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Wire strung harps
The clarsach, or small harp, strung with metal strings is
the national symbol of Ireland. These harps, throughout history,
have been objects of great significance, and the harpers were
granted special status. The playing of these instruments declined
in the 19th century, but has enjoyed a revival in recent years.
The technique of playing these harps is, generally speaking,
not compatible with playing other harps. The fingernails must
be kept long, as it is a plectrum style of playing. Only in this
way can the true sound of the harp be produced. The reward is
a sound of profound beauty, bell-like and lyric, with a haunting
sustain.
Replicas
There are fewer than 20 early Irish
harps surviving, that we know of, mostly residing in museums,
many in Ireland. Of these harps, only a handful are regularly
copied or used as models for building wire strung harps. I have
examined many of these harps, taken measurements and photos,
and offer replicas that are as accurate as I can possibly make
them. The reason for wanting a replica of a museum harp is primarily
related to historically informed performance practice. (This
is a fancy way of saying that this instrument, as it was built
then, is the most appropriate instrument for playing the music
of that time, often revealing aspects that would not be apparent
when played on a modern instrument with modern techniques.) Or,
you could simply feel that these instruments are beautiful and
significant objects which could enhance your life tremendously.
At this point, I can produce the following
models, and the price will vary from $8,000 to more than $15,000,
depending on the complexity of the instrument. The names are
those commonly associated with each model, usually assigned by
the most prominent owner, or where the harp was located for the
majority of its life. For a discussion of each model, look at
Simon Chadwick's informative webpage: http://www.earlygaelicharp.info/harps/
Queen Mary Harp
Trinity Colege Harp
Downhill Harp
Castle Otway Harp
Sirr Harp
Lamont Harp
Kildare Harp
Mullagh Mast Harp
Cloyne (Dalway) reconstruction
St. Mogue interpretation
Student Models
An aid to furthering the study of the early Irish harp and
its repertoire has been provided by the Historical
Harp Society of Ireland. In 2005 they commissioned me to
design and build a "Student" line of early Irish harps.
The goal was to retain the factors that are of historical significance
in regard to playing qualities, while utilizing modern building
techniques to produce a harp that is practical, functional, and
reasonably priced. Further information about these harps can
be obtained by contacting the Society,
or in the US by contacting Ann
Heymann. Ann is also an excellent resource concerning stringing
issues and performance practice on early harps.
The first model I produced under this plan is the "Student Trinity" based on the
harp housed in the Trinity College Library in Dublin. This has
been followed by a
Student Queen Mary
Student Downhill.
Student Lamont
Student Otway
The series will continue, to eventually include all of the
significant early Irish harps, giving us valuable tools to research
the performance practices involved in their music.
Student Model Early
Irish harps can be purchased directly from the HHSI website.
Replicas of historical
harps undertaken by arrangement, please inquire if you are interested
in a particular instrument.
Photo story- Building
the Student Trinity harps
Z toggles- an alternative
string anchor
Photo story- Trinity
College replicas
Report- Scotland, June
2000
Report- Ireland, January
2002 |
Queen Mary replica
Student Trinity
harp |
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Scale Drawings of Early
Irish harps
In response to requests for measurements of the early Irish
harps that I have studied, I have printed up full sized sheets
in 1:1 scale. These are not plans for building a harp, nor are
they detailed museum quality drawings. Instead, I have simply
traced the outlines of my shop templates. They are printed actual
size, with an inch scale to verify the accuracy. Since I have
taken great care with my templates to faithfully reproduce the
significant dimensions of the original harps, including string
lengths and spacings, all information needed to produce an accurate
replica can be taken directly from these tracings. In some instances
elements have been simplified, and none of the decorative features
are shown. Additionally, the joinery is not shown, as these details
generally cannot be seen in the museum originals. In other words,
you must be an experienced and resourceful woodworker to build
a harp using these drawings. But as a resource to verify size,
shape, and functioning of these harps, the information on these
sheets is very useful, and can be relied upon.


Each harp is drawn on a single sheet of heavy paper and delivered
in a sturdy tube. The price is $65 each, postpaid from me, or
contact the Historical Harp Society of Ireland to purchase from
them.
The models currently available are:
The Queen Mary Harp, Museum
of Scotland, Edinburgh
The Trinity College Harp, Trinity
College Library, Dublin (the so-called Brian Boro harp)
The Downhill Harp, Guinness
Brewery Company, Dublin
The Castle Otway Harp, Trinity
College Library, Dublin
The Lamont Harp, Museum of Scotland,
Edinburgh |
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