Harp History & Development

Five thousand years ago the first harp was made. Primitive harps were found in the tombs of the Egypt Pharaohs. The Biblical references, also bow shaped artifacts from Ancient Greece.

Some harps and lyres dating from 2800 BC have been found in Ur near Mesopotamia. The Claireach, a more elongated shape, was introduced to Ireland before the Christian era from Spain. With the coming of St. Patrick to Ireland in 432 AD it became very popular. Wales received the harp from Ireland and changed the strings from metal, to horse hair and gut. It then became popular in England and Scotland.

In Scandinavia the harp was viewed as an instrument for noblemen only. A commoner found to play the harp was condemned to death.

Between 1792 and 1802 John Egan established a factory in Dublin to build harps. A mechanism was developed connecting the string arm hooks with levers that could be operated by the feet. A great step forward. But none were really practical until finally the Couineau harp makers in Paris developed the present day pedal harp. Because all harps were gilded with 22CRT gold, the price made them only for the wealthy. In the last fifty years there has been a great resurgence of harp playing. The building of smaller harps, and the absence of the gold has made them more affordable. Pedal harps are still the price of a small car, but the Celtic harp is now in a price range for beginners, and enjoyed and loved by those harpists who never wish to play the pedal harp.

In the encyclopedia under musical instruments Chordophones are instruments in which the sound is made by vibrating the strings. These are bows, lyres, harps, lutes and zithers. The bow is the oldest, this and the lyre are still common in Africa. Orangology is the study of instruments, the relationship of the strings to the soundboard provides the means of classifying the harp. The strings of the harp run obliquely from the sound board to the neck, therefore the harp is not part of the string family but is actually a separate entity.

Just a word about harpists. In 1875 the general consensus of opinion was the harp was much too complicated for a women to play! In the year 2000, another noted and harpist and composer wrote, "The harp is incredibly complicated neurologically speaking. Many of my colleagues who have considerable piano and organ background lament the time it takes to memorize harp music compared with keyboard. Many musicians like myself feel naked behind our harps and our musical shortcomings become very apparent." Today we have thousands of men, women and children who enjoy playing this magnificent instrument.

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