Trip to Scotland (June 2000)

My wife, Dr. Penny Schwarze, was invited to deliver a paper at a symposium held at the University of Edinburgh, June 1, 2000. As a lapsed viol builder, I was delighted to accompany her to attend these interesting sessions exploring current scholarship in the bowed string field. Not only that, but two of the most important extant wire harps are held by the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. I especially wanted to study the harps in person since I have been slightly suspicious of the statement that both of these harps are made entirely of hornbeam wood. It seemed unreasonable since willow is the typical wood for soundboxes of the "Irish harp." Not only that, but hornbeam is an unlikely choice. The only hornbeams known in this part of the world are small trees, more often shrubs.

I contacted the Museum of Scotland well in advance, presenting my credentials and motives, and they were very accomodating. On the appointed day, they had removed both harps from public display and set aside space in a workroom upstairs for me. With the assistance of assistant curator Jackie Moran, I spent nearly three hours with the harps, examining, collecting measurements, and photographing details of construction. I am most appreciative for the generous way they shared these treasures with me.

My findings- The Lamont is entirely of one species of wood, a hardwood, which is unusual. It is clear to me that the wood is English walnut, not hornbeam, however. I immediately thought "walnut" when I had the harp in front of me, but the color did not seem right. (I am most familiar with American black walnut.) Later in the day, I visited the Russell Collection of Keyboards Instruments at the University of Edinburgh. There in front of me was a great deal of this same wood. The lid of one early harpsichord in particular (English, about 1720) looked as though it could have been from the same log as the Lamont. The Curator there informed me that the wood in question is walnut, meaning, of course, English walnut.

The other curious thing about the Lamont harp is an inscription, apparently previously not noted, on the harp. Robert Bruce Armstrong, in his exhaustive description of this harp around 1900, does not mention it, because the harp was covered with a heavy red paint then. It is scratched unceremoniously into the side of the soundbox, and says, Al. Stewart of Clunie his harp 1650. Here is a project for a research musicologist/historian!

The Queen Mary held no surprises, but I found her elegant and a joy. She is obviously made of three different woods, one of which could be hornbeam. The soundbox appears to be of willow. The pillar is of a very different style of decoration than the rest of the harp, and has a yellowish color to the wood. The neck, or harmonic curve, is of a dark red-brown wood.

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