What instrument is the harp hidden in? Creative project: “Stringed plucked instrument harp

I took this story from Valentina Pronina with her permission.

Ancient world.

It is generally accepted that the most distant ancestor of the harp was a hunting bow. Indeed, the bowstring principle might suggest a primitive stringed plucked instrument, though not necessarily of the harp type. Undoubtedly: the harp in the period of its origin was an instrument of the simplest device with a small number of strings. Early history it can be traced in countries ancient culture- Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine and others. Many instruments of the peoples of Africa that have come down to us go back to the distant ancestors of the harp - nanga, kundi, wambi, Vietnamese-Burman sang, Khanty-Mansiysk tor-spl-yukh, better known as "swan", or "crane", Georgian changi, Ossetian dua-dastanon, the so-called "Irish" harp in England, etc.
An interesting example of a harp was found by Soviet archaeologists in the Pazyryk barrow in Altai, dating back to the 5th-3rd centuries BC. - a small thirteen-stringed harp in the hands of one of the musicians on the Ayr-tam frieze (Uzbekistan) of the early 1st century BC. During excavations in Central Asia, the fortress city of the 3rd century Toprak-Kala, located on the territory Ancient Khorezm, a fresco depicting a woman playing the harp was discovered in the palace of the shahs. Among the wonderful wall paintings of the ancient city of Penjikent in Tajikistan (7-8 centuries) there is a beautiful portrait of a harpist with an instrument in her hands. It is interesting that all these images, which reproduce the very process of playing - the movements of hands and fingers, the manner of sound production - show a similar performing school, despite some differences in the shape of the instruments themselves.

Ancient harps were of various types: arched and angular, large and small. One of the most perfect is the Egyptian harp. There was even an opinion that Egypt is the birthplace of this instrument. The harp was extremely popular here. One of the ancient hieroglyphs meant both the word "harp" and the concept of "beautiful".

Egyptian harps were really beautiful, even in their own way. appearance. They were covered with gold, silver, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory, precious stones, etc. During magnificent religious and court ceremonies, large arched instruments were used, exceeding the size of modern ones. They were played standing up. A small corner harp was placed on its knees by a seated musician, plucking the strings with his fingers or with a plectrum.

Very small, portable instruments with a more modest finish, adapted for playing while moving, were also used. Such a harp was placed horizontally on the shoulder and played with hands raised high to the strings. Used at home small tools that were placed on the floor. The performer was also sitting on the floor. Later, for the convenience of the game, they began to use a stand in the form of a lotus; the instrument was inserted into it, like a foot in a shoe. Hence the figurative name "harp shoe".

Harpers often performed in private homes and often in theaters as soloists. Among the latter were outstanding performers. History has preserved the names of Egyptian harpists who lived 4000 years ago - Neferhoteb and Onkhu, harpist singers Bakit, Sesheshet and others. The Egyptian harpist Alexander (2nd century AD) was very famous in the ancient world. He successfully performed in Rome and caused general admiration with his game. Many listeners knew by heart the melodies he performed. The culture of the harp was high and in Ancient Mesopotamia- Mesopotamia, where the harp was called the "queen of instruments." It was used in huge orchestras, uniting up to 500 people. The Babylonian hymn about the creation of man was sung to the accompaniment of nothing but harps. In 1929, in Ur, during the opening of the royal tombs, archaeologists discovered 68 female skeletons in precious wreaths, with gold, silver, copper harps and lyres in their hands.
Apparently, the harp in Palestine was a truly mass instrument. The historian Josephus Flavius ​​(1st century BC) gives information about the celebration, which allegedly involved 200,000 singers, 200,000 trumpeters, 40,000 harpists and 40,000 sistra players. Thus, according to the author, this case almost half a million singers and musicians were employed at the same time! Of course, these figures are fantastic, but, undoubtedly, among the Israelis, playing musical instruments, including the harp, was widespread.

The harp was also found in Ancient Greece and Rome, where it was brought, apparently, from the East, this is evidenced by the ancient writers Strabo, Titus Livy, Juvenal and others. Ancient harps retained their traditional form. Some of them were supplied with a beautiful thin column.

In the Middle Ages, the harp was used primarily in church orchestras and choirs. Monasteries and cathedrals were major centers of musical art. Among the monks there were many outstanding theorists, composers, performers and teachers. The treatises on instruments that have come down to us, including the harp, were written mainly by learned monks.

In the 8th-15th centuries, it entered the musical routine of many European countries. It is often played by native speakers musical culture- jugglers, minstrels, spielmans. The wandering lifestyle of musicians dictated the need to use a small portable instrument, which, however, is quite suitable for accompaniment to singing and recitation. Sometimes these small harps were also included in instrumental ensembles.

(Harp Briana Boro)
Scottish and Irish bards, French troubadours and trouvers, German minnesingers owned the harp.
In 15-17 centuries in Italy, France, England and others European countries, along with small hand harps, are fixed in practice and large ones, which were placed on the floor during the game. With the development of musical culture, there is a desire to enrich the diatonic structure of the instrument with chromatic sounds. Initially, this was done in a simple, even primitive way: the performer shortened the string by pressing it with his finger against the peg frame. Then they began to increase the number of strings. In Italy, there was even an instrument with a double row of strings (for the right and left hands), the so-called double harp "doppia", which existed until the second half of the 17th century.

The scope of the harp also expanded. If earlier her role was limited to accompaniment to a singer or instrument, now the Italian composers Orlando Lasso (1532 - 1594), D. Caccini (1548 - 1618), C. Monteverdi (1567 - 1643) and others began to introduce her into their choral and orchestral works . Thus, Laudem Deum cithara by Orlando Lasso was written for four-part choir, harp, lute, trombone, violin, gamba, zinc and organ. D. Caccini used the harp in "Intermezzo" and in the play "Concert", and Monteverdi - in the opera "Orpheus". In all three works, a double harp was used.

Around 1660, the first hooked harp mechanism was invented in Tyrol; iron hooks were screwed onto the peg frame near each string, which, when turned, touched the string, shortened it, and due to this, the sound increased by half a tone. Thus, a major step was taken towards expanding the possibilities and the first on the way to complicating the mechanism of the harp. Hochbrucker's invention gave impetus to further development harps. The masters achieved the most fruitful results when they worked together with performers and composers. A prime example the commonwealth of the Czech virtuoso-harpist and composer J. B. Krumholz (1742 - 1790) and the master J. Cousino (1735 - 1800) can serve this. They created the "Krumpholtz harp" with a special eighth pedal, called the "pedal-echo", which regulated the sonority from loud to quiet. Later, according to the project of Krumpholtz, Cousino added a ninth pedal - "mute". With its help, the color of the sound changed and the duration of the sound was reduced. Eight-pedal harps remained in practice until the end of the 19th century, and nine-pedal harps fell into disuse soon after their invention. The fourteen-pedal harp by the same master Cuzino had only experimental significance. Krumpholtz is also credited with the idea of ​​creating a double action harp built by Erar.
Simultaneously with the improvement of the design of the harp, the activity of harpists noticeably intensified; many of them were outstanding composers who created music for their instrument. They were grouped mainly in Paris, which by the end of the 17th century had become a true center of harp culture. A popular soloist and teacher at that time was the court harpist Christian Hochbrucker (1733 - 1799), a relative of the inventor of the pedal, hook harp. His pupil, the already mentioned Krumpholtz, together with his wife, an outstanding harpist, also settled in Paris and also enjoyed great success. Among the works of Krumpholtz, the Fifth Concerto for harp and orchestra (B-dur) should be noted. It is cheerful and bright essay, which perfectly demonstrates the performance capabilities of the instrument. It literally "sparkles" with virtuoso passages and brilliant chordal episodes. In the 17th century, the harp began to attract the attention of major composers as well. I.-S. Bach (1685 - 1750) wrote six concertos for harpsichord or harp, an aria for voice and harp in the cantata "Amore traditore" and a partita for clavier or harp. An important milestone on the way to the formation of the solo repertoire is the concert of another great composer of the first half of the 18th century - G.-F. Handel (1685 - 1759).

(Handel)

He wrote specifically for the young English harpist Povel, who played him during the intermission of the opera Alexander. Handel extremely subtly conveyed the specifics of the instrument. He treats the harp as an instrument in the full sense of the concert, he is entrusted with large solo episodes. Harp dubbing chamber orchestra gives it a unique sound. The concert has kept its artistic value up to our time. It is often performed on stage and is sometimes included as a compulsory piece in the harp competition program. Handel also created a number of other works for the harp and used it in the orchestra of operas and oratorios.

Wrote for the harp and the son of J.-S. Bach F.-E. Bach (1714 - 1788)

he owns a solo play and a two-part sonata of a programmatic nature, The Battle of Bergen. The author managed to depict many episodes of the battle with the help of one instrument: here there is a call to battle, and an attack, and a cannonade. Keeping the ancient tradition of using the harp as an accompanying instrument, F.-S. Bach wrote nine works for various instruments accompanied by harp. Very popular among harpists is the harpsichord piece by F.-S. Bach "Solfeggio".
Several solo pieces, as well as a trio for harp, cello and bass, were written by J. Haydn (1732-1809) .

In his family, the harp was one of the favorite instruments; the composer's father played music on it in his free moments, and J. Haydn himself was a good harpist.
The most significant work of that time is the concerto for flute and harp by W. A. ​​Mozart (1756 - 1719)

This work was written in 1778 by order of the Parisian nobleman, an amateur flutist, the Duke de Guin and his daughter, a harpist. Despite the fact that the concerto was intended for amateur performance, it is a genuine classic pattern chamber music and before today rightly considered one of the best decorations in the repertoire of harpists. The concerto requires virtuoso technique in the first and third movements and great expressiveness and melodiousness in the second. His music is cheerful and sunny. Essentially, it is a duet of two instruments with the accompaniment of an orchestra. The flute part is very gently woven into the harmonies of the harp. Each part contains cadenzas, which in that era were created not by the author of the music, but by the performer, who freely improvised to the best of his imagination and performing abilities. This practice often violated the integrity artistic style works, but, on the other hand, various performing possibilities of the solo instrument were revealed in the cadenzas. In addition to the concerto, Mozart owns a small minuet, which served as a theme for harp variations. This product came about by chance. In January 1787, while in Prague, Mozart went into a tavern and heard a wandering musician, the Czech harpist Heusler, playing his own variations on the motif of the opera The Marriage of Figaro. Mozart liked his playing so much that, sitting down at the piano, he immediately composed a short minuet as a theme for variations. However, neither in operas, nor in symphonies, nor in other numerous works did Mozart use the harp.

Beethoven (1770 - 1827) had an undoubted sympathy for the harp. The great composer called it an instrument "like a clavier that could sing." However, for the harp, he created only two works: “Variations on a Swiss Theme” for solo harp and “Romance” for voice (tenor) accompanied by harp. It is especially important to note that Beethoven was the first to use the pedal hook harp in symphony orchestra, including it in the score of the ballet "The Creations of Prometheus", where in the lyrical adagio the harp in combination with other instruments creates a peculiar colorful effect.
Along with the use of the harp in the orchestra, it continues to be used in various chamber ensembles. Harp duets with piano, violin or flute were widely popular. Often the harp was included in the ensemble with such seemingly distant instruments as the clarinet, trumpet, horn. Gradually, the harp of the old design ceased to satisfy the demands of the developing musical art. The search for a more perfect instrument is becoming ever more persistent. And in 1810 - 1812, the famous Parisian piano and harp master Sebastian Erard (1752 - 1831)

makes a real revolution - he creates a harp that has incomparably greater expressive possibilities and technical resources, a stronger and fuller sound, and most importantly - the ability to play in all major and minor keys. New tool, called the double-action harp, was so successful that the basis of its design is preserved in modern harps. Erar's invention went far beyond a purely technical improvement, it marked a genuine musical progress.
Many talented performers appeared on the new instrument. One of the first and unsurpassed in skill was the English harpist Elias Parish-Alvars (1808 - 1849), who is deservedly called "the father of modern harp playing."

Hector Berlioz

writes about him: “I met the wonderful English harpist Parish-Alvars in Dresden. This is Liszt in the art of playing the harp. It is impossible to imagine all that he achieved on his instrument, so limited in some respects: all the effects, sometimes elegant, sometimes powerful, original passages, and also unheard of sonority. His fantasy on a theme from Moses, his variations with flageolets on the chorus of naiads from Oberon, and many other works of the same kind have so fascinated me that I refuse to describe it. The possibility inherent in the new harps gave him the idea of ​​such combinations, which, if you see them written, will seem completely unfeasible. Parish-Alvars enriched his harp playing with a number of previously unknown performing techniques (any kind of glissando, double notes at various intervals, etc.). Now nothing prevented the harp from entering the family of orchestral instruments on an equal footing. This task was carried out by Hector Berlioz. We find the colorful sounds of the harp in literally all of his significant symphonic works. He becomes a true propagandist of this instrument. In 1843 (on the occasion of the opening of an industrial exhibition in Paris), the composer organizes a simultaneous performance of 25 harpists; it made a huge impression on the listeners. At the initiative of the same Berlioz, at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1855, Rossini's prayer "Moses" was performed with the participation of 50 harpists!

Other composers also turned to the harp. She also appears in the opera orchestra. In the very first performance of The Prophet by J. Meibourg (1791 - 1864), the attention of the listeners was attracted by the unusual chords of four harps, divided into two parts. Brilliantly shows the harp in the opera "Lucia de Lammermoor" famous italian composer G. Donizetti (1797 - 1848) .

The orchestral solo turned out to be so successful that it received an independent life as a concert number. It is still a great success to this day. Listeners love this beautiful piece for its melodiousness and cheerful, spectacular virtuosity.
G. Verdi (1813 - 1910) skillfully uses the harp. Most often it occurs in his lyrical episodes. Suffice it to recall the colorful harp part in Renato's aria from Un Ballo in Maschera. In "Aida" (initiation scene), her harsh, dryish chords accompanying the singing of the Great Priestess seem to reproduce the playing of ancient Egyptian cult harps.
The role of the harp in the works of R. Wagner (1813 - 1883) is responsible. In Rhine Gold, for example, six harp parts are written. True, the composer did not really consider the specifics of the instrument, and therefore the harp parts in his operas are not always convenient for performance.
A great connoisseur of the harp was C. Saint-Saens (1835 - 1921), who introduced it into many of his orchestral compositions. Who does not know his famous "Swan" from the suite "Carnival of the Animals" - an extremely expressive and lyrical duet of cello and piano. The piano part in it turned out to be so “harp-like” that it is always performed without changes on the harp. This music inspired the famous choreographer M. Fokin (1880 - 1942) to create a true pearl of Russian choreography - the miniature "The Dying Swan".
A colorful harp in the intermission to the third act of the opera Carmen by G. Bizet (1838 - 1875). Her arpeggios, combined with wide flute and clarinet chants, paint a picture of a mountainous region where the drama will unfold.
G. Puccini (1858 - 1924) interprets the harp in a varied and inventive way, using it literally in all his works. His orchestral parts include such techniques that, first of all, were usually used only in solo compositions for the harp: flageolets, tremolo, trills, grace notes, glissando.
The harp entered the work of the Impressionist composers - C. Debessy (1862 - 1918) especially organically: the harp and flute belonged to Debussy's favorite instruments; he created an amazingly poetic Sonata (trio) for flute, viola and harp, where the sound of instruments of different timbre, perfectly merging with each other, acquire a peculiar coloring; M. Ravel (1875 - 1937): one of the most popular works of the chamber concert stage is his "Introduction and Allegro" for harp, string quartet, flute and clarinet. The part of the Harp in this work acquires the features of a concert, it uses many techniques of solo performance, for example, virtuoso brilliant glissando ups, colorful and rhythmic effects. Performing possibilities are revealed here in their entirety. And also M. de Falla (1876 - 1946): in his poem "Psyche" (to the text of G. J. Aubry), the harp (among the accompaniment instruments) is adjacent to the flute, violin, viola and cello. The combination of different timbres, used with great skill, literally captivates the listener.
Bright harp passages, harmonics, glissando most of all corresponded to the peculiarities of colorful orchestral and chamber works these composers.
In 1897, in Paris, G. Lyon designed a chromatic pedalless harp with cross strings. The abolition of pedals led to the need to almost double the number of strings. The second set of them, like the black keys of a piano, provided chromatic steps throughout the harp's scale. The new instrument initially found supporters who were attracted by the lack of pedals and, consequently, the simplification of the playing mechanism. Classes for playing the chromatic harp were opened in the Parisian and some conservatories in other countries. Among the major performers on it were Tassu-Spencer, Lenar-Tournier. Carried away by a new invention, C. Debussy wrote for a chromatic harp accompanied by a string orchestra interesting work- "Dancing". In the future, however, the chromatic harp did not become widespread and soon fell into disuse, as it lost many of its characteristic and most valuable performance features and, above all, a spectacular glissando.
The harp is often found in the works of R. Strauss (1864 - 1949), who himself learned to play it from famous soloist Berlin orchestra A. Tombo. However, R. Strauss wrote the harp parts in such a complicated way that they are usually performed in the editions of the German harpists F. Penitz, A. Holy and others.
So, by the 20th century, the harp was firmly established in European music as a solo, ensemble and orchestral instrument. In our time, it is difficult to name a composer who would not use it in one or another genre of his work. The famous English composer Benjamin Britten (b. 1913) has an interesting and instructive work - "Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Pursell" with the subtitle "Guide to the Orchestra for Young People". Here, each instrument acts as a soloist and orchestral - the harp is shown in all its most characteristic expressive possibilities (variation No. 9).
The practice of solo concert performance on the harp has also expanded tremendously. Among foreign harpists the world-famous are: Marcel Granjani (America), the author of numerous arrangements, adaptations and original compositions for harp; the Spaniard Nicanor Tsabaleta, who works a lot in the field of early harp music; Milred Dilling, who gives concerts in many countries of the world; Maria Alexandrovna Korchinskaya (England), who graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1911 with a gold medal, in the class of Professor A. I. Slepushkin; Clelia Gati-Al-drovandi (Italy); Pierre Jamet (France); Hans Joachim Zingel (Germany), President of the International Association of Harpists and Professor of the Paris Conservatoire, connecting the performing and pedagogical activity from scientific.

Appearance in Russia.

In the 18th century, the harp also appeared in Russia and soon became very popular. The Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens played a significant role in the formation of harp performance and the training of harpists in Russia. Founded by Catherine II as a fashionable high-society institution for the education of girls from noble noble families, the institute had a rather extensive educational program for that time. Pupils also studied music. Here, for the first time, a class for playing the harp was created. Teaching was conducted on a solid professional basis: best musicians from Europe. The first Russian harpist Glafira Romanovna Alymova (1758 - 1826), well known for famous portrait artist D. G. Levitsky, where she is depicted playing the harp. Since the middle of the 18th century, interest in music in Russia has increased markedly. There are many people who love the art of music and understand it; many of them themselves play the harp, an expensive and fashionable instrument.
An outstanding Soviet performer and teacher, professor of the Moscow Conservatory K. A. Erdeli, harpists E. A. Alymova, V. M. Pushkareva and a number of others were also educated at the Smolny Institute. Music-making becomes the property of not only the court nobility, but also the urban and estate nobility. Wealthy landowners acquired their own serf theaters, choir chapels and orchestras. Fortress artists and musicians wrote glorious pages in history domestic art. One of his remarkable representatives was the serf, and then the wife of Count N. Sheremetyev - Praskovya Ivanovna Kovaleva, based on the stage of Zhemchugov (1768 - 1803). An outstanding singer and actress, she was also an excellent harpist who studied with the court soloist J. B. Cardon (1760 - 1803).
In the list of serfs intended for sale by the landowner L. I. Chertkova, the “fair Arfian” Aksinya Rochegova is mentioned. A versatile musician - a violinist, pianist, guitarist, violist and harpist was the bandmaster Kulikov, freed by G. I. Bibikov. Another freedman of the same landowner, Russian composer D.N. Kashin (1769 - 1814) also knew the harp well and wrote a number of works for it. Among them, variations on the theme of the Russian folk song “I Walk Down the Street” stand out. It is noteworthy that not only Russian, but also foreign harpists were attracted by the melodies of Russian folk songs; they formed the basis of many works created by the famous harpists N. Box (1789 - 1841), N. Dalvimar (1772 - 1839) and F. Naderman (1773 - 1835). Luchinushka by Nicholas de Witte (1813-1844) and The Red Sundress by Charles Oberthure (1819-1895) were very popular.

From the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, the harp became one of the most beloved instruments in Russia. It is widely used as a solo and accompanying instrument not only in the capital but also in the provinces. She could be found in the palace, and in the tavern, and in the noble mansions, and in the hands of impoverished musicians who wandered around the yards. Both women and men are taught to play the harp in private homes and boarding houses. Singing romances to the accompaniment of a piano, harp or guitar becomes a favorite pastime during leisure hours. The harp is lovingly sung by poets. G. R. Derzhavin devoted more than one warm line to her:
No! I hear the harp: its magical sound.
On roses slumbering in quiet-stringed accord,
Like an echo, my ears gently tickle me in the distance;
Ile noise wakes up suddenly close to me a different pen.
We also find a lot of interesting information about playing music on the harp in memoirs - in the memoirs of V. Golovina, A. Bludova, E Stackenschneider and others.
The harp is used by Russian composers and foreign composers who lived and worked in Russia. J. Sarti (1729 - 1802) introduces it into his music for the drama "Oleg's Initial Management" (1790), imitating the playing of the ancient lyre. A number of chamber pieces featuring the harp are written by G. R. Derzhavin.
D. S. Bortnyansky (1751 - 1802): Quintet for piano, harp, violin, viola da gamba and cello and "Concert Symphony" for two violins, viola da gamba, cello, bassoon, harp and piano. These works were intended for a musical circle at the court of Paul I, where the harp was a favorite instrument, but their significance went far beyond amateur music-making. Written with great warmth and sincerity, they appeared interesting monument musical art of the 18th century. Bortnyansky's ensembles were highly valued by performers. The amateur harpist Countess A. D. Bludova writes from Berlin to her father: “Yesterday we played the Bortnyansky Concerto with Lilya. How charmingly music awakens in our memory the best memories of the past! Especially Bortnyansky's Concerto reminds me of everything that is so dear to me: you, Russia, our holy faith, family, friends ... ” Bortnyansky also used the harp in the opera orchestra. Other composers of this era also used it. - O. A. Kozlovsky (1757 - 1831), A. A. Alyabiev (1787 - 1851), A. N. Verstovsky (1799 - 1862).

This enigmatic instrument is rarely seen these days, so it's no surprise that many don't know what a harp is. It was invented several thousand years ago, its design has changed many times, and the sound has become more and more voluminous and bright.

The musical instrument consists of a triangular frame, open on both sides, on which strings of various lengths are stretched. To make the harp sound, the musicians pluck the strings with their fingertips. The length of the string determines how high or low the sound will be. The modern concert harp has a frame 1.8-1.9 meters high and about 1 meter wide, and its weight is 32-41 kg. There are 47 strings of various sizes strung on the frame.

This musical instrument is becoming less and less common, so many people do not know exactly what a harp is. There are others similar instruments. These include the lyre, where all the strings have the same length, but different thickness and tension, as well as the psalter and cymbal, which is played not with fingers, but with hammers.

Story

The earliest harps were probably made from hunting bows and consisted of several strings attached to the ends of a curved base. The Egyptian instrument, which was used about 5 thousand years ago, consisted of six strings fixed on a frame with wooden pegs. By 2500 B.C. e. the Greeks already had large harps, in which the strings were attached to two wooden planks connected at an angle to each other.

By the 11th century, Europe already knew what a harp was. Here, for the first time, frame instruments appeared, where wire strings were inserted into a triangular wooden frame. They were quite small, only about 0.5-1.2 meters high, and were often used by itinerant musicians. Harps could not play higher or lower notes than they were tuned to, so the musicians experimented. To make the sound more diverse, instruments were created with an additional row of strings parallel to the main one. In Wales, some harpists had three rows of strings.

Other masters have taken a different approach. Instead of increasing the number of rows, they developed mechanisms for changing the length of the strings, thus adjusting the pitch. TO late XVII centuries in Austria, hooks were used to shorten the length as needed, providing two notes on each string. In 1720 Celestine Hochbrücker added 7 pedals to control these hooks. In 1750, Georges Cousino replaced the hooks with metal plates and doubled the number of pedals to play three notes per string. In 1792, Sebastian Erard replaced the plates with rotating brass discs with two studs, each gripping the string like a fork as the disc turned. He also reduced the number of pedals to 7 by designing a mechanism that could hold three different positions. Erar's design is still used today in modern concert harps.

materials

The musical instrument harp consists of a large wooden triangular base, usually made of maple. White maple is strong enough to withstand string pressure. Also, spruce is used for some parts of the body, as it is light, strong and flexible, which allows it to evenly respond to the vibrations of the strings and create a rich, clear sound.

The curved plate to which the strings are attached is made of brass. The dials and pedals that control the length are also brass. The complex internal mechanism that connects the pedals to the discs is made of brass and stainless steel, with some parts made of nylon. The strings of the harp are made of steel and nylon. Each material has different properties that make it suitable for a particular string length. The surface of the harp is treated with clear lacquers, and can be decorated with decorative wood panels in walnut or more expensive mahogany. Some instruments are plated with 23 carat gold leaf.

Design

Each harp is a unique work of art. The design of the harp depends on the needs of the performer. Traditional harpists require small, lightweight instruments with strings controlled by levers. classical musicians use much larger instruments with pedal-driven strings. The appearance of the harp ranges from simple geometric lines with natural finishes to intricate carvings with a wide range of embellishments.

How to choose a harp for a beginner musician

Playing the harp depends on how the instrument fits the player's body. For adults sitting on a standard 18" high chair, a 30-34 string floor model will do. For a small child aged 6-8 who sits on a 12-inch stool, the most good option considered a 28-string harp set on the floor.

1. This is one of the oldest instruments in the world: it was invented around 3000 BC. e., and the oldest image of a musician playing the harp is on the walls of Egyptian tombs.
2. Nowhere in the world do more harps exist than in Africa. This musical instrument is used by almost 150 African peoples.
3. The word "harp" was first used around 600 AD and referred to all stringed instruments in general.
4. The range of the instrument is from 1 to 90 strings.
5. Modern harpists play using only four fingers on each hand, touching the strings with the pads of their fingers. The Irish way of playing is more aggressive, here the musicians also use nails to make the sound louder and more shrill.
6. The logo of the popular Irish beer Guinness also features a photo of a harp.
7. The harp has been the national symbol of Ireland since the 13th century.

This musical instrument is becoming a rarity. As a rule, the harp is used in concerts. classical music in orchestras or solo, but there are also communities of enthusiasts who do not let the world forget about this amazing instrument. Thanks to its beautiful, iridescent sound and interesting appearance, it is still respected by beginners and professional musicians.

- (Latin harpa, from ancient German harpha). 1) a musical instrument in the form of a large right-angled triangle with strings of unequal length. 2) a slug from the trumpet-shaped family. 3) cerebral white plate with transverse rods, between the hind legs ... Dictionary foreign words Russian language

"Harp"- "HARP", love verse. early L. (1830-31). Consists of two octaves with masculine rhymes. The image of the harp sounding after the death of the singer became especially popular in Russian. poetry after Zhukovsky's ballad "Aeolian harp" (1814), in which there is clearly a connection with ... ... Lermontov Encyclopedia

harp- The Irish harp often appears on the pages of Celtic myths and legends. Numerous images of her on carved stone reliefs dating back to the 8th-10th centuries have been preserved. and preserved in various provinces of Ireland and in the west of Scotland. In the same time … Encyclopedia of mythology

Harp- Harp. harp (from the ancient German harpa), a multi-stringed plucked musical instrument. Early images in the 3rd millennium BC. Various types of harps are found in many peoples of the world. The modern pedal harp was invented in 1801 S. ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

harp- Harp. Creole harp (arpa criolIa), an old diatonic harp without pedals, usually in C major. From the 16th century was distributed mainly in the cities of the Pacific zone South America, as well as Mexico, later penetrated the countryside ... Encyclopedic reference book "Latin America"

HARP- (from German Harfe) a multi-stringed plucked musical instrument. Early images in the 3rd millennium BC. e. In its simplest form, it is found in almost all peoples. The modern pedal harp was invented in 1801 by S. Erard in France... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

HARP- harp, harp, female (from lat. harpa) (music). A musical instrument in the form of a large triangular frame with strings stretched over it, which are plucked with fingers. ❖ Aeolian harp (special) box with stretched strings that sound melodic from the action ... ... Dictionary Ushakov

HARP- wives. standing harp; a musical stringed instrument in a triangle, with a foot on a long corner; the volume of the harp is six octaves, there are steps for semitones; strings (metal and intestinal) are fingered. Harp, harp sounds. Harp notes. Harper husband... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

harp- chordophone, duadastanon, chang(i), sieve, sieve Dictionary of Russian synonyms. harp n., number of synonyms: 8 arpanetta (1) ... Synonym dictionary

Books

• Harp of David. Collection of Christian songs, Yu.V. Parsnip. Harp of David. Collection of Christian songs ... Buy for 241 rubles
• Harp and Boxing, Viktor Golyavkin. This edition includes a wonderful lyric novel Victor Golyavkin "Harp and Boxing" (1969), addressed to adults ... Buy for 190 rubles
• Celtic harp, orchestral harp, whistle, panderetta and viola da gamba. The Story of a Prince, Olga Piccolo. The muffled sound of an Irish harp and a graceful viola under the fingers of the artist of the Irish Reelroad Orchestra Anastasia Karaseva (Irish harp) and the artist of the Mariinsky Theater Vladimir Gavryushov…

Researchers consider the harp to be the ancestor of all stringed instruments. In addition, this instrument is covered with a flair of romance and love.

“Only he plays the harp,
Who is free and noble
She never sounds
Under the hand of a slave ... "

(author unknown).

And it is probably impossible not to be captivated by the harp.

Poems, songs were dedicated to the harp, many prose writers wrote about it in their works. For example, Leo Tolstoy in War and Peace tells how Natasha Rostova played the harp.

It is not possible to establish for certain how many centuries history has. According to scientists, it appeared in ancient times, according to the leading hypothesis, the creation of a harp, as a musical instrument of a person, brought an ordinary bow during a hunt. One of the hunters, having a refined ear and the ability to feel the beautiful, noticed that when pulling the bowstring, it makes a gentle pleasant sound.

After repeating his action several times, and making sure of the correctness of his perception, he began to experiment. A shorter string stretched next to the first made a slightly different sound, and together with the first, their sound already created a melody. Let it be primitive, but capable of delighting the ears of ancient people. Thus, the first stringed plucked instrument appeared.

Later, subsequent strings were attached to the first and second strings, which, having different lengths, made different sounds. This ancient musical instrument was called the harp.

Harps were very popular in ancient Egypt. One of the ancient hieroglyphs meaning the word "beautiful" also meant the word "harp".

Their images on frescoes dating back to the 15th century BC still resemble a bow. At one time, it was even believed that Egypt was the birthplace of the harp.

Ancient Egyptian harps are striking in their beauty: they were covered with gold, silver, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and precious stones.

Gradually they improved, arched and angular harps, large and small, appeared.

They were played standing up, and only a small corner harp would be put by a seated musician on his knees, and would pluck the strings with his fingers or a plectrum.

The harp melody sounded, and during, at court ceremonies, in theaters, and in private homes.

Ancient Egypt was famous for its many talented harpers and harpists. Even some of the names have survived.

For example, the names of Neferhoteb and Onkhu - Egyptian harpists who lived 4000 years ago, the harpist Alexander, who delighted the audience with his harp playing in the 2nd century AD, the harpist singers Bakit, Sesheshet. Other names of ancient musicians can be found in papyri.

In ancient Mesopotamia - Mesopotamia, the harp was called only "the queen of instruments."

The Babylonian hymn about the creation of man was sung to the accompaniment of harps alone.

But most often harps sounded in large orchestras, which included up to 500 musicians.

In the oldest tombs in Ur, harpists were found buried in precious wreaths along with harps.

One of the oldest harps is considered to be a harp discovered by archaeologists during excavations of the Sumerian city of Ur in Mesopotamia. Scientists believe that this harp is at least four and a half thousand years old.

The historian Josephus Flavius, who lived in the 1st century AD, wrote that in Palestine during the festive celebrations, up to 40,000 harpists played the harps.

The harp was also known in Judea, since King David also played the harp.

In ancient times, the harp was a common musical instrument not only in the East, it was very popular in Ancient Greece and Rome, where, apparently, it came from the Ancient East ... Although the ancient Greeks believed that Hermes invented the harp.

The muse of dance and song has always appeared with the harp.

The harp was considered a symbol of art, beauty, harmony, and tranquility.

Ancient Greek harps were triangular.

In ancient times, harps were part of the culture of the Celts. Their fire god Dagda controlled the change of seasons by playing the harp. Now the harp is the emblem of Wells.

Harps were also found during excavations in the territory of Central Asia. For example, a portrait of a harpist with an instrument in her hands was found in Tajikistan among the wall paintings of the ancient city of Penjikent.

A fresco with a woman playing the harp was found during excavations of the city Fortress III century Toprak-Kala, on the territory of Ancient Khorezm, in the palace of the shahs.

Archaeologists discovered a harp in the Altai in the Pazyryk barrow. According to scientists, this harp was made in the 5th-3rd centuries BC.

In Europe, the harp was especially popular in the Middle Ages.

by the most the best performers Irish harpists were considered, who, to the accompaniment of a small portable harp, performed Irish sagas. An Irish sculpture depicting a harp, which dates back to the 8th century, has been preserved.

The Irish have their own legend about the origin of the harp.
It tells that once upon a time, a young woman dozed off on the seashore and through her dream she heard a sound like the wind, sorting through the sinews on the skeleton of a whale. She liked this melody so much that she told her husband about it, who made the first harp out of wood, stretching the sinews of a whale on it.

But scientists believe that the first harp was brought to Ireland by sailors on merchant ships around 1200 BC. The Irish themselves continue to claim that they invented their own harp. They call its prototype a musical instrument called kruit, which they improved by making a strong frame, and replacing horse hair with gold and silver strings, and called the instrument a harp.

But above all, harps in the Middle Ages sounded in church orchestras and choirs. In those days, it was the monasteries and cathedrals that were the original centers of musical art. And among the monks there were many talented performers, theorists and teachers.

Treatises on instruments that have survived to this day were written by learned monks.

In the XI-XII centuries, harps were common in the homes of the nobility. And only in the XIII-XV centuries it becomes folk instrument and sings in the hands of itinerant musicians, jugglers and others.

There was a time when the harp was banned in England, a law issued by the English government in 1367 forbade harp performers from crossing the border of England.

However, the more prohibitions, the stronger the desire to know the forbidden fruit.

In the XV - XVII centuries in Italy, France, England and other countries, large harps appeared, which were placed on the floor during the game. Gradually, there was a need to improve the harp.

Various attempts were made, so in Italy at one time there was a harp with a double row of strings, for both hands, it was called a double harp - “doppia”. But in the second half of the 17th century, its use was abandoned.

In 1720, Jacob Hochbrucker improved the harp, attached seven pedals to the instrument, which, through conductors, were attached to the fretboard and acted on hooks that increased the tone. Playing the harp just got easier.

In 1810, the famous piano master Sebastian Erard created double-action pedals, which made it possible to raise the sound by a semitone and a tone, respectively, the range of the harp's sound expanded from five octaves to six and a half.

The harp has a triangular shape and consists of a resonant body, about one meter long, to which is attached a flat soundboard, in the middle of which is attached a thin and narrow rail of hard wood. Holes are punched in the rail for fastening the core strings. Pegs are attached to the top to tune these strings. To resist the tension of the strings, a beam is attached between the neck and the resonant body in the form of a column.

The number of strings in a harp gradually increased, at first from 7 to 30. And in a modern large harp, they already have from 45 to 47. A harp can weigh up to 20 kilograms.

As in former times, they try to make the harp beautiful and its elegant frame is decorated with carvings and all kinds of ornaments.

The harp appeared in Russia in the 18th century, during the time of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter I. Girls from aristocratic families, including princesses, played it.

Later, harpists began to be trained at the Smolny Institute, founded by Catherine II.

The first Russian harpist Glafira Romanovna Alymova (1758 - 1826) came out of this institute, who was depicted playing the harp by the artist D. G. Levitsky, V.M. Pushkareva, Professor of the Moscow Conservatory K.A. Erdeli.

In the 19th century, it was already believed that every well-bred girl from a decent family should be able to play the harp.

But serfs also played the harp, for example, Praskovya Ivanovna Kovaleva, after the stage of Zhemchugov, who later became the wife of Count N. Sheremetyev.

Nowadays, the harp is quite different from its ancient and medieval predecessors and is used both as a solo instrument and as one of the instruments of the orchestra.

For the harp they wrote such famous composers like J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, J. Haydn, W. A. ​​Mozart, L. Beethoven, G. Berlioz, R. Wagner and F. Liszt, K. Debussy, N. Rimsky-Korsakov, P. Tchaikovsky, A. Alyabiev, M. Glinka, S. Rachmaninov, S. Prokofiev and many others.

With its unsurpassed sound, the ability to convey the sounds of nature, draw the imagination magic pictures, the harp, like no other instrument at all times, inspired not only composers, but also poets.

"No! I hear the harp: its magical sound.
On roses slumbering in quiet-stringed accord,
Like an echo, my ears gently tickle me in the distance;
Or it suddenly wakes up with a thunderous noise near me.
(G. R. Derzhavin).

“When you put your hand on the harp,
So that the strings tremble in a wonderful game,
You suddenly remember, listening to the sound:
“I entertained him with this song ...”
(Adam Mickiewicz).

"Did you hear in the deep twilight
Air harp light ringing,
When midnight, inadvertently,
Dormant strings will be disturbed by sleep? .. "
(Fyodor Tyutchev).

Since the harp already in the past had a significant sound volume (five octaves), and there was not enough space for the strings of the full chromatic scale, the strings on the harp were stretched only to extract the sounds of the diatonic scale. On a harp without pedals, only two scales can be played - C major and A minor (only natural scale). For chromatic rises in the old days, the strings had to be shortened by pressing the fingers against the fingerboard; later this pressing was done with the help of hooks set in motion by hand. Such harps turned out to be extremely inconvenient for performers; these shortcomings were largely eliminated by the mechanism in the pedals, invented by Jakob Hochbrucker in 1720. This master attached seven pedals to the harp, which acted as conductors, which passed through the empty space of the beam to the fretboard and there brought the hooks to such a position that, firmly adhering to the strings, they produced chromatic increases in the entire volume of the instrument.

Varieties

• Pedal harp - the system changes when you press the pedals. It is a classical harp designed for professional performers.
• Levers harp - does not have pedals, the system changes when the levers on the peg frame are turned. The number of strings is 20-38.
• Irish harp, also Celtic harp - a knee harp, a small instrument.
• An electric harp is a type of pedal harp equipped with electronic pickups.

Device

The harp has the shape of a triangle, constituent parts which are:

• Resonator body-box approximately 1 meter long, expanding towards the bottom; its former shape was quadrangular, the current one is rounded on one side; it is equipped with a flat soundboard (the lower semicircular part is made of maple (on inexpensive models - from hardwood plywood), and the upper flat one is made of spruce, and in the middle of it along the length of the body a narrow and thin rail of hardwood with punched holes for piercing the cores is attached strings).
• Column.
• The peg frame on which the strings are fixed.
• The base is the support of the harp.

The pedal harp also has a main and pedal mechanisms. Has 46 strings: 35 synthetic and 11 metal. They are attached to the soundboard at the bottom of the harp and to the pegs at the top. strings notes Before are red, F- blue or black.

Famous harpists

• Catherine Netsvetaeva
  • Andrey Belov
• Irina Pashinskaya

State symbol of Ireland

The harp has been the political symbol of Ireland for many centuries. It was first used to symbolize Ireland in the Royal Ensign of King James VI of Scots (a.k.a. King James I of England), and has since appeared in all the Royal Ensigns of England, Britain and the United Kingdom, although the style has changed over time.

see also

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Notes

Literature

• Bandas L.L., Kapluk A.A. Harp. Device and repair. - M .: Legprombytizdat, 1985. - 64 p.
• Gazaryan S.S. In the world musical instruments. - M .: Education, 1989. - S. 145-150. - 192 p.

Links

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

bowed Plucked percussion strings percussion keyboards plucked keyboards Friction keyboards Other

Main cast Woodwinds Brass Drums plucked strings Harp Bowed strings Extended squad Woodwinds Brass Drums Bowed strings Keyboards

An excerpt characterizing the Harp

He forgot himself for one minute, but during this short interval of oblivion he saw countless objects in a dream: he saw his mother and her big white hand, saw Sonya's thin shoulders, Natasha's eyes and laughter, and Denisov with his voice and mustache, and Telyanin , and all his history with Telyanin and Bogdanych. This whole story was one and the same, that this soldier with a sharp voice, and this and that whole story, and this and that soldier so painfully, relentlessly held, crushed, and all in one direction pulled his hand. He tried to move away from them, but they did not let go of his hair, not even for a second on his shoulder. It wouldn't hurt, it would be great if they didn't pull it; but it was impossible to get rid of them.
He opened his eyes and looked up. The black canopy of night hung a yard above the light of the coals. Powders of falling snow flew in this light. Tushin did not return, the doctor did not come. He was alone, only some kind of soldier was now sitting naked on the other side of the fire and warming his thin yellow body.
"No one wants me! thought Rostov. - No one to help or pity. And I was once at home, strong, cheerful, beloved. He sighed and groaned involuntarily.
- What hurts? - asked the soldier, shaking his shirt over the fire, and without waiting for an answer, grunting, added: - You never know they spoiled the people in a day - passion!
Rostov did not listen to the soldier. He looked at the snowflakes fluttering over the fire and remembered the Russian winter with a warm, bright house, a fluffy fur coat, fast sledges, healthy body and with all the love and care of the family. "And why did I come here!" he thought.
The next day, the French did not resume their attacks, and the remnant of the Bagration detachment joined Kutuzov's army.

Prince Vasily did not consider his plans. He even less thought to do evil to people in order to gain an advantage. He was only a man of the world who had succeeded in the world and made a habit out of this success. He constantly, depending on the circumstances, on rapprochements with people, drew up various plans and considerations, in which he himself did not fully realize, but which constituted the whole interest of his life. Not one or two such plans and considerations happened to him in use, but dozens, of which some were just beginning to appear to him, others were achieved, and still others were destroyed. He did not say to himself, for example: “This man is now in power, I must gain his trust and friendship and through him arrange for a lump-sum allowance,” or he did not say to himself: “Here, Pierre is rich, I must lure him to marry his daughter and borrow the 40,000 I need”; but a man in strength met him, and at that very moment instinct told him that this man could be useful, and Prince Vasily approached him and at the first opportunity, without preparation, instinctively, flattered, became familiar, talked about that, about what was needed.
Pierre was at hand in Moscow, and Prince Vasily arranged for him to be appointed to the Junker Chamber, which then equaled the rank of State Councilor, and insisted that the young man go with him to Petersburg and stay at his house. As if absent-mindedly and at the same time with undoubted confidence that this should be so, Prince Vasily did everything that was necessary in order to marry Pierre to his daughter. If Prince Vasily had thought ahead of his plans, he could not have had such naturalness in his manner and such simplicity and familiarity in dealing with all people placed above and below himself. Something constantly attracted him to people stronger or richer than him, and he was gifted rare art to catch exactly the moment when it was necessary and possible to use people.
Pierre, having suddenly become rich and Count Bezukhy, after recent loneliness and carelessness, felt himself surrounded and busy to such an extent that he only managed to remain alone in bed with himself. He had to sign papers, deal with government offices, the meaning of which he did not have a clear idea, ask the general manager about something, go to an estate near Moscow and receive many people who previously did not want to even know about its existence, but now would be offended and upset if he did not want to see them. All these diverse faces - businessmen, relatives, acquaintances - were all equally well, affectionately disposed towards the young heir; all of them, obviously and undoubtedly, were convinced of the high merits of Pierre. Incessantly he heard the words: "With your extraordinary kindness" or "with your beautiful heart”, or“ you yourself are so pure, count ... ”or“ if only he were as smart as you ”, etc., so that he sincerely began to believe in his extraordinary kindness and his extraordinary mind, especially since he always , in the depths of his soul, it seemed to him that he was really very kind and very smart. Even people who were previously angry and obviously hostile became tender and loving with him. Such an angry eldest of the princesses, with a long waist, with her hair smoothed like a doll's, came to Pierre's room after the funeral. Lowering her eyes and constantly flashing, she told him that she was very sorry for the misunderstandings that had been between them and that now she did not feel entitled to ask anything, except for permission, after the stroke that had befallen her, to stay for several weeks in the house that she loved so much and where made so many sacrifices. She could not help but cry at these words. Touched by the fact that this statue-like princess could have changed so much, Pierre took her by the hand and asked for forgiveness, without knowing why. From that day on, the princess began to knit a striped scarf for Pierre and completely changed towards him.
“Do it for her, mon cher; all the same, she suffered a lot from the deceased, ”Prince Vasily told him, letting him sign some kind of paper in favor of the princess.
Prince Vasily decided that this bone, a bill of 30 tons, should still be thrown to the poor princess so that it would not occur to her to talk about the participation of Prince Vasily in the case of the mosaic portfolio. Pierre signed the bill, and since then the princess has become even kinder. The younger sisters also became affectionate towards him, especially the youngest, pretty, with a mole, often embarrassed Pierre with her smiles and embarrassment at the sight of him.