Harps

Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt-7n6z9lQ8

The doctrine you desire,
absolute, perfect,
dogma that alone provides wisdom,
does not exist.

Nor should you long
for a perfect doctrine....

Rather, you should long
for the perfection
of yourself.

Truth reveals itself
in enigma;
let us approach it
with wonder and awe
as diviners of its mystery.

(text adapted in part from Hermann Hesse's "Glass Bead Game" and Gene Roddenberry)

The Lamont and Queen Mary harps of National Museums Scotland are two of the oldest surviving examples of the harp of Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. Growing interest in these iconic instruments has led to a need for new research into their materials and construction. With recent advances in imaging and analytical tools, these instruments can now be examined and understood to a much greater degree than previously possible.

With this in mind, the authors have undertaken a research project to study the Lamont and Queen Mary harps. Each harp underwent CT-scanning, and a visual and photographic survey, with x-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy – energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy of selected areas of interest.  The CT scanning was conducted at the Clinical Research Imaging Centre of Queen's Medical Research Institute, and the survey and laboratory analysis were conducted at the National Museums Scotland Collection Centre.

This paper presents the initial findings of this project. The interior construction of the harps, hidden internal damage and repairs, pattern of the wood grain, and current state of the wood are discussed. Results of the visual and photographic survey and analysis of the composition of pigments and metal parts are also presented and discussed in the context of the findings from the CT scans. Additionally, contour maps of the soundboard thickness generated from the CT scanning data for each harp are presented.

"RESUMEN

En este artículo se aborda el problema de los géneros musicales, la tradición y la autoría intelectual de la música llamada folklórica a partir del examen de un caso particular, cual es el de José Cupertino Ríos, músico del llano venezolano de comienzos del siglo XX. Surgido en un momento histórico donde no existían posibilidades de difundir su música a través de medios masivos, y donde tampoco se llevaban registros autorales (por no existir tampoco sociedades de gestión  ni leyes de propiedad intelectual), se atribuyen a Ríos gran cantidad de obras musicales que en la actualidad se han "folklorizado", es decir, han pasado a constituir parte del acervo cultural colectivo y anónimo. Tratar de dilucidar si las piezas tienen o no autoría intelectual reconocida, y validar los testimonios recogidos en otros tiempos referentes a esta leyenda de la música llanera, puede constituir un desafío importante al tan debatido anonimato inherente a las obras pertenecientes al folklore.  "

The original harp repertoire is rather limited. It seems there are two efficient ways to help its increase : contemporary creation on the one hand, and transcription on the other. This study questions the relation between early music and a current way of transcribing for harp the eighteenth century french harpischord repertoire. Transcription is here considered as an unwritten practice that comes close to interpretation, and like interpretation and translation, it faces fundamental issues which seem paradoxical : spirit and letter, idiomatism and fidelity. Transcription forces the performer to face his own limits as well as his intrument’s, and it favours the encounter with the otherness of a writing that is free of any familiar gesture. Transcription is one of the best ways to comprehend the transcribed repertoire, the instrument the piece is being transcribed for, and the relationship the performer has with his instrument.
The transcription for harp of the eighteenth century french harpischord repertoire will be examined first under a historic angle, then, with esthetic concerns raised by the paradox between idiomatism and fidelity, and finally, the issue of the limits and impossibilities will be studied from a technical and practical approach.

Рахно К.Ю. Арфа Сырдона: западноевропейские параллели //  Коста и мировой историко-культурный процесс. Сборник материалов Международной конференции,  посвященной 155-летию со дня рождения  К.Л. Хетагурова. – Владикавказ: ИПЦ СОИГСИ ВНЦ РАН и РСО-А, 2014. – С. 268–292.

Se analizan dos golpes de joropo propios del arpa criolla venezolana: las flores del arpa central y el seis del arpa llanera. En el proceso se hacen precisiones en torno a las peculiaridades de la música de arpa criolla, así como en torno al pasaje, el golpe y la revuelta, con los correspondientes ejemplos esquemáticos, en texto musical  con sonido.

ABSTRACT: Antiveduto Gramatica’s painting of Saint Cecilia with two angelic musicians (Musei Civici di Treviso, Complesso di Santa Caterina) provides the point of departure for an examination of iconographical, literary, and musical evidence relating to Adriana Basile, the virtuoso singer and harpist who was the jewel of the musical establishment of the Gonzaga family in the second and third decades of the seventeenth century. By the presence of a large, elaborately decorated harp of double registers the Treviso painting differs significantly from the other known versions of the same subject in Vienna and Lisbon, to which a fourth, documented only in the Fototeca of the Fondazione Zeri, Bologna, can now be added. Thanks to a close reading of the coats of arms and imprese displayed on the harp spine, and furthermore the discovery of Adriana’s seal on some of her letters in the
Archivio Gonzaga, the Treviso painting evolves as a ‘portrait’ of her harp, acknowledging the Gonzaga patronage with specific reference to both the patron and the musician. The article discusses other aspects relating to the perception of Adriana in the numerous verses written in her honour, published for the most part in the anthology Il teatro delle glorie (Venice 1623, Naples 1628). Some refer to two lost portraits: one by the Neapolitan Aniello Falcone (copied by the engraver Nicola Perrey for the Naples edition of Il teatro delle glorie), and the other by Artemisia Gentileschi. Furthermore nine musical tributes for Adriana deriving from literary works have been identified.
AUTHOR: via Tintori 22, 59100 Prato, Italy; <kathrynbosi@gmail.com>

Despite the large number of ancient Egyptian musical instruments which have been found, pharaonic music remains a poorly studied area of academic interest. The few research has mostly been conducted by musicologists, and particularly by Hans Hickmann on the iconographic record. Useful Egyptological work has, on the other hand, been conducted on the textual material. Despite these efforts, limited research has been administered on the archaeological sources, consisting of the extant instruments and their context, itself. Nonetheless, by looking at the extant instruments and their associated objects, much information can be gained.
This paper evaluates the interpretative possibilities the material, more specifically ancient Egyptian stringed musical instruments or ‘chordophones’, has to offer. It presents the original excavation contexts of the objects under study and places them in their chronological and geographical framework. Thereafter, the functionality of objects is derived from remaining string traces and evidence of repairs and adjustments. On the other hand, ‘Model instruments’ are identified by their morphological properties and decoration. Two inscribed musical instruments are used to place both the functional and model instrument category into perspective. Afterwards, the paper offers an overview of all extant ancient Egyptian chordophones and places them in a typological framework. The morphological capabilities and limitations of every instrument are used to ascertain the position of the type or subtype within the musical ensemble. Finally, all previous elements are combined in a preliminary overview of the evolution of the use of stringed musical instruments in the ancient Egyptian funerary culture.
At the end of the paper, a list with the basic measurements and associated burial goods of the musical instruments is added. The study is supplemented further with a photographic overview of the objects under study.

- For those who are intrested in the subject, do not hesitate to ask me for the full version.

In the winter of 1906-1907, James Edward Quibell returned to Saqqara to investigate the pyramid complex of king Teti. Little did he know that this expedition would lead to one of the most important music-archaeological finds in Egypt. The extraordinary objects from these excavations bear witness to the complexity of ancient Egyptian musical practice. They even allow us to reconstruct the very sounds they produced.

The increase of technological capability for household games consoles allows for a larger soundtrack including larger musical forces to be put to videogames as opposed to the MIDI sounds that accompanied earlier games. With the increased quality of sound available to game composers, they are able to use sounds which were recognisable to the game player as different instruments. My research covers the harp’s use in video games, what place it has in the game soundtrack and what it signifies, if anything at all.
The general history of the instrument is a fascinating one and an area which must be covered in order to decipher any meaning it has now. My research looks briefly at the history of the instrument, evaluating the connotations it has had with different cultures through different periods of time; for example the renaissance period saw the connection of the harp with angels and figures of biblical lore. The research focuses on the harp as both an accompaniment and solo instrument in a video game context, and analysing its relationship to the purposes it has had throughout history. After having analysed a number of games, my intention is to discover any links that may be present between the use of the harp in different periods and the modern videogames.

Esta obra está sujeta a la licencia de Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 4.0 España de Creative Commons. Puede copiarla, distribuirla y comunicarla públicamente siempre que cite su autor y la revista que lo publica (TRANS-Revista Transcultural de Música), agregando la dirección URL y/o un enlace a este sitio: www.sibetrans.com/trans. No la utilice para fines comerciales y no haga con ella obra derivada. La licencia completa se puede consultar en Resumen La vigencia y la supervivencia de expresiones musicales tradicionales con raíces en un pasado más o menos lejano y su evolución a través del tiempo es desde hace algunas décadas una temática clave inseparable de la etnomusicología. ¿De qué manera el público y los músicos van a manejar las tradiciones que consumen o practican? ¿Cómo se sitúa cada individuo en el marco de estos procesos, a veces muy virulentos? ¿Tienen los músicos que defender con garras y dientes el legado de sus antepasados, o más bien iniciar procesos de adaptación y modernización de estilos antiguos? Estas interrogantes dan origen a este artículo, que trata de brindar un panorama actual de la tradición del arpa en Huamanga, Ayacucho (Perú), y de los retos que enfrenta la música de esta ciudad desde hace dos décadas, después de la oscura época de la violencia política que dejó abiertas heridas sentimentales, espirituales y musicales. Abstract The validity and survival of traditional musical expressions rooted in a more or less distant past and its evolution over time is – after having been reintroduced into our discipline by adaption of historical (re-) studies – a key theme of ethnomusicology. How are the audience and the musicians going to manage the traditions they consume or practice? How does each individual place himself in the context of these – sometimes highly virulent – processes? Do the musicians have to defend the legacy of their ancestors tooth and nail, or should they rather initiate processes of adaptation and modernization of ancient styles? These questions stand at the origin of this article which tries to provide a current overview of the harp tradition in Huamanga, Ayacucho (Peru), and the challenges faced by the music of this city since two decades, after the dark years of political violence, which have left still open sentimental, spiritual and musical wounds.

The conundrum of the title refers to the problem of reconciling an authentic repertoire for those wishing to use replicas of the three early wire strung harps, with what little real evidence exists. Since as in any such exercise the foundations of any evidence base needs to be solid; this critical analysis examines how firm that foundation, based mostly on a few interlinked modern published works, really is. This also includes a fresh evaluation of an apocryphal story from the harper Arthur O’Neill’s memoir noted down circa 1808, which formed part of that evidence, by expanding on the brief discussion in an addendum to the article Mapping the Clarsach in Scotland  https://www.wirestrungharp.com/harps/harpers/mapping-clarsach/

À partir de l’exemple d’une tradition initiatique du Gabon, cet article étudie l’attribution d’une forme d’agentivité aux artefacts rituels et plus particulièrement aux instruments de musique. Dans le Bwete, la harpe et l’arc musical sont dotés d’une voix conçue à l’image de celle des hommes, mais prêtée aux entités surnaturelles dont le rituel sert à convoquer la présence. Cet anthropomorphisme repose sur un savoir symbolique de type mythique, mais également sur deux procédés iconiques complémentaires : un iconisme visuel qui donne à voir un visage et un iconisme sonore qui fait entendre une voix.

Myth and Mist: The early history of the Harp in Scotland. Given at the 24th Edinburgh International Harp Festival. 5th April 2005.

An exploration of the history of the Scottish harps  viewed in their historical setting when the geographical boundaries of 'Scotland' were considerably more elastic than today.

Welche Musik ist aus dem Alten Ägypten überliefert, welche Instrumente gab es, wer fungierte als Musiker? Kannte man schon Formen der Notation? Diesen Fragen geht der Vortrag nach, ergänzt durch live-Musik aus dem Alten Ägypten, begleitet mit einer Laute aus der Zeit Tutanchamuns.

Father Pius Hancke’s music collection includes numerous pieces written for harp. Its out-standing repertoire and provenance distinguishes it from other monastic collections. Hancke expanded it throughout his life and took it with him when moving home. He spent the last thirty years of his life in the Dominican monastery in Nysa. Music for the liturgy contained in his collection (masses, litanies) was certainly used there and is currently the only testimony of that monastery’s musical culture. Besides liturgical compositions, Hancke’s collection includes a number of instrumental pieces for harp with the accompaniment of other instruments and contrafacta of operatic arias. The latter often include parts arranged for harp, probably by Hancke himself. The scriptors’ names link this collection to a unique manuscript containing a Credo ascribed to Antonio Vivaldi.

1. Gaspar Sanz: Folías, for guitar (from Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española, Book 2)
2. Juan Hidalgo: Paynándose estaba un olmo
3. Juan Hidalgo: ¡Tonante dios!
4. Antonio Martín y Coll: Canarios (from Huerta ameno de varias Flores de Música)
5. Juan Hidalgo: Ojos, pues me desdeñáis
6. Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde: Susana Pasegiata Basso Solo (Canzoni, fantasie et correnti No. 7)
7. Juan Hidalgo: Cuydado Pastor for voice & ensemble
8. Gaspar Sanz: Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra espanola, Book 1: Canarios
9. Juan Hidalgo: ¡Ay, que sí, ay, que no!, tono
10. Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz: Españoletas, for guitar (or harp)
11. José Marín: Aquella sierra nevada
12. Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde: Fantasía
13. José Marín: No piense Menguilla ya
14. Francisco Guerau: Marionas
15. Sebastián Durón: Sosieguen descansen
16. Juan Hidalgo: Ay, que me río de Amor
17. Gaspar Sanz: Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española: Lantururú
18. Juan Hidalgo: De las luces que en el mar, for voice & ensemble

Moving from the courtly environment of Castilla and Aragon on the eve of the encounter with America, the study will focus on emblematic musical figures of Spain in the late XV, XVI and early XVII centuries, to understand the cultural roots of the music that the Spaniard eventually exported to the New World, as well as the influence of indigenous American and African music on the formation of specific models of Hispano-American music. Emphasis will be put on the personalities, activity and musical works of those musicians who, born and educated in Spain, moved to America to create the basis of colonial music until the end of XVII century, and on the role of criollo musicians in the definition of the typical traits of early American music. The history of the Spanish harp, its role in the early history of colonial music, as well as the organological and musical transformations that this instrument experienced in the New World will be enlightened. The choice of the main musical characters and the selection of original music and arrangements is designed to build the program of a concert for harp/continuo and voices. It will present the encounter between two worlds, highlighting the origin and development of the early music in the Hispanic colonies in America.

The harp is one of the oldest instruments, journeying from African origins while also developing indigenously in many cultures due to its connection to the bow and arrow and other everyday objects. Its long history means many effective and expressive approaches to harp composition exist. However, most are unknown in today's art music world.
As Western classical music rose to prominence (for reasons ranging from artistic to political to geographical), non-pedal harps faded from the spotlight. Conventions like writing for harp as a keyboard instrument solidified, plus the harp's footprint shrunk to a private, feminine salon realm, decreasing its scope on all levels.
This paper gathers harp composition techniques from around the world and throughout time into a treasury for modern composers to use. Organized chronologically and by region, the methodology involved revisiting classical lyres and a wide array of African harps; Middle Eastern angular harps and their offshoots such as the kanun; Asian harps such as Burmese harp, the guzheng and modern konghou; Latin American harps of many kinds; historical and so-called folk European harps; and modern innovations such as electric harp and use of materials such as carbon.
Discoveries were made and documented regarding these main areas:

1. Physical techniques and gestures

2. Alternative Scales/Modes/Maqamat/Ragas

3. Alternative Temperaments

4. Rhythms and Cycles

5. Ornamentation and Phrasing

6. Textures

7. Forms

8. Role

9. High-level concepts such as spiritual orientations, working with the seasons

10. Accessories such as plectra and other tools

11. Employing non-traditional materials such as carbon and electrification

As Leopold Stokowski said, the harp is in many ways the least understood instrument. By reclaiming time-honored harp techniques worldwide and using them on our modern lever and pedal harps in composition and performance, we access the true potential of this magical instrument, resulting in more powerful, expressive and innovative artistic creation.

Il modello "Gotico" rappresenta il punto di arrivo dello sviluppo liutaio della Maison Erard per quanto riguarda la produzione di arpe. Esso nasce dal genio di Perre Erard e dalla sua stretta collaborazione con Nicolas Charles Bochsa, che rivoluzionerà l'estetica dello strumento e lo renderà strumento alla moda in Inghilterra, a partire dal 1817. Il presente studio ripercorre le tappe che portarono all'ultimo importante brevetto delle arpe Erard e al legame artistico e lavorativo che unì Pierre Erard e Nicolas Bochsa

Although the manuscript lat. 7330 (Bibliothéque Nationale de France, lat. 7330, ca. 1220–1240), an extract of a translation of Abū Ma'šar's <Introductorium maius in astronomiam> by Gregorius Zothorus Zaparus Fendulus, does not contain the earliest iconographic source for the harp, the label that accompanies its picture in the second decan of Aries certainly makes this source a very important one. If Gregorius mistook the word <harpe> in the context of Perseus for the musical instrument, it suggests that the term was, in his environment, more commonly used to denote the musical instrument than the scimitar. That is a rare proof that the word <harp> was, by the first third of the 13th century, accepted in the Latin language of southern Italy to denote the same instrument that we understand today to be the harp.

"Resumen: En el presente artículo se esgrimen los argumentos históricos, estilísticos y técnicos utilizados para la adaptación y orquestación de la obra original para arpa cromática y piano Prélude, Valse et Rigaudon, del compositor Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947), trabajo realizado por Juan Francisco Sans y Cecilia de Majo en 2002, que se encuentra comprendido dentro del marco de un proyecto más general de orquestaciones de obras de autores venezolanos del siglo XX que adelanta el autor de este escrito.

Palabras clave: Reynaldo Hahn, arpa cromática, arpa a pedales, Debussy, Ravel, concierto."

Der Band versammelt Forschungsbeiträge zur nordalpinen Groß Geige um 1500 und zur Harfe in Rom um 1600. Um zu neuen Erkenntnissen zu gelangen, wurden Instrument, Repertoire und Spielweise praktisch erprobt und auch nicht-musikalische Quellen ausgewertet. Diese Herangehensweise entspricht den beiden Projekten, in deren Rahmen die Beiträge entstanden sind: dem SNF-Forschungsprojekt "Groß Geigen, Vyolen, Rybeben – nordalpine Streichinstrumente um 1500 und ihre Praxis" und dem Studientag "Orazio Michi dell’Arpa", der im April 2015 an der Schola Cantorum Basiliensis stattfand.

https://schwabe.ch/9783796540691/gross-geigen-um-1500-orazio-michi-und-die-harfe-um-1600?c=833#bibliographical-data

The lovely old air, Da mihi Manum, which in Latin means Give Me Your Hand, is said to have been composed by Ruaidri Dáll Ó Catháin, c. 1650. He is known in English as Rory Dall O'Cahan (1, 2). Legend has it that O Cathain was insulted by Lady Eglinton, who imperiously demanded he write her a tune. In a fine fit of bardic huff, O Cathain turned on his heel and stalked off. Lady Eglinton realized he was a bard of high status, and apologized for trying to order him around. O Cathain then wrote this tune for her as a peace offering. It is interesting that it has a Latin title, rather than Gaelic.  This is also said to be part of a body of ancient harp music hidden in lute manuscripts in Scotland...

Aus pharaonischer Zeit sind verschiedene Instrumente überliefert
wie  Lauten,  Trommeln  oder  Klappern.  Im  Grab  des Tutanchamun  wurden  zwei  Trompeten  gefunden,  die  sogar  noch spielbar waren. Anhand von Repliken versucht man, die Spielweise und  der  Instrumente  zu  rekonstruieren. Altägyptische Lauten waren mit Saiten aus Tierdarm bespannt. Der Resonanzkörper bestand aus Holz oder einem Schildkrötenpanzer, die Decke aus Leder.