Harp

:Harp is also a slang term for the diatonic harmonica; see blues harp. See also Jew's harp.

Origins of the harp

The harp's origins may lie in the sound of a plucked hunter's bow string. The oldest documented references to the harp are from 3000 BC in Mesopotamia and Egypt. While the harp is mentioned in most translations of the Bible, King David being the most prominent musician, the Biblical "harp" was actually a kinnor, a type of lyre with 10 strings. Harps also appear in ancient epics, and in Egyptian wall paintings. This kind of harp, now known as the folk harp, continued to evolve in many different cultures all over the world. It may have developed independently in some places.

Related Topics:
Bow - 3000 BC - Mesopotamia - Egypt - Bible - King David - Kinnor - Lyre

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The lever harp came about in the second half of the seventeenth century to enable key changes while playing. The player manually turned a hook or lever against an individual string to raise the string's pitch by a semitone. In the 1700s, 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 semitones. With this final enhancement, the modern concert harp was born.

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The European harp tradition seems to have originated in ancient Ireland over a thousand years ago. In Irish mythology, a magical harp is possessed by The Dagda.

Related Topics:
Irish mythology - The Dagda

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