Saturday, December 15, 2018

Re-echo

“Nature is an Aeolian harp, a musical instrument whose tones are the re-echo of higher strings within us.” (Novalis)

The harp is a stringed musical instrument of ancient lineage that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard. The strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps vary globally in many ways. In terms of size, many smaller harps can be played on the lap.

Whereas larger harps are quite heavy and rest on the floor, different harps may use strings of catgut, nylon, metal, or some combination. Over the years, the harp has morphed from its primitive hunting bow shape to its modern day use in corporate branding. Across the globe, each culture has its own variation of this whimsical soft-sounding instrument.
While all harps have a neck, resonator, and strings, frame harps have a pillar at their long end to support the strings. Open harps as arch and bow harps do not. Modern harps also vary in techniques used to extend the range and adjusting a string's note mid-performance with levers or pedals which modify the pitch.  Below are interesting facts that may be unknown to you about the harp:

1.     A modern harpist plays using only the first four fingers on each hand. They pluck the strings near the middle of the harp using the pads of their fingers. Irish harpists use their fingernails to pluck the wire strings.

2.     Harp music looks like piano music.

3.     Harp strings are different colors.

4.     Harps are hollow.

5.     Harps have 47 strings.

6.     Harps have 7 pedals.

7.     Harps have to be tuned every time that they are moved.

8.     Nowhere is there a larger variety of harps than in Africa. The harp has a place in the traditions of nearly 150 African peoples.

9.     Once an aristocratic instrument played for royalty, harpists were challenged with being able to evoke three distinct emotions from their audience: tears, laughter, and sleep.

10.                        The harp has been Ireland’s national symbol since the thirteenth century.

11.                        The harp is one of the oldest instruments in the world. It dates back to around 3000 B.C. and was first depicted on the sides of ancient Egyptian tombs and in Mesopotamian culture.

12.                        The popular Irish beer, Guinness, features a harp as its symbol.

13.                        The rapid succession of musical notes played on a harp is called arpeggio and the sweeping motion of the hands across the strings is termed glissando.

14.                        The word harpa was first used around the year 600 and is a generic term for stringed instruments. The verb harp means to talk incessantly about one subject similar to a harpist plucking the same string over and over.

 Play joyous melodies of praise upon the lyre and on the harp. Compose new songs of praise to him, accompanied skillfully on the harp; sing joyfully. (Psalm 33:2-3, TLB)[i]



[i] Sources used:
·        “10 fun facts about the harp” By Miki Onwudinjo

·        “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Harps” by Nicola Veal

·        “Harp” from Wikipedia

 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Everything

  “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” (Saint Augustine) It shouldn’t be surprising th...