Introduction

Harps are among the oldest musical instruments and were probably suggested by the stretched string of the bow which produces a musical sound when it is struck by the finger. There are records of harps being played as far back as 3000 BC in Mesopotamia and Egypt and they were also popular in Greece and Rome. Indeed, they appear always to have existed in all places inhabited by men or spirits, except in Hell ... !

The true origin of the Western European harp is very difficult to trace. Perhaps it was invented by those skilful woodworkers, the Vikings, or by the Irish, the Welsh or the Dutch-nobody knows. The earliest drawings of harps appear in the Utrecht Psalter, a Carolingian manuscript written circa 816 AD. Some of the harps depicted in the illuminated drawings resemble Celtic harps, others resemble the type we call "Minstrel", and others are like the harps of ancient Egypt. In Ireland, however, there are relief carvings of harps on stone crosses dating from about the same period as the Dutch manuscripts.

A historian of music, Vincentio Galilei, in a work printed in Florence in 1581, is quoted as saying: ". . . this most ancient instrument was brought to us from Ireland, where they are excellently made and in great numbers; the inhabitants of that island having practised on it for many, many ages . ."

Vincenzo was indeed much more than a historian of music: a nobleman in the Florentine Camerata of Count Bardi, and father of the astronomer and philosopher Galileo, Vincenzo was noted as a player of both lute and viola da gamba, and his book Dialogo della musica antica e della moderna is an inspiring discussion of how renaissance music can reflect and move the emotions, based on a astudy o the thinking of the ancient Greeks. An easily-digested extract is given in English in Oliver Strunk, Source Readings in Music History, London 1952.

The mediaeval harp of O'Brian, at Trinity College, Dublin, has 30 strings and is 72 centimetres high. The sound-box is made of red willow, the curved pillar of oak, and the neck is covered with embossed silver. The harps which were used in Wales and Scotland during the Middle Ages were almost identical to the Irish ones, and so was the "Cithara Anglica". These harps were played by early Christian missionaries, but they soon became the traditional instruments of the bards, minstrels, trouvères, and troubadours. Gradually, they were adopted by the lords of the land, and so became a symbol of wealth and power.

In 920, it was considered that three things were essential to a gentleman: a harp, a cloak, and a chess-board. Three conditions also were necessary for his happiness: a faithful wife, a well-padded chair, and a harp well tuned.

When Richard I (Coeur de Lion) escaped from Austria, he gave Blondel de Nesle the title of "First Harper of England" in acknowledgement of his services during the escape.

We may need to distinguish between history and legend here, since historians otherwise write that Richard was released on payment of ransom.

Harpers then had special privileges, and were considered to be among the highest intellectuals of the time. The instrument itself was treated with great respect, and every noble household in the country possessed its hereditary harp, handed down through the generations for the use of the lord or his domestic bard and teacher.

The word "harp" is of Teutonic origin, but the Celts had two different names for it. In Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, it was and is still called "clarsach". In Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany it is called "telyn". This could support the theory that harps were known to the Celts before the word "harp" was introduced by invaders from the Continent. However, by the 13th century, harps very similar to the Celtic type were in common use all over Europe. These mediaeval instruments were modal, that is to say, they could not play accidentals.

The strings were tuned in the Dorian scale (Ray mode): D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, without sharps or flats, or in such gapped scales as were in use at the time. It is interesting to notice that the "HWYL" chanting of Welsh preachers is derived from that mode, arid so is the recitative chanting of Breton popular poetry. Mr. A. Dolmetsch has demonstrated that the ancient Welsh music of Robert ap Huw was composed on a Celtic harp tuned in the Ray mode. The old harp had obvious limitations and it was superseded by better instruments such as the lute and the crwth until an unknown harpist, presumably from Wales, invented a harp with two rows of strings capable of producing sharps and flats. From Wales, this new harp spread to Italy in the 15th century, and it became known there as "arpa doppia" or double harp. The Germans adopted the Italian harp and called it "doppel harpf".

illustration here

At the end of the 17th century, another Welshman improved the double harp still further, and it became a treble or triple harp with three rows of strings. The outer strings were tuned diatonically, and the inner rows had the sharps and flats. There still exist a few harpists in Wales who can play the treble harp, in particular a very distinguished harpist from Dolgelley, Telenores Ardudwy. The instrument is capable of most amazing effects, but is very difficult to play.

At about the same time as the Welshman invented the treble harp, an Austrian made a big improvement to the mediaeval harp. He put hooks on some strings, whereby they could be shortened by one semitone; later on all strings were provided with hooks. The traditional harps of Ireland, Scotland, and the Tyrol are of this type.

Some years before the invention of the harp with semitones, Christian missionaries introduced the harp to South America and there it has remained a harp without sharps or flats. The harp makers of Paraguay and Argentina improved the structure of the harp itself by securing the strings in the centre of the neck instead of attaching them to the side of the neck. These harps are classified as "perpendicular''. Most other harps have the pillar slightly out of the vertical.

The peculiar design of the Paraguayan harp accounts for its brilliant tone; it is known as "Arpa India", and is now the traditional instrument of the Guarani Indians, made famous all over the world by such extraordinary performers as Félix Perez Cardozo, Santiago Cortezi, Digno Garcia, Roberto Guarani, and the famous group "Los Paraguayos". Under the sponsorship of an Englishman (Archdeacon Barratt of the South American Missionary Society), a group of young harpists called "Los Picafiores" (The Humming Birds) has been responsible for introducing the Paraguayan harp to the British public in the TV programme "Stars on Sunday". These talented harpists are the children of Archdeacon Barratt, Terry, Rosemary, Hilary and Patricia, and their harps were made in Asuncio by Eladio Rojas. Another famous harp maker who should be mentioned is Christino Baez from Asuncio Monges. Modern Paraguayan harps are provided with guitar mechanisms which make them easy to tune.

Folk harps are being revived all over the world because they are good musical instruments in their own right. There is now a revival of the Celtic harp in Brittany, with well over one hundred good players in the country, and several harp makers such as Jord Cochevelou, Claude and Michel Leroux, and Daniel Paris. The best known Breton harpist is a young man called Alan Stivel who has given recitals in many countries and made many records. Folk harps are easy to learn and easy to play; they are ideal as an introduction to the concert harp, and they have an enormous advantage over the latter - they are portable.

Visual appeal plays an important part in the enjoyment of harp music, and in the eighteenth century, young ladies of the aristocracy found in harp playing a charming excuse to display pretty arms or well turned ankles! A French writer of that period says that one of his friends lost his heart to a lady who was neither young nor beautiful, but whose harp playing was absolute perfection. It is a fact that people who listen to harp music keep looking at the player, and it can have an almost hypnotic effect on the audience. I will never forget a solo performance given by Miss H. Russell-Ferguson, a talented Celtic harpist, in Brittany in 1934. She almost brought the roof down, and the crowd went mad with excitement. People were crying with joy and every piece got a standing ovation. Miss Russell-Ferguson, a cool professional Scottish harpist and Folk singer, was absolutely bewildered by the reception! The harp is the only musical instrument still surrounded by a kind of magical halo.

The skilled woodworker and craftsman will find tremendous satisfaction in making his own harp, and if the reader follows my instructions, he should not go wrong. So, let us to work.

The Celtic and Minstrel harps have the same body, and the same number of strings.

The body is usually made of wood, but it can also be made of glass fibre and wood. When glass fibre is used, the harp is capable of withstanding greater stress without impairing the quality of sound in any way.

We shall endeavour to describe three methods of construction, and the reader can choose the one that suits him best.

These notes on the four different types of harp which the book deals with come from the section on the first method of construction:

As we have already seen, three of the four types of harp have the same body and the same number of strings - the Celtic harp, the Minstrel harp and the Paraguayan harp. Chapter 6 deals with the Bardic Harp which differs in construction.

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The Minstrel harp and the Paraguayan harp are taller than the Celtic harp, but the latter will fit easily inside the boot of a motor-car. The others will have to be carried in the car itself with some protection in order to avoid damaging the fabric of the back seat.

The Celtic harp is the easiest to make. The neck and curved pillar present no problem of assembly; one is almost the continuation of the other. The straight pillars of the Minstrel and Paraguayan harps call for a certain amount of ornamentation, such as fluting, spiralling, or turning.

On the Minstrel harp, a capital or a volute is required at the top of the pillar, and an extra base and base plate are also needed. The Minstrel harp is in appearance like a small concert harp without the pedals, so we would expect it to be gilded and more adorned than the others. The design of each harp must remind us of the country where it originated, whether it be the rich extravagant châteaux of France, the monasteries of Ireland with their illuminated manuscripts, or the austere but warm Paraguay.