Harp Technology
Here are brief descriptions of some types of harps that have been prominent in musical history and those that are used today.
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Gothic Style RenaissanceThese small harps were the standard harp throughout Europe in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period in music history. Italian Arpa DoppiaThis three-rank Italian harp of the late Renaissance or early Baroque period had 26 chromatic strings in the central row, with 24 trebles on the right, and 25 basses on the left. Early Spanish HarpsThe Spanish single rank and cross-strung harps generally had 29 diatonic strings, lowest note C, two octaves below middle C. Wire Strung HarpsMany would say that the ancient Irish harps are the predecessors of our current lever harps in spirit, if not in technical features. These instruments were wire strung (brass, iron, silver, or gold). Wartburg Single-Row Harp(circa 1350-1450) This instrument was acquired during the middle of the 19th century for the art collection of the Wartburg Museum, Eisenach, Germany. It purportedly belonged to Oswald von Wolkenstein, who lived in Tyrol from 1377-1445. Modern Harp - PedalPedal harps are the harps that you see in an orchestra. They are also called concert harps, orchestral harps, or grand harps. The large Concert Grand harps are a little over 6 feet tall, and weigh about 85 to 90 pounds. They have 47 strings, covering over 6 octaves. The strings of a pedal harp are laid out the same way as the lever harp. There are seven pedals which are moved by the harpist's feet; one pedal for each of the seven notes in the scale. By using the pedals, the accomplished harpist can play very chromatic music. |
Melenia Gacanin • Harp FX Studio • (519) 972-3865 • harp_fx@yahoo.ca
