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The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers.Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or concerts.
The instrument was most popular in Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, and Scandinavia. [2] 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 harp's pillar is mostly built of spruce. In original instruments, the soundboard uses a vertical wood grain, with some models using a herringbone pattern or diagonal grain (which was exceedingly rare). The instrument had sound holes in the top of the harp, as opposed to conventional harps, which have them in the back wall. [12]
Cycladic culture harp player, 2800–2700 B.C. Harps probably evolved from the most ancient type of stringed instrument, the musical bow.In its simplest version, the sound body of the bowed harp and its neck, which grows out as an extension, form a continuous bow similar to an up-bowed bow, with the strings connecting the ends of the bow.
The harp was the aristocratic instrument of Gaelic Ireland, and harpers enjoyed a high social status which was codified in Brehon Law. [16] The patronage of harpers was adopted by Norman and British settlers in Ireland until the late 18th century, although their standing in society was greatly diminished with the introduction of the English ...
Aeolian harp made by Robert Bloomfield. An Aeolian harp (also wind harp) is a musical instrument that is played by the wind. Named after Aeolus, the ancient Greek god of the wind, the traditional Aeolian harp is essentially a wooden box including a sounding board, with strings stretched lengthwise across two bridges.
The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, [nb 1] is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in Siberia , specifically in or around the Altai Mountains , and is of Turkic origin.
The kundi is the five-string harp of the Azande and related people of Central Africa. It is an instrument traditionally played by young men and boys. [15] A similar type of harp played by the Nzakara people . The instruments are well known for their ornately carved heads.