Harp Spectrum

Practical Advice on Playing the Medieval Harp: Footnotes

1. For an excellent discussion of this issue see Martin van Schaik, The Harp in the Middle Ages, The Symbolism of a Musical Instrument (Amsterdam-Atlanta, GA, 1992).

2. S. Ron Cook: The Presence and Use of Brays on the Gut-Strung Harp through the 17th Century: a Survery and Consideration of the Evidence. Historical Harp Society Bulletin, Volume 8, No. 4 (Summer 1998).

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3. Although the ms is dated 1613, the music evidently dates largely from the 15th century. This manuscript provides exercises for a fingernail technique which makes precise and detailed use of damping techniques. Although outside the specific scope of this essay, much work has been done on this important area by harpist William Taylor.

4. The harp depicted in a triptych dated 1390 from the Piedra Monastery, Madrid shows a small Romanesque style harp with two rows of strings, 14 strings on the visible left side.

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5. Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) describes a harp strung with 25 strings in his poem Dit de la Harpe.

6. The medieval harps, both the gothic and Cythara Anglica models, built by historical harp builder Rainer Thurau of Weisbaden, Germany exemplify these characteristics and are among the finest medieval harps being made.

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7. S. Ron Cook's extensive listing of iconographical sources is available throught the Historical Harp Society.

8. Later Welsh sources equate the sound of the bray harp with the buzzing of bees. See S. Ron Cook The Presence and Use of Brays on the Gut-Strung Harp through the 17th Century: a Survery and Consideration of the Evidence.

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9. See Christopher Page, Voices and Instruments of the Middle Ages (Berkeley, 1986) Appendix 4, String-materials in the Middle Ages: 210-242.

10. In 1460, the theorist Paulus Paulirinus describes a gut strung harp, probably a bray harp, being plucked with fingernails. See Judy Kadar, "Some practical hints for playing fourteenth and fifteenth century music," Historical Harps (Dornach, 1991): 130.

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11. Speculation about possible chromatic, single row, 17th century wire-strung harps exists. Another exception is the use of sister strings on the early Irish harp. See Ann and Charlie Heymann, "Clairseach: The Lore of the Irish Harp," Eire-Ireland XXVI No.3 (Fall, 1991).

12. For example, I recommend Brevis Summula Proportionum Quantum ad Musicum Pertinet and Parvus Tractatulus de Modo Monacordum Dividendi by Prosdocimo de Beldomandi. A new critical text and translation by Jan Herlinger, University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln and London, 1987).

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13. From Breviarium regulare musicae (England, c.1400) Bodleian Libr. at Oxford, Bodley 842, f.66v and The Berkeley Manuscript (French, c.1350-75). See The Berkeley Manuscript. A new critical text and translation by Oliver B. Ellsworth. University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln and London, 1984).

14. In his article on the Berkeley Manuscript Christopher Page says of this diagram, "Fortunately the second harp in the manuscript is straightforward. Its eleven strings are tuned to a diatonic series MS: a b c d e f g a b c d. The number of strings has probably been reduced for ease of drawing; Machaut mentions twenty-five...." Then number of strings quite clearly corresponds precisely to the description in the text. The relationship, if any, of this harp to the harp described by Machaut is unclear. See Christopher Page, "Fourteenth-century Instruments and Tunings: a Treatise by Jean Vaillant? (Berkeley, MS 744)," The Galpin Society Journal 33 (1980): 31.

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15. The author thought she had "invented" the system of stringing the harp in this way in 1978. In 1980, after using this system with great success for almost two years, when doing research on the triple harp, she discovered Mersenne's diagram and was excited to have some historical confirmation.

16. Marin Mersenne, Harmonie universelle (Paris, 1636): 169-171. Translations of Mersenne's texts by Charles Pearo in consultation with Cheryl Ann Fulton.

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17. He says that his contemporary musicians, however, make more extensive changes but still keep a few constant pitches. He also indicates that by the early 1600's the buzzing sound of the "old" bray pins was still known but not in fashion. He does not, however, describe how the brays created the buzzing sound as he said he would.

18. The use of an electronic tuner with variable temperament settings including Phythagorean may be advisable for harpists not familiar with or accustomed to temperaments other than equal temperament. Many might be surprised to find that their perception of a fifth is far from perfect!

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19. Christopher Page, Voices and Instruments of the Middle Ages : 112.

20. Ibid: 114.

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21. Ibid: 116.

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22. See also Kadar, Historical Harps: 125-128

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23. George Houle, Meter in Music (Bloomington & Indianapolis, 1987): 85.

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24. For example, a modern day pedal or folk harpist whose fingers are primarily trained and accustomed to playing triadic chordal arpeggios and even, equally articulated scales will have mental and physical habits which neither easily apply to late medieval music nor facilitate an appropriate technique on historical harps.

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25. Arnold Hauser, The Social History of Art, Vol. 1 (New York, 1957): 167.

End of Footnotes

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