fig. 2.4 - click for a larger view |
In
the past, harps were always decorated, and great importance was attached
to their adornment: oral and visual pleasure "greatly
delighted the ear and highly relaxed the spirit. . ."
[DK : I guess he meant 'aural' pleasure, for the ear rather
than 'oral' for the mouth...]
fig. 2.5 - click for a larger view |
During
the Rococo period the craze for decoration was such that the soundboard
often disappeared under a mass of exuberant strands of vegetation,
patches of blossoming flowers and miniature landscape paintings. During
the Napoleonic era, the passion for Roman antiquities assumed exaggerated
proportions. Classical and Egyptian emblems were copied, modelled
in "Compo" and glued on capitals, pillars, necks, and bases;
all these ornaments were gilt and burnished. These trends persisted
up until the end of the nineteenth century.
Modern
concert harps have little or no decorations at all, but the amateur
harp maker should not disregard ornamentation, because there is no
such thing as a "modern" Folk harp. In
our opinion, the Celtic harp and the Minstrel harp should be decorated.
fig. 2.6 - click for a larger view |
Traditionally,
Celtic harps were adorned with designs reminiscent of those found
in ancient manuscripts such as the Book of Kells, the Book of Durrow
or the Book of Lindisfarne. These beautiful books were written by
monastic scholars from the seventh to the tenth centuries, being copies
of the gospels which were used in monasteries as reference books.
The title pages and the first letter of each chapter were superbly
decorated and illuminated with intricate interlacing patterns and
strange zoomorphic motifs based on the distorted shapes of animals,
birds, and reptiles. This particular style of decoration is now known
as Celtic or Pictish Art, and the reader will find an example in Fig.
2.5.
fig. 2.7 - click for a larger view |
The
Minstrel harp lends itself to two types of decoration: the Rococo
style and the more popularly developed Folk Art consistent with the
taste and traditions of the country where the amateur harp maker lives.
Decoration is not essential to the harp's musical function, but because
it contributes to the study and enjoyment of decorative crafts, it
should be our concern.
