The harp is a chordophone which has its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. All harps have a neck, resonator and strings. Some, known as frame harps, also have a forepillar; those lacking the forepillar are referred to open harps. Harp strings can be made of nylon (sometimes copper-wound), gut (more commonly used than nylon), or wire. Various types of harps are found in Africa, Europe, North and South America, and a few parts of Asia. In Antiquity harps and the closely related Lyras were very promi ...

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Harp - Origins of the harp Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building
Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp Harp - The pedal/concert harp Harp - Folk harps/lever harps Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach Harp - Multi-course harps
Harp - Harp technique Harp - Other harps around the world Harp - The harp in music Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists Harp - As a symbol
Harp - Political Harp - Corporate

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Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Origins of the harp

Harp playing uses all of the fingers except for the pinky, which is generally too short and weak to effectively pluck a string. In order to make notation of fingerings easier, each finger is given a number, "1" for the thumb, "2" for the index finger, "3" for the middle finger, and "4" for the ring finger. Most types of harp only require use of the hands. The exception is the pedal (concert) harp, where the harpist ...

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Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Harp technique

An aeolian harp (or æolian harp or wind harp) is a musical instrument that is "played" by the wind. It is named for Aeolus, the ancient Greek god of the wind. Aeolian harps were very popular as household instruments during the Romantic Era, but are still being hand-crafted today. Some are now made in the form of monumental metal sound sculptures located on the roof of a building or a windy hilltop. The traditional aeolian harp is essentially a wooden box including a sounding board, with strings stretched l ...

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Aeolian harp - Aeolian harps in literature and music

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The harp is used sparingly in most classical music, usually for special effects such as the glissando, arpeggios, and bisbigliando. Italian and German opera uses harp for romantic arias and dances, an example of which is Musetta's Waltz from La bohème. French composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel composed harp concertos and chamber music widely played today. In the nineteenth century, the French composer and harpist Nicolas-Charles Bochsa composed hundreds of pieces of all kinds (opera transcriptions, chamber music, conc ...

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Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - The harp in music

Blues harp or cross harp is a technique of playing an ordinary harmonica which originated in the blues. It is not a type of harp or harmonica (although there are some named after the technique). The "classical" harmonica for blues playing is the Hohner Marine Band model, which was affordable, easily obtainable in various keys even in the rural American South, and whose reeds could be "bent" (see below) without deteriorating at too rapid a rate. A diatonic harmonica is designed to ease playing in one diatonic scale. Here is a standard diatonic harmonica's lay ...

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Blues-harp - Source

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Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp. Most European-derived harps have a single row of strings with strings for each note of the C Major scale (over several octaves. Harpists can tell which strings they are playing because all F strings are black or blue and all C strings are red or orange. The instrument rests between the knees of the harpist and along their right shoulder. The Welsh triple harp and early Irish and Scottish harps, however, are traditionally placed on the left shoulder. The first fou ...

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Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building

In South America, there are Mexican, Andean, Venezuelan, and Paraguayan harps. They are derived from the Baroque harps that were brought from Spain during the colonial period: wide on the bottom and narrow at the top, with perfect balance when being played but unable to stand independently for lack of a base. The Paraguayan harp is the most popular, and is Paraguay's national instrument. It has about 36 strings with narrower spacing and lighter tension than other harps, and so has a slightly (four to five notes) lower pitch. It does not nece ...

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Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Other harps around the world

Ancient music is music that developed in literate cultures, replacing prehistoric music. The development of writing took place in different time periods in different geographic areas. The first examples of structured linear writing have been found in the lower Danube Valley and date from around 5000 BCE. The first examples of Sumerian writing in Mesopotamia date from around 4000 BCE. So this is when the era of ancient music began. In Europe it ended in 476 CE, and was followed by the Early music era of European classical mus ...

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Ancient music - The Harps of Ur Ancient music - Harps from Syria and Egypt

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Harp is a rewarding instrument to learn because every note sounds good. However, there are several things to consider: picking a teacher, picking the harp, cost, tuning, and repairs. A student should pick a teacher who teaches the type of music that he or she wants to play. A classical teacher will not necessarily be the best to teach Paraguayan sambas or Celtic dances. There are teach-yourself books and videos for the Celtic harp. The harp should ...

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Harp, Harp - Origins of the harp, Harp - Types of Harps Harp-playing and Harp-building, Harp - Playing style of the European-derived harp, Harp - The pedal/concert harp, Harp - Folk harps/lever harps, Harp - Wire-strung harps clarsach or clairseach, Harp - Multi-course harps, Harp - Harp technique, Harp - Other harps around the world, Harp - The harp in music, Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists, Harp - As a symbol, Harp - Political, Harp - Corporate

Read more here: » Harp: Encyclopedia II - Harp - Recommendations for beginning harpists

A virtuoso (from the Latin virtus meaning: skill, manliness, excellence) is an individual who possesses outstanding mechanical ability at operating a musical instrument. The plural form is virtuosi. Virtuosi are often musical composers as well. During the age of Baroque music many, if not most, composers were also virtuosi on their respective instruments. Virtuoso - Virtuosi list. Virtuoso - Bass Instruments. Larry Graham Bootsy Collins Chri ...

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Virtuoso - Virtuosi list
Virtuoso - Bass Instruments Virtuoso - Banjo Virtuoso - Drums Virtuoso - Fiddle Virtuoso - Flute Virtuoso - Guitar Virtuoso - Harp Virtuoso - Keyboard Virtuoso - Lute Virtuoso - Mandolin Virtuoso - Percussion Virtuoso - Piano Virtuoso - Sax Virtuoso - Sitar Virtuoso - Violin Virtuoso - Violoncello

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Camac Harps (Les Harpes Camac) is a French company that manufactures pedal (concert) harps, lever (folk) harps, and electric pedal and lever harps. Camac was founded by Joël Garnier (d. 2000) in 1972. They are known for their innovations in harp manufacture, including using steel aircraft cables instead of solid pedal rods and using carbon fibre for the column instead of all wood, resulting in a concert grand pedal harp that weighs 8 - 10kg less than traditionally constructed pedal harps. Their pedal harp mechanism is also designed to be regulated easily by the harpist themselves instead of having ...

Including:

Camac - External link

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The Brian Boru harp also referred to as the Trinity College harp or simply the Brian Boru, is the coat of arms of the Republic of Ireland. The harp was selected as the state emblem on the establishment of the Irish Free State, and one of its earliest treatments was on the Great Seal of the Irish Free State, although it was not officially registered as the arms of the state until 1945-11-09. The official heraldic descriptio ...

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Aslaug, Aslög, Kraka or Kráka, was a queen of Scandinavian mythology who appears in Snorri's Edda, the Völsunga saga and the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok. Aslaug was the daughter of Sigurd and the shieldmaiden Brynhild, but was raised by Brynhild's fosterfather Heimer. At the death of Sigurd and Brynhild, Heimer was concerned about Aslaug's security, so he made a harp large enough to hide the girl. He then travelled as a poor harp ...

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Carrollton is a city located in Carroll County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,843. Census Estimates of 2004 indicate a population of 21,010. The city is the county seat of Carroll CountyGR6. The Sacred Harp Publishing Company and Sacred Harp Museum are located in Carrollton. Carrollton is also the home of the University of West Georgia (External Link). Carrollton Georgia - Geography. Carrollton is located at 33Â ...

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Carrollton Georgia - Geography Carrollton Georgia - Demographics

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Zeena Parkins (born Detroit, MI) is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as a custom-made electric harp. In addition to her solo recordings, she has recorded or performed with Björk, John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Ikue Mori, Butch Morris, Jim O'Rourke, Fred Frith, Lee Ranaldo, Nels Cline, Pauline Oliveros, and others. She has also worked with choreographers including Neil Greenberg, Emmanuelle Vo-Di ...

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Zeena Parkins - Discography Zeena Parkins - External link

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In Irish mythology, Canola was the mythical inventor of the harp. After having an argument with her lover, she left his bed in the middle of the night to take a walk. She heard beautiful music and sat down, soon falling asleep. When she woke up the next morning, Canola realized the wind had made the music blowing through partially rotted sinew still attached to a whale skeleton. She designed the harp based on this. Category: Irish mythology Other rela

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A chordophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating string or strings stretched between two points. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification. What most westerners would call string instruments are classified as chordophones, violins, guitars, lyres, harps, for example. However, the word also embraces instruments that many westerners would hesitate to call string instruments, such as the musical bow and the piano (which, although sometimes called a string instrument, is also called a ...

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The Chichester Psalms is a choral work by Leonard Bernstein for countertenor, choir and orchestra (3 trumpets in Bb, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion (5 players), 2 harps, and strings). A reduction written by the composer pared down the orchestral performance forces to organ, harp and percussion. Bernstein stated explicitly in his writing that the part for countertenor may be sung by either an actual countertenor or a boy soprano, but never by a woman. This was to reinforce the liturgical meaning of the passage sung, perhaps to ...

Including:

Chichester Psalms - The Piece
Chichester Psalms - Introduction Chichester Psalms - First Movement Chichester Psalms - Second Movement Chichester Psalms - Third Movement Chichester Psalms - Finale

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Catgut is the name applied to cord of great toughness and tenacity prepared from the intestines of sheep/goat, or occasionally from those of the hog, horse, mule and ass. Those of the cat are not employed, and therefore it is supposed that the word is properly kitgut ("violin string"), kit meaning "fiddle," and that the present form has arisen through confusion with kit = cat. The substance is used for the strings of harps and violins, as well as other stringed musical instruments, for hanging the weights of clocks, for bow-strings, and for suturing wounds in surgery. Catgut f ...

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