So,
let us consider the four types.
As
we have already seen, three have the same body and the same number
of strings. See Chapter 6 for the Bardic Harp which
differs in construction. 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.
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.
