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Most information about the medieval harp comes from art and poetry of the era, though some original instruments survive and are available to view in museums. Performers play modern reconstructions of medieval harps today. The instrument is the predecessor to the concert grand pedal harp.
For comparison of harps from across the ancient and medieval world, look at angular harps, arched harps, and konghou. Circa 850 A.D., Utrecht Psalter, France. Anglo-Saxon drawn illustration of harp and cythara. Armenian art included for comparison. Medieval harp, date unknown, resembles Anglo-Saxon/French harp in Utrecht Psalter.
An instrument called a rote or rotta appears in medieval manuscripts from the 8th to the 16th century, [5] where the name is sometimes applied to illustrations of box-like lyres with straight or waisted sides. [6] Some surviving writings, however, indicate that contemporary writers may have applied the name to the harp. [6]
See Rotta for the medieval lyre, or Rote for the fiddle. During the 11th to 15th century A.D., rotte (German) or rota (Spanish) referred to a triangular psaltery illustrated in the hands of King David and played by jongleurs (popular musicians who might play the music of troubadours) and cytharistas (Latin word for a musician who plays string instruments).
The Trinity College harp is the national symbol of Ireland, being depicted on national heraldry, Euro coins and Irish currency. A left-facing image of this instrument was used as the national symbol of Ireland from 1922, and was specifically granted to the State by the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1945. [7]
The cythara is a wide group of stringed instruments of medieval and Renaissance Europe, including not only the lyre and harp but also necked, string instruments. [1] In fact, unless a medieval document gives an indication that it meant a necked instrument, then it likely was referring to a lyre.
Nyckelharpa, Swedish for 'key-harp (lit.) ', meaning roughly "keyed fiddle" (Swedish: [ˈnʏ̂kːɛlˌharːpa], plural nyckelharpor, compare tagelharpa), is a "keyed" bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its roots in Medieval Europe.
The Armenian translation of the Bible gives a lot of information about early medieval Armenian musical instruments. The translators of the Bible use the name harp among other quite popular musical instruments. In Armenian a verb has been formed from the name of the instrument: տաւղել which means to play the harp.