  • Metalworkers use a wide variety of power and hand held tools to shape brass and steel into the nearly 1,500 pieces needed to make up the action of the harp. Some simple parts may be purchased from outside manufacturers. The metal components are then stored to await assembly.

Decorating the wooden components

  • Before assembly the wooden components are decorated as desired. The column may be hand carved with complex designs which take several weeks to complete. All wooden parts are sanded smooth in preparation for finishing. They are then sprayed with clear lacquer or colored wood stain. After one coat of lacquer or stain is applied, it is allowed to dry and then sanded smooth again. This process is repeated up to 10 times over as long as two weeks. The soundboard may then be painted with elaborate designs.
  • Some harps have gilded columns and bases. The gilder begins by sanding unfinished wooden parts to remove all imperfections. Layers of gesso (a special mixture of glues) are applied to the smooth wood. After the gesso sets, layers of clay are applied and sanded smooth. Glue is applied to a small area of the smooth clay. Gold leaf 0.000004 inches thick (0.1 microns) is applied with a brush. (The gold is so thin that it cannot be handled directly by human hands.) The process is repeated on other small areas until an entire component is gilded. Excess gold is wiped away and another layer of gold leaf is applied. Some portions of the gold are burnished to a brilliant sheen by rubbing them with a tool made of polished agate. Clear lacquer is applied to protect the gold.

Assembling the harp

  • Master harpmakers begin the slow, painstaking process of bringing the wood and metal components together to form the harp. The parts of the neck, body, soundboard, base, and column are brought together to form the frame. The complex mechanism of the action is fitted within the column and connected to the disks on the brass plate below the neck and the pedals on the base. Strings are attached to brass pegs on the neck, fed through the disks, and attached to the centerstrip of the soundboard. At first the strings are very loose. They are slowly tightened to the correct level of tension and tuned to the correct pitch.
  • After a final inspection, the harp is packed in close-fitting foam within a cardboard box to be shipped to the purchaser. The harp manufacturer also makes special protective wooden cases with wheels which allow the harp to be moved with relative ease.

Quality Control

Every step in the harpmaking process requires extreme attention to quality. Lumber is inspected for flaws. In particular, the spruce used for the soundboard is tested for its acoustic properties to ensure the quality of the sound it will produce. Each wooden component is individually inspected by a master harpmaker, then again after it has been sanded smooth for finishing. Metal components are also individually inspected. Those purchased from outside companies are inspected to ensure that they match the blueprints supplied by the harpmaker.

The strings are carefully tuned during the assembly process by an expert tuner. The action is tested to ensure that it is silent to avoid interfering with the music. The approximately 400 holes in the brass plate which holds the disks may be drilled by computer-controlled equipment to ensure accurate alignment. The harpmaker may choose to have a professional musician test each completed harp to ensure the quality of its sound.

The Future

Two seemingly contradictory trends hint at the future of the harp industry. Sparked by an increasing interest in Celtic music, more musicians are using harps similar to those used 1,000 years ago. On the other hand, many rock and jazz musicians are tuming to electric harps, which produce amplified sounds in a manner similar to electric guitars. Despite these trends, it seems likely that harps similar to those designed by Sebastien trard will continue to dominate the industry.

Where to Learn More

Books

Gammond, Peter. Musical Instruments in Color. Macmillan, 1976.

Rensch, Rosalyn. Harps and Harpists. Indiana University Press, 1989.

Other

Lyon and Healy. http://www.lyonhealy.com (July 9, 1997).

Strohmer, Shaun. "What Makes a Harp a Harp." http://harp.column.com/feature.html (September 25, 1996).

[Article by: Rose Secrest]


Generic name for plucked string instruments in which the plane of the strings is perpendicular to the soundboard. The Western concert harp, or double-action pedal harp, patented by Erard in 1810, has 47 strings, seven per octave, C′ to g‴′. A pedal-activated system enables each string to be shortened, raising its pitch by two semitones.

Normally triangular in shape, all harps have three basic structural elements: resonator neck and strings. Frame harps have a forepillar or column which connects the lower end of the resonator to the neck, adding structural support and helping bear the string tension. European harps are the frame type: most others are ‘open harps’, which may be ‘arched’ or ‘angular’. See illustration.

Click to enlarge
Modern double-action harp

Resonators are topped with a wood soundboard or a skin soundtable and a string holder to which one end of a string is usually attached; the other end is attached to the neck directly, or indirectly to plugs or tuning-pegs. Buzzing mechanisms (brays), attached near one end of the string, on either the neck or soundboard, and activated by the plucked string, were used on Renaissance European harps and on most African harps today. Harps may have from one to over 90 strings; mechanisms for their chromatic alteration range from manually operated hooks to complex pedal-activated systems. Harps are played in six basic positions. Tunings may be pentatonic, tetratonic, heptatonic (including diatonic) and chromatic. The strings may be plucked, struck or strummed with the fingers or a plectrum, and the resonators may be percussively struck with the fingers, hand or hooked rattles.

The earliest representations, from c2200bc, depict Sumerian harps with boat-shaped resonators and up to six strings. The instrument was used in Egypt and Mesopotamia and had spread to Greece and Rome by the 4th century bc. By the 8th century ad it appears in European illuminated MSS and carvings and resembles the ancient Egyptian arched type. After the 12th century, frame harps are almost the only kind shown, mostly in psalm illustrations in the hands of David. Their features include a neck curved inwards towards a trapezoidal box resonator and joined to its narrower end by a narrow shank, and a forepillar curved outwards from the longest string. By the late 14th century the instrument usually had 24 gut strings, a range of almost three octaves and probably chromatic tuning in at least one octave. The bass registers were extended downwards during the 15th century; by the 16th the compass was F-c‴.

The oldest extant Irish or Celtic harp dates from the 14th century. The instrument today is small and single-rank with 24-34 strings, a flat soundboard on a round-backed resonator and levers for shortening the strings; it is used for educational purposes.

In the 16th century harps were built with two rows of strings to make the instrument chromatic. One type had parallel ranks; in the other, the ranks crossed (‘cross-strung’). The latter, which usually had a compass of four octaves, is the Italian Renaissance arpa doppia. By 1897, when the Pleyel cross-strung harp was patented, the compass was over five octaves; Debussy and others wrote for it despite its thin sonority and awkward technique. A three-rank harp, with parallel outer ranks identically tuned and an inner rank of chromatic notes, was developed in 16th-century Italy at the time of monody and early opera; it was used in England by William Lawes and Handel. Its vigorous attack and bright sound was kept alive during the 18th and 19th centuries by Welsh makers and performers, later by Welsh gypsy players.

In late 17th-century Germany and Austria the hook harp was developed, with metal hooks in the neck below the tuning pegs to shorten each string, operated by pedals from the early 18th century; later this was popular in Paris. The instrument had 36-43 strings tuned to E♭, and seven pedals, enabling wide modulation. Erard's improved model of 1792 formed the basis for the modern double-action harp.

The late 18th-century establishment of the single-action pedal harp was paralleled by developments in technique and repertory. C. P. E. Bach and Mozart composed for the instrument, while Krumpholtz, Dussek and Spohr contributed to the solo and ensemble literature. Writing was mostly in scale and arpeggio figurations and spread chords, with harmonics and damped notes for special effects. The harp entered the orchestra through the opera house, where it was used by Gluck and Haydn and later by Meyerbeer and Donizetti. The virtuoso Parish-Alvars pioneered the numerous effects possible on the double-harp, including the chordal glissando. Much 19th-century harp repertory was scarcely more than salon music for talented amateurs. Berlioz was the first to use the harp in the symphony orchestra (Symphonie fantastique, 1830) and later in the century it was idiomatically used by Liszt, Richard Strauss, Sibelius and Debussy among others. The French school of playing dominated in the early 20th century, with a repertory including works by Fauré and Saint-Saëns. Many new percussive effects were introduced by Carlos Salzedo and extended by Berio, Boulez and others.

Harps have a place in many cultures outside Europe. The instrument was introduced into the New World by the early conquistadors; at first it was mainly used for continuo parts in sacred music, but by the 19th century it was primarily a folk and salon instrument. Today it is particularly used, in various forms, in Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, Venezuela and Peru. African forms of harp compare with those of ancient Egypt; the instrument is widely used in the traditions of some 50 African peoples. Harps have rich symbolic meanings and harpists are often central figures in rituals. Angular harps of the ancient world were carried eastwards: the arched to south and south-east Asia, where it is still played, and the angular to the Far East, where it was last depicted in 17th-century miniature paintings.



harp, stringed musical instrument of ancient origin, the strings of which are plucked with the fingers. Harps were found in paintings from the 13th cent. B.C. at Thebes. In different forms it was played by peoples of nearly all lands throughout the ages. The harp was particularly popular with the Irish from the 9th cent. They adopted the small instrument still in use, called the Irish harp, as a national symbol. The larger instrument was well known on the Continent by the 12th cent. During the 15th cent. the harp came to be made in three parts, as it is today: sound box, neck, and pillar. The strings are stretched between the sound box and the neck; into the neck are fastened the tuning pegs. Chromatic harps, having a string for each tone of the chromatic scale, have appeared since the late 16th cent., but none has been as practical as the diatonic harp, made in the late 17th cent. in the Tyrol and equipped with hooks capable of altering the pitch of any string by a semitone. A pedal mechanism that shortened the strings was devised (c.1720) in Germany. The harp was perfected with Sébastien Érard's invention (c.1810) of the double-action pedals, which can shorten each string twice, raising the pitch by a semitone or a tone. The harp appeared occasionally in the orchestra in the 18th cent., but its regular inclusion there, as well as most of its solo literature, dates from the late 19th cent.

Bibliography

See R. Rensch, The Harp (1970) and Harps and Harpists (1989).


An instrument in the string section of the orchestra. The orchestral harp is several feet tall and has pedals that allow the harpist to change the key of the instrument as necessary.

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A musical instrument with strings stretched across an open frame and plucked with the fingers.

pronunciation People become house builders through building houses, harp players through playing the harp. — Aristotle (384-322 BC)

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sign description: Both open 5-hands move back towards the body as the fingers make a strumming motion.




noun
noun, US

An Irish person. (1904 —) .
J. Dos Passos The foreman was a big loudmouthed harp (1936).

[From the harp as a symbol of Ireland.]


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Harp
Harp.png
A medieval harp (left) and a single-action pedal harp (right)
String instrument
Hornbostel–Sachs classification 322-5
(Composite chordophone sounded by the bare fingers)
Playing range
Range of harp.JPG
(modern pedal harp)[1]
Related instruments

The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones (stringed instruments) and has its own sub category (the harps). All harps have a neck, resonator and strings. Some, known as frame harps, also have a pillar; those without the pillar are referred to as open harps. Depending on its size, which varies, a harp may be played while held in the lap or while it stands on a table, or on the floor. Harp strings may be made of nylon, gut, wire or silk. On smaller harps, like the folk harp, the core string material will typically be the same for all strings on a given harp. Larger instruments like the modern concert harp mix string materials to attain their extended ranges. A person who plays the harp is called a harpist or harper. Folk musicians often use the term "harper", whereas classical musicians use "harpist".

Various types of harps are found in Africa, Europe, North and South America and in Asia. In antiquity, harps and the closely related lyres were very prominent in nearly all cultures. The harp also was predominant with medieval bards, troubadors and minnesingers throughout the Spanish Empire. Harps continued to grow in popularity through improvements in their design and construction through the beginning of the 20th century.

Contents

Terminology

A number of non-harp-like instruments are colloquially referred to as "harps". Chordophones like the aeolian harp, (wind harp) and the autoharp (with the piano and harpsichord) are not harps, but zithers, because their strings are not perpendicular to their soundboard. Likely, the many varieties of harp guitar and harp lute, while chordophones, belong to the lute family and are not true harps. All forms of the lyre and kithara are also not harps, but belong to the fourth family of ancient instruments under the chordophones, the lyres.

The term "harp" has also been applied to many instruments which are not chordophones. The vibraphone was (and is still) sometimes referred to as the "vibraharp," though it has no strings and its sound is produced by striking metal bars. In blues music, the harmonica is casually referred to as a "blues harp" or "harp", but it is a free reed wind instrument; not a stringed instrument, and is therefore not a true harp.

Origins

The origin of the harp goes back to Persia. The oldest depictions of harps without a forepillar are from 500 BC, which was the Persian harp of Perspolis/Persia in Iran and from 400 BC in Egypt. Other ancient names for harps include psalterion, magadis and sambuca. The harp's origins might be in the sound of a plucked hunter's bow-string or the strings of a loom.

Structure and mechanism

The basic structural elements and terminology of a concert harp

Harps are essentially triangular and are made primarily of wood. Modern harp strings are often nylon or, less often, metal; tuning pins are also metal components. The bottom ends of each string is fed through a small metal eyelet and tied in a knot on the inside of the sounding-board, which is the upward-facing surface of the resonating cavity (the sound box or body). The body is hollow and when a taut string is plucked, the body resonates, projecting sound both inward towards the harp player through a series of usually oval openings (whose principal purpose is to allow access to the strings and only secondarily to enhance resonation) and, much more importantly and powerfully, outward through the flexible and taut-strung sounding board. The crossbar, or neck, contains the mechanism or levers which determine the pitch alteration (sharps and flats) for each string. The upper ends of the strings are attached to pins in holes drilled through the neck at specific intervals and at specific distances from the soundboard.

The longest side of the harp is called the column or pillar. In those harps which have pedals, this side is a hollow column and encloses the rods which control the pedal mechanisms. At the base of a pedal harp are seven pedals, which activate the rods when the pedals are downwardly pressed. The modern sophisticated instrument spanning 6½ octaves in virtually all keys was perfected by the 19th-century French maker Sébastien Érard and because of its pedal-driven ability to play all sharps and flats of all notes within its range, it continues today as the standard style of most large professional concert harps.

Lever harps, however, do not have pedals or rods, and the pillar's only purpose in these instruments is to hold up the neck against the great strain of the strings. Lever harps use a shortening lever (usually shaped like a capital letter L) on the neck next to each individual string which is to be activated (i.e., turned) manually to shorten the string and raise the tone a half step. A string tuned to natural may be played in sharp, but not flat. A string tuned to flat may be played in natural, but not sharp. Also, in order to change a string from one tone to another during a performance, a harp player must take one entire hand off the harp for a moment and switch the lever—this may cause an acoustic gap in a performance, as for a brief moment only one hand will be in use. Lever harps are considerably lighter in weight than pedal harps and are smaller in size and number of strings. They are also much easier to manufacture, less easily damaged, easier to repair, and far less expensive to produce and maintain.

Finally, many harps are built without either pedals or levers. These harps can only play in a single key during any given performance, though any string on a harp can be tuned to a corresponding sharp or flat before a performance and then be returned to its regular tension/ key afterwards with little effort.

Development and history

Europe

A medieval European harp (the Wartburg harp) with buzzing bray pins.
Harp on a Tarsia panel by Baron Henry de Triqueti (1803–1874), dated 1863, photo c. 1870.

Angle harps and bow harps continue to be used to the present day. In Europe, however, there was further development.[when?] Adding a third structural member, the pillar, to support the far ends of the arch and sound box. The Triangular Frame harp is depicted in sculpture from the 8th century Pictish stones in Scotland[2][3] and in manuscripts (i.e. the Utrecht Psalter) from the early 9th century France.[4] The curve of the harp's neck is a result of the proportional shortening of the basic triangular form to keep the strings are equidistant. If the strings were proportionately distanced, the strings would be farther apart.

European harps in medieval and Renaissance times usually had a bray pin fitted to make a buzzing sound when a string was plucked. By the baroque period, in Italy and Spain, more strings were added to allow for chromatic notes; these were usually in a second line of strings. At the same time single-row diatonic harps continued to be played.[citation needed]

The first primitive form of pedal harps were developed in the Tyrol region of Austria. Hochbrucker was the next to design an improved pedal mechanism, followed in succession by Krumpholtz, Nadermann, and the Erard company, who came up with the double mechanism. In Germany in the second half of the 17th century, diatonic single-row harps were fitted with manually turned hooks which fretted individual strings to raise their pitch by a half step. In the 18th century, a link mechanism was developed connecting these hooks with pedals, leading to the invention of the single-action pedal harp. Later, a second row of hooks was installed along the neck to allow for the double-action pedal harp, capable of raising the pitch of a string by either one or two half steps. The idea was even extended to triple-action harps, but these were never common. The double-action pedal harp remains the normal form of the instrument in the Western classical orchestra. There was a chromatic harp developed in the late 19th century that only found a small number of proponents, and was mainly taught in Belgium.[citation needed]

Latin America

In Latin America, harps are widely but sparsely distributed, except in certain regions where the harp traditions are very strong. Such important centers include Mexico, Andes, Venezuela and Paraguay. They are derived from the Baroque harps that were brought from Spain during the colonial period.[citation needed]

In Perú harp is used commonly in andean music called Huayno.

Detailed features vary from place to place. Paraguayan harps and harp music have gained a worldwide reputation, with international influences alongside folk traditions. Mexican "jarocha" harp music of Veracruz has also gained some international recognition, evident in the popularity of "la bamba". In southern Mexico (Chiapas), there is a very different indigenous style of harp music. Travel between the ports of Veracruz and Venezuela afforded an opportunity for transmission of harp traditions between these areas.[citation needed]

In Venezuela, there are two distinct traditions, the arpa llanera and the arpa central (or arpa mirandina). The modern Venezuelan arpa llanera has 32 strings of nylon (originally, gut). The arpa central is strung with wire in the higher register. An authoritative source in Spanish is Fernando Guerrero Briceno, El Arpa en Venezuela (The Harp in Venezuela).[citation needed]

Paraguayan harps have a wide and deep soundbox which tapers to the top. Like Baroque harps, but unlike modern Western harps, they do not stand upright when unattended. The harp is Paraguay's national instrument. It has about 36 strings. Its spacing is narrower and tension lighter than that of modern Western harps. It is played with the fingernails.[citation needed]

Africa

African kora - a double-bridge-harp-lute.
A Mangbetu man playing a mangbetu harp.

There are many different kinds of harps in Africa. They do not have forepillars and are either bow harps or angle harps. As well as true harps such as Mauritania's ardin. There are a number of instruments that are difficult to classify, often being labelled harp-lutes. Another term for them is spike harps. The West African kora is the most complicated and best known of these instruments. It doesn't fit into any one category, but several, and must be awkwardly classified as a "double-bridge-harp-lute." The strings run in two divided ranks making it a double harp, they do not end in a soundboard but are held in notches on a bridge making it a bridge harp, they originate from a string arm or neck and cross a bridge directly supported by a resonating chamber making it a lute too.[citation needed]

Asia

A Sassanid era mosaic excavated at Bishapur

In Asia, there are very few harps today, though the instrument was popular in ancient times; in that continent, zithers like China's guzheng and guqin and Japan's koto predominate. However, a few harps exist, the most notable being Burma's saung-gauk, which is considered the national instrument in that country. Turkey had a nine-string harp called the çeng that has also become extinct. There was an ancient Chinese harp called konghou; the name is also now used for a modern Chinese instrument which is being revived. This double bridge harp has the unusual ability to pitch bend the notes while playing. The paired strings are joined at opposite ends of freely moving short levers so that while playing, manually tensioning one of the strings raises the pitch of its linked pair.[citation needed]

In the Middle East there are several forms of Harps that predate modern harps and some that are still in existence and use today. An example of this is in the Nuristan providence of Afghanistan where the Kafir Harp has been part of the musical traditional for many years.

Modern European and American instruments

Most European-derived harps have a single row of strings with strings for each note of the C Major scale (over several octaves).

Harpists are aided in telling which strings they are playing because all F strings are black or blue and all C strings are red, and the wire strings are silver or bronze if C or F.

The instrument rests between the knees of the harpist and along their right shoulder. The Welsh triple harp and early Irish and Scottish harps, however, are traditionally placed on the left shoulder.

The first four fingers of each hand are used to pluck the strings; the little fingers are too short and cannot reach the correct position without distorting the position of the other fingers, although on some folk harps with light tension, closely spaced strings, they may occasionally be used. The fifth finger may also have been used on earlier, more lightly strung modern harps: Madame de Genlis, for example, in her Méthode, published in Paris in the early nineteenth century, promotes the use of all five fingers[5], while Roslyn Rensch suggests that Mlle de Guînes, the harpist for whom Mozart wrote his Concerto for Flute and Harp, might occasionally have used all five fingers when playing the harp.[6] In more modern music, the fifth finger is used very rarely, for example in simultaneous cluster chords, such as in Daniel Kessner's Sonatina.[7] Plucking with varying degrees of force creates dynamics. Depending on finger position on the string, different tones can be produced: a full sound in the middle of the string, and a nasal, guitar-like sound at the very bottom of the string. Tone is also affected by the skin of the harpist, how much oil and moisture it contains, and the amount of thickening by callous formation and its surface texture.

Concert harp

The concert harp is large and technically modern, designed for classical music and played solo, as part of chamber ensembles, and in symphony orchestras as well as in popular commercial music. It typically has six and a half octaves (47 strings), weighs about 80 pounds (36 kg; 5.7 st), is approximately 1.85 metres (6 ft 1 in) high, has a depth of 1 metre (3 ft 3 in), and is 55 centimetres (22 in) wide at the bass end of the soundboard. The notes range from three octaves below middle C♭ to three and a half octaves above, usually ending on G♯. Using octave designations, the range is C♭1 to G♯7. At least one manufacturer gives the harp a 48th string, a high A.

The concert harp is a pedal harp. Pedal harps use the mechanical action of pedals to change the pitches of the strings. There are seven pedals, each affecting the tuning of all strings of one pitch-class, and each pedal is attached to a rod or cable within the column of the harp, which then connects with a mechanism within the neck. When a pedal is moved with the foot, small discs at the top of the harp rotate. The discs are studded with two pegs that pinch the string as they turn, shortening the vibrating length of the string. The pedal has three positions. In the top position no pegs are in contact with the string and all notes are flat; thus the harp's native tuning is to the scale of C-flat major.

The tip of a string is shown in blue. Points in contact with the string are shown in red. Points not in contact with the string are in green.

In the middle position the top wheel pinches the string, resulting in a natural, giving the scale of C major if all pedals are set in the middle position. In the bottom position another wheel is turned, shortening the string again to create a sharp, giving the scale of C-sharp major if all pedals are set in the bottom position. Many other scales, both diatonic and synthetic, can be obtained by adjusting the pedals differently from each other; also, many chords in traditional harmony can be obtained by adjusting pedals so that some notes are enharmonic equivalents of others, and this is central to harp technique. In each position the pedal can be secured in a notch so that the foot does not have to keep holding it in the correct position.

Three strings on the pedal harp have no pedal tuning mechanism: the two lowest strings (contrabass C and D) and the highest string (G).[8] These strings are normally tuned to C, D and G natural respectively. However, they can be manually tuned to sharp or flat through scordatura prior to performance. This can be indicated by verbal statements at the beginning of a composition, for example, "Tune Low C to C flat", or "If necessary, tune high G to G sharp".[9]

This mechanism is called the double-action pedal system, probably invented by Sébastien Érard in 1810. Earlier pedal harps had a single-action mechanism that allowed strings to play sharpened notes.

The tension of the strings on the sound board is roughly equal to 10 kN (a ton-force) or 2,000 pounds. The lowest strings are made of copper or silver-over-silk over steel, the lower-middle strings of gut (from sheep or cows) and the upper-middle or highest of either gut or nylon.

Technique

Harpist Elaine Christy plays with both hands approaching the strings from either side of the harp; foot pedals (not shown) can change the pitch of specific strings by a half step.

The pedal harp is played with the fingertips, with force from the hand and arm, and ultimately the upper body. The fingertips are drawn in to meet the palm of the hand, thus releasing the string from whatever pressure was placed upon it by the fingers. The fingers are naturally curved or rounded as they touch the strings, and the thumb is gently curved as the tip rises to the string as an arc from its base; this is called plucking. There are differing schools of technique for playing the pedal harp. The largest are the various French schools, and there are specific Russian schools, Viennese and other schools from differing regions of Europe. One is called the Attl technique after Kajetan Attl, in which apparently only the uppermost parts of the fingers move and the hand is largely still. There is a St. Petersburg school (more than one) in Russia in which the thumbs are moved in a circular fashion rather than in and out toward the hand.

The differences between the French schools lie in the posture of the arms, the shape of the hand and the musical aesthetics. The traditional French schooling allows for the right arm to be lightly rested against the harp using the wrist to sometimes bring the hand only away from the string. The left arm moves more freely. Finger technique and control are the emphasis of the technical approach, with extensive use of exercises and etudes to develop this. Two very influential 20th-century teachers of this approach were Henriette Renie and Marcel Grandjany, who both studied with Alphonse Hasselmans.

The other major French school is the Salzedo school, developed by Carlos Salzedo, who also studied with Alphonse Hasselmans at the Paris Conservatoire. Salzedo's technique generally calls for the arms to be held horizontally[10] and emphasises the role of aesthetic hand and arm gestures after the string has been plucked: "Each of the thirty-seven tone colors and effects of the harp calls for a gesture corresponding to its sonorous meaning."[11]

Use in music

The harp found its early orchestral use in concerti by many baroque and classical composers (Handel, J. C. Bach, Mozart, Albrechtsberger, Schenck, Dussek, Spohr) and in the opera houses of London, Paris and Berlin and most other capitals. It began to be used in symphonic music by Hector Berlioz but he found performances frustrating in such countries as Germany where few harps and sufficiently proficient harpists were to be found. Franz Liszt was seminal in finding uses for the harp in his orchestral music, and Mendelssohn and Schubert used it in theatrical music or oratorios. The French and Russian Romantic composer particularly expanded its symphonic use. In opera, the Italian composers used it regularly, and Puccini was a particular master of its expressive and coloristic use. Debussy can be said to have put the harp on the map in his many works that use one or more harps. Tchaikovsky also was of great influence, followed by Rimsky-Korsakov, Richard Strauss and Wagner. The greatest influence on use of the harp has always been the availability of fine harps and skilled players, and the great increase of them in the U.S. of the 20th century resulted in its spread into popular music.

The first harpist known to play jazz was Casper Reardon, a pioneer in the world of "hot" music. Dorothy Ashby (sampled by hip-hop artists) and Alice Coltrane are other jazz harpists.

Harpist performing

Many passages for solo harp can be found in 19th century ballet music, particularly in scores for the ballets staged for the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg, where the harpist Albert Zabel played in the orchestra. In ballet, the harp was utilized to a great extent in order to embellish the dancing of the ballerina. Elaborate cadenzas were composed by Tchaikovsky for his ballets The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty; as well as Alexander Glazunov for his score for the ballet Raymonda. In particular, the scores of Riccardo Drigo contained many pieces for harp in such works as Le Talisman (1889), Le Réveil de Flore (1894) and Les Millions d'Arlequin (1900). Cesare Pugni wrote extensively for the harp as well—his ballet Éoline, ou La Dryade included music written for harp to accompany the ballerina's numerous variations and enhance the atmosphere of the ballet's many fantastical scenes. Ludwig Minkus was celebrated for his harp cadenzas, most notably the Variation de la Reine du jour from his ballet La Nuit et le Jour (1881), the elaborate entr'acte composed for Albert Zabel from his ballet Roxana (1878), and numerous passages found in his score for the ballet La Bayadère, which in some passages were used to represent a veena which was used on stage as a prop.

French ballet composers such as Delibes, Gounod, and Massenet made use of the harp in their music.

There is a prominent harp part in "She's Leaving Home" by The Beatles in their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In the 1970s, a harp was common in popular music, and can be heard in such hits as Cher's "Dark Lady", the intro of "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves", and "Boogie Nights" by Heatwave. Most often this was played by Los Angeles studio harpist Gayle Levant, who has played on hundreds of recordings. Irish band Clannad featured the harp heavily in their music during the 1970s and 1980s. In current pop music, the harp appears relatively rarely. Joanna Newsom, Dee Carstensen, Darian Scatton, Habiba Doorenbos, and Jessa Callen of The Callen Sisters have separately established images as harp-playing singer-songwriters with signature harp and vocal sounds. Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan plays the harp in her 2006 holiday album, Wintersong. In Hong Kong, a notable example of harp in pop music is the song "Tin Shui Walled City" (天水圍城) performed by Hacken Lee with harp played by Korean harpist Jung Kwak (Harpist K).

Harp use has recently expanded in the "alternative" music world of commercial popular music. A pedal harpist, Ricky Rasura, is a member of the "symphonic pop" band, The Polyphonic Spree. Also, Björk sometimes features acoustic and electric harp in her work, often played by Zeena Parkins. Philadelphia based Indie Pop Band Br'er uses a pedal harp as the foundation for their cinematic live sets. Art in America was the first known rock band featuring a pedal harp to appear on a major record label, and released only one record, in 1983. The pedal harp was also present in the Michael Kamen and Metallica concert and album, S&M, as part of the San Francisco Symphony orchestra. R&B singer Maxwell featured harpist Gloria Agostini in 1997 on his cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work". On his 7th solo album Finding Forever, Hip- Hop artist Common features harpist Brandee Younger on the introductory track, followed by a Dorothy Ashby sample from her 1969 recording of By the Time I Get to Phoenix. Some Celtic-pop crossover bands and artists such as Clannad and Loreena McKennitt include folk harps, following Alan Stivell's work. Recently Florence Welch has begun to incorporate harps into her songs, notably on "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)". The Webb Sisters from UK use different size harps in almost all their material during live performances.

Folk, lever and Celtic instruments

New Salem Village re-enactors playing Celtic harps
Oona demonstrates the rugged nature of the Celtic harp, the instrument of the bards

The folk harp or Celtic harp is small to medium-sized and usually designed for traditional music; it can be played solo or with small groups. It is prominent in Welsh, Breton, Irish, Scottish and other Celtic cultures within traditional or folk music and as a social and political symbol. Often the folk harp is played by beginners who wish to move on to the pedal harp at a later stage, or by musicians who simply prefer the smaller size or different sounds. Alan Stivell, with his father Jord Cochevelou (who recreated the Breton Celtic harp), were at the origin of the revival of the Celtic harp (in the 1970s).[12]

The folk or lever harp ranges in size from two octaves to six octaves, and may use levers or blades to change pitch. The most common size has 34 strings: Two octaves below middle C and two and a half above (ending on A), although folk or lever harps can usually be found with anywhere from 19 to 40 strings. The strings are generally made of nylon, gut, carbon fiber or fluorocarbon, or wrapped metal, and are plucked with the fingers using a similar technique to the pedal harp.

Folk harps with levers installed have a lever close to the top of each string; when it is engaged, it shortens the string so its pitch is raised a semitone, resulting in a sharped note if the string was a natural, or a natural note if the string was a flat. Lever harps are often tuned to the key C or E-flat. Using the E-flat scheme, the major keys of E-flat, B-flat, F, C, G, D, A, and E can be reached by changing lever positions, rather than re-tuning any strings. Many smaller folk harps are tuned in C or F, and may have no levers, or levers on the F and C strings only, allowing a narrower range of keys. Blades and hooks perform almost the same function as levers, but use a different mechanism. The most common type of lever is either the Camac or Truitt lever although Loveland levers are still used by some makers.

One of the attendant problems with lever harps is the potential loss of quality when the levers are used. The Teifi semi tone developed by Allan Shiers is a development from traditional mechanisms and nips up the string with two forks similarly to a concert harp. The semi tone is double locking for a full clear sound and does not wear the string. It is machined from solid brass and hardened steel and is adjustable by an eccentric roller to suit any gauge of string. In addition, the whole unit can be moved up or down to affect perfect pitch and string alignment. The lever arms are coloured for ease of note recognition and two sizes are made to suit treble, mid and bass.

Alan Stivell is a well-known crossover and Celtic harpist. He first recorded an EP record, "Musique Gaélique," in 1959, then an LP in 1964 called "Telenn Geltiek " (available in CD). Following these, he has released 21 other albums including his harps, from 1970 until now (the last one is "Explore" - 2006- ). He also recorded some albums especially dedicated to the harp: the famous Renaissance of the Celtic Harp (1972), "Harpes du Nouvel Age" (1985), and "Beyond Words" (2002). He helped to promote developments in Electro-acoustic and Electric harps.[12] Another innovator in this field is the German harpist Rudiger Oppermann, who has also brought together harpists from all over the world to German music festivals and owns a private library of folk-music harps from every continent. The Swiss popular musician Andreas Vollenweider also plays electro-acoustic harps. Other Celtic harpists include: Tristan Le Govic, Kim Robertson and Oona McOuat.

Wire-strung instruments ("clàrsach")

The Gaelic triangular, wire-strung harp has always been known by the feminine term cruit but by 1204 was certainly known by the masculine term 'clàr' (board) and, by the 14th century, by the feminine form of 'clàr', i.e., 'clàirseach/clàrsach'. (Gd.)

The origins of the Gaelic triangular harp go back at least to the first millennium. There are several stone carvings of triangular harps from the 10th century, many of which have simple triangular shapes, generally with straight pillars, straight string arms or necks, and soundboxes. There is stone carving evidence that the lyre and/or perhaps a non-triangular harp were present in Ireland[citation needed] during the first millennium. Evidence for the triangular harp in Pictish Scotland dates from the 9th century.[13]

The clàrsach or harp was the most popular musical instrument in later medieval Scotland and Ireland and Gaelic poets portrayed their Pictish counterparts as very much like themselves.[14]

Scotland, because of her affinity and intercourse [with Ireland], tries to imitate Ireland in music and strives in emulation. Ireland uses and delights in two instruments only, the harp namely, and the tympanum. Scotland uses three, the harp, the tympanum and the crowd. In the opinion, however, of many, Scotland has by now not only caught up on Ireland, her instructor, but already far outdistances her and excels her in musical skill. Therefore, [Irish] people now look to that country as the fountain of the art.
The Scottish medieval clàrsach 'Queen Mary harp' Clàrsach na Banrigh Màiri, (c.1400)[16] now in the Museum of Scotland, is a one of only three surviving medieval Gaelic harps.

The clàrsach or harp played by the Gaels of Scotland and Ireland between the 11th and 19th centuries was certainly wire-strung. The Irish Maedoc book shrine dates from the 11th century, and clearly shows a harper with a triangular framed harp including a "T-Section" in the pillar. The Irish word lamhchrann came into use at an unknown date to indicate this pillar which would have supplied the bracing to withstand the tension of a wire-strung harp.

The Irish and Highland Harps by Robert Bruce Armstrong is an excellent book describing these ancient harps. There is historical evidence that the types of wire used in these harps are iron, brass, silver, and gold. Three pre-16th century examples survive today; the Brian Boru Harp in Trinity College, Dublin, and the Queen Mary and Lamont Harps, both in Scotland.

One of the largest and most complete collections of 17th century harp music is the work of Turlough O'Carolan, a blind, itinerant Irish harper and composer. At least 220 of his compositions survive to this day.

Since the 1970s, the tradition has been revived. Alan Stivell's Renaissance de la Harpe Celtique (perhaps the best-seller harp album in the world), using mainly the bronze strung harp, and his tours, have brought the instrument into the ears and the love of many people.[12] Ann Heymann has revived the ancient tradition and technique by playing the instrument as well as studying Bunting's original manuscripts in the library of Queens University, Belfast. Katie Targett-Adams (KT-A) is currently leading the modern day crossover movement for the clarsach, performing to mainstream audiences across the globe, notably China. Other high profile players include Patrick Ball, Cynthia Cathcart, Alison Kinnaird, Bill Taylor, Siobhán Armstrong and others.

As performers have become interested in the instrument, harp makers ("luthiers") such as Jay Witcher, David Kortier, Ardival Harps, Joël Herrou and others have begun building wire-strung harps. The traditional wire materials are used, however iron has been replaced by steel and the modern phosphor bronze has been added to the list. The phosphor bronze and brass are most commonly used. Steel tends to be very abrasive to the nails. Silver and gold are used to get high density materials into the bass courses of high quality clàrsachs to greatly improve their tone quality. In the period, no sharping devices were used. Harpers had to re-tune strings to change keys. This practice is reflected by most of the modern luthiers, yet some allow provisions for either levers or blades.

Multi-course

A multi-course harp is a harp with more than one row of strings. A harp with only one row of strings is called a single-course harp.

Double harp
Cross-strung harp

A double-strung harp consists of two rows of diatonic strings one on either side of the neck. These strings may run parallel to each other or may converge so the bottom ends of the strings are very close together. Either way, the strings that are next to each other are tuned to the same note. Double-strung harps often have levers either on every string or on the most commonly sharped strings, for example C and F. Having two sets of strings allows the harpist's left and right hands to occupy the same range of notes without having both hands attempt to play the same string at the same time. It also allows for special effects such as repeating a note very quickly without stopping the sound from the previous note.

A triple harp features three rows of parallel strings, two outer rows of diatonic strings, and a center row of chromatic strings. To play a sharp, the harpist reaches in between the strings in either outer row and plucks the center row string. Like the double-strung harp, the two outer rows of strings are tuned the same, but the triple-strung harp has no levers. This harp originated in Italy in the 16th century as a low headed instrument, and towards the end of 17th century it arrived in Wales where it developed a high head and larger size. It established itself as part of Welsh tradition and became known as the Welsh harp (telyn deires, "three-row harp"). The traditional design has all of the strings strung from the left side of the neck, but modern neck designs have the two outer rows of strings strung from opposite sides of the neck to greatly reduce the tendency for the neck to roll over to the left.

The cross-strung harp consists of one row of diatonically tuned strings and another row of chromatic notes. These strings cross approximately in the middle of the string without touching. Traditionally the diatonic row runs from the right (as seen by someone sitting at the harp) side of the neck to the left side of the sound board. The chromatic row runs from the left of the neck to the right of the sound board. The diatonic row has the normal string coloration for a harp, but the chromatic row may be black. The chromatic row is not a full set of strings. It is missing the strings between the Es and Fs in the diatonic row and between the Bs and Cs in the diatonic row. In this respect it is much like a piano. The diatonic row corresponds to the white keys and the chromatic row to the black keys. Playing each string in succession results in a complete chromatic scale.

An alternate form of the cross-strung, the 6-plus-6 or isomorphic cross-strung, has 6 strings on each side of the cross instead of 5 on one and 7 on the other. This configuration is less intuitive to someone coming from a piano/organ background, but more intuitive to someone with a guitar/violin or other chromatic or whole-tone instrument background because it utilizes a chromatic scale or wholetone scale. This configuration gives the entire octave in only 6 strings per side, making more efficient use of the size of the instrument.

Modern electric harps

Amplified (electro-acoustic) hollow body and solid body electric lever harps are produced by many harpmakers at this time, such as Lyon and Healy Harps out of Chicago, Salvi Harps out of Italy, and Camac Harps out of France. They generally use individual piezo-electric transducers one per string often in combination with small internal microphones to produce a direct output mixed electrical signal. Hollow body instruments can also be played acoustically, while solid body instruments must be amplified.

In the late 20th century instrument builder and American musician Robert Grawi created an electric double harp-lute based on the West African kora but strung and tuned differently. The gravikord is a light ergonomically designed instrument made of modern materials mostly stainless steel tubing. It is a double harp that has 24 strings evenly divided in two ranks arrayed on a free standing "Vee" shaped bridge made of synthetic material including an integral piezo-electric sensor. The tuning of the gravikord is an extended version of the "G" major / "E" minor tuning system of the Hugh Tracey kalimba while its overall physical structure is derived from the African kora. It was created to enable easier playing of complex African cross rhythms on an African derived modern electro-acoustic harp.[17]

The laser harp is not a stringed instrument at all, but is a harp-shaped electronic instrument that has laser beams where harps have strings. The laser beams that are configured like harp strings do not produce any sound themselves but act as triggers for electronic synthesized sounds. These can also be programed to trigger other theatrical affects in sync with performances such as lighting, video loops, sound effects, etc. For some events they can be made in extended forms without a frame at all, but only a long parallel rank of laser beams yet are still called laser harps.

Some contemporary players of these modern electric harps, especially solid body and minimalist design instruments, have been able to add the advantage of movement on stage into their musical performance. With these light strong instruments and modern wireless amplification these musicians can easily play standing up, move, and even incorporate dance on stage while playing their electric harps.

As a symbol

Political

Flag of Leinster

The harp has been used as a political symbol of Ireland for centuries. Its origin is lost in the mists of time, but from the evidence of the ancient oral and written literature, it has been present in one form or another since at least the 6th century or before. According to tradition, Brian Boru, 'High King' of Ireland (d. at the Battle of Clontarf, 1014 AD) played the harp, as did many of the gentry in the country during the period of the Gaelic Lordship of Ireland (ended c. 1607 AD with the "Flight of the Earls" following the Elizabethan Wars).[citation needed]

In traditional Gaelic society every clan and chief of any consequence would have a resident harp player who would compose eulogies and elegies (later known as "planxties") in honour of the leader and chief men of the clan. The harp was adopted as a symbol of the Kingdom of Ireland on the coinage from 1542, and in the Royal Standard of King James (VI of Scotland / I of England ) in 1603 and continued to feature on all English and United Kingdom Royal Standards ever since, though the styles of the harps depicted differed in some respects. It was also used on the Commonwealth Jack of Oliver Cromwell, issued in 1649 and on the Protectorate Jack issued in 1658 as well as on the Lord Protector's Standard issued on the succession of Richard Cromwell in 1658. The harp is also traditionally used on the flag of Leinster.

Pub plaque, Omagh
"Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Nathan confronts David); bronze bas-relief by Henri de Triqueti.

Since 1922, the government of Ireland has used a similar left-facing harp, based on the Trinity College Harp in the Library of Trinity College Dublin as its state symbol. It first appeared on the Great Seal of the Irish Free State, which in turn was replaced by the coat of arms, the Irish Presidential Standard and the Presidential Seal in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. The harp appears on various other official state seals and documents as well as the Irish passport. The harp has also appeared on Irish coinage from the Middle Ages to the current Irish imprints of the Euro coins.

A South Asian version of a harp known in Tamil as a 'yaal' ('யாழ்'), is the symbol of City of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, whose legendary root originates from a harp player.

Corporate

The harp is also used extensively as a corporate logo — for both private and government organisations. For instance, the Irish drink Guinness uses a harp, facing right and less detailed than the version used on the state arms. Guinness started using the harp as an image on its labels in 1862 and registered two trademarks in London in 1876, both of which used the harp as part of the image. A simplified harp was adopted in the 1990s.

Relatively new organizations also use the harp, but often modified to reflect a theme relevant to their organization, for instance; Irish airline Ryanair uses a modified harp, and the Irish State Examinations Commission uses it with an educational theme.

The harp is also used as the logo for League of Ireland football team Finn Harps, who are Donegal's senior soccer club.

Other organizations in Ireland use the harp, but not always prominently; these include the National University of Ireland and the associated University College Dublin, and the Gaelic Athletic Association. In Northern Ireland the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Queen's University of Belfast use the harp as part of their identity.

Religious

In the context of Christianity, heaven is sometimes symbolically depicted with saints and/or angels playing harps in it. This symbolism may derive from the account of the heavenly vision recorded in the Christian Bible in Revelation 14:2 reading: "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps." (KJV) This may be a reference to the kind of harp played, e.g., by David during Old Testament times. Modern orchestral music sometimes employs the ethereal sound of the modern orchestral harp to depict heaven.

See also

Related categories

References

  1. ^ Dave Black and Tom Gerou, "Essential Dictionary of Orchestration." Alfred Publishing Co. ISBN 0-7390-0021-7
  2. ^ Montagu, Jeremy (2002). "Harp". In Alison Latham. The Oxford Companion to Music. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 564. ISBN 0-19-866212-2. OCLC 59376677. 
  3. ^ The Anglo Saxon Harp, 'Spectrum, Vol. 71, No. 2 (April 1996), pp. 290-320.
  4. ^ The Anglo-Saxon Harp Robert Boenig Speculum, Vol. 71, No. 2 (April 1996), pp. 290-320 doi:10.2307/2865415 This article consists of 31 page(s).
  5. ^ Rensch (2007/1989), 164-165.
  6. ^ Rensch (2007./1989), 170.
  7. ^ Inglewood and Neill (1985), 77.
  8. ^ Inglefield and Neill (1985), 3. A few modern harps have a pedal mechanism for the high G string.
  9. ^ Inglefield and Neill (1985), 'Scordatura', p.49.
  10. ^ Lawrence and Salzedo (1929), 6.
  11. ^ Lawrence and Salzedo (1929), 17.
  12. ^ a b c JT Koch (ed). Celtic Culture. A Historical Encyclopaedia ABC-CLIO 2006 pp 1627-1628
  13. ^ "The Origins of the Clairsach or Irish Harp", Musical Times, Vol. 53, No 828 (Feb 1912), pp 89-92.
  14. ^ Forsyth, "Evidence of a lost Pictish Source", pp. 27–28.
  15. ^ Gerald of Wales, "Topographia Hibernica", 94; tr. John O’ Meary, The History and Topography of Ireland, (London, 1982).
  16. ^ Caldwell, D.H. (ed). Angels Nobles and Unicorns: Art and Patronage in Medieval Scotland. Edinburgh: NMS, 1982
  17. ^ http://www.gravikord.com/instrument.html#gravikord

Additional sources

  • Lucia Bova, L'arpa moderna. La scrittura e la notazione, lo strumento e il repertorio dal '500 alla contemporaneità, preface by Luis de Pablo, Suvini Zerboni, Milano, 2008. ISBN 978-88-900691-4-7
  • "The Anglo Saxon Harp", Spectrum, Vol. 71, No.2 (April 1996), pp 290–320.
  • "The Origins of the Clairsach or Irish Harp", Musical Times, Vol. 53, No 828 (February 1912), pp 89–92.
  • Alasdair Ross discusses that all the Scottish harp figures were copied from foreign drawings and not from life, in "'Harps of Their Owne Sorte'? A Reassessment of Pictish Chordophone Depictions", Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 36, Winter 1998.
  • Snyder's Medieval Art, 2nd ed, p. 32. Luttikhuizen and Verkerk.
  • Courteau, Mona-Lynn. "Harp". In J. Shepherd, D. Horn, D. Laing, P. Oliver and P. Wicke (Eds.), The Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Vol. 2, 2003, pp. 427–437.
  • Inglefield, Ruth K. and Lou Anne Neill (1985). Writing for the Pedal Harp: A Standardized Manual for Composers and Harpists. University of California Press.
  • Lawrence, Lucille and Carlos Salzedo (1929). Method for the Harp. G. Schirmer.
  • Montagu, Jeremy (2002). "Harp". In Alison Latham. The Oxford Companion to Music. London: Oxford University Press. pp. 564. ISBN 0-19-866212-2. OCLC 59376677. 
  • Rensch, Roslyn (2007/1989). Harps and Harpists, revised (2nd) edition. Indiana University. ISBN 0-253-34903-6.

External links

Celtic harp


Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - harpe
v. intr. - harpe på, tærske langhalm på, spille på harpe

idioms:

  • harp on    altid komme tilbage til, evig og altid snakke om, tærske langhalm, køre på

Nederlands (Dutch)
harp, lier, harp spelen

Français (French)
n. - harpe
v. intr. - rabâcher

idioms:

  • harp on    rabâcher la même chose à propos de

Deutsch (German)
n. - Harfe
v. - ständig sprechen von

idioms:

  • harp on    auf etwas herumreiten

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (μουσ.) άρπα
v. - (μουσ.) αρπίζω

idioms:

  • harp on    (καθομ.) ξανακοπανάω, αναμασώ, μιλώ διαρκώς για

Italiano (Italian)
arpa, suonare l'arpa

idioms:

  • harp on    insistere

Português (Portuguese)
n. - harpa (f) (Mús.)
v. - harpear

idioms:

  • harp on    bater na mesma tecla (fig.)

Русский (Russian)
арфа, созвездие Лира, играть на арфе, твердить одно и то же

idioms:

  • harp on    твердить одно и то же

Español (Spanish)
n. - arpa
v. intr. - tocar el arpa

idioms:

  • harp on    dar la lata, machacar

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - harpa, munspel, irländare
v. - spela harpa

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
竖琴, 弹竖琴, 反复诉说, 唠叨

idioms:

  • harp on    喋喋不休

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 豎琴
v. intr. - 彈豎琴, 反復訴說, 嘮叨

idioms:

  • harp on    喋喋不休

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 하프, 금좌, 아일랜드 사람
v. intr. - 하프를 타다, 같은 말을 되풀이하다

idioms:

  • harp on    같은 말을 되풀이하여 말하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ハープ, 竪琴
v. - ハープを弾く

idioms:

  • harp on    悲しみを訴える, くどくどと言う
  • Jew's harp    口琴

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قيثار موسيقي (فعل) يعزف على القيثار, يضرب على وتر واحد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נבל‬
v. intr. - ‮פרט על נבל‬


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Harps (family name)
Cláirseach (music)