Instrument Exhibit: Andrew Lawrence-King, Medieval Harp

[@MacKenziePoet]

What power from tradition! Perfect presentation...

[@gatozarin]

sounds so medieval! awesome harpist, thank you for the video!

[@dahlrussell]

Thank you so much for this! My harp students are playing medieval music for the Christmas recital this year, and this is a marvelous educational tool for them!

[@BSIII]

That harp sounds absolutely amazing

[@danjf1]

Thanks for posting this! As a lifelong amateur musician (percussionist and piano, mostly) I am glad to always find new instruments from our collective past to enjoy, thanks! 👍👍

[@user-mj4wt7eb7b]

Loved this so much!!

[@jeffpeters7223]

I love the sound of this instrument, and I am surprised that nobody mentioned that it is a bray harp. The buzzy kind of sound is because there are wooden pins in the sound board right at the base of the strings, and they touch the string to give it that buzz. Forgive me if I am just ignorant, and that any harp defined as medieval is a bray harp, and has that sound.

[@limerickearlymusic]

Thank you for your message! Actually, this particualr harp is a Romanesque harp, and does not have the wooden hook-shaped pins which give the later 'bray' harp its characteristic sound. (It does, however, have a brighter and more buzzy tone than many other similar Romanesque harps). Here's a good example of a bray harp: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f57FZoWpjL5lnsk In Bill Taylor's video you can see up close the unique shape of the bray pins, and in the sound you can compare that the buzz of the bray harp is appreciably buzzier. Thank you for visiting!

[@rainytrain3700]

I'm in love with this video. I keep re-watching. How do I find a medieval harp with that unique sound? Is it the strings he's using, or the way its tuned? Or is it the harp itself?

[@limerickearlymusic]

Thanks so much--it's likely all of the above! Tuning will most likely be Pythagorean, based on all fifths being perfect, and this works with an instrument of smaller range. As to getting a harp, it all depends where you are located, i.e. Western or Eastern Europe, North or South America, Asia/Australia/Pacific, Africa, Middle East...there are probably makers somewhere near you (or willing to post!) Best of luck, drop us a line at info (at) limerick early music (dot) com for any other inquiries.

[@MacKenziePoet]

I know! I keep coming back to it as well, especially as I am considering taking up the instrument for purposes of minstrelsy.

[@fionaengel7143]

What a beautiful sound!May I ask where this harp can be purchased?

[@I_Wish_I_Was_Home]

my Harper and McWhorter Ancestry the surnames originate from a Harp Player in general Harper is English and McWhorter Scottish le harpur and Mac Chruiteir

[@I_Wish_I_Was_Home]

McWhorter MacWhorter McQuarter McWater MaWorter McWherter MacWherter McWhirter MacWhirter McQuirter

[@tacfoley4443]

It sounds, to my ears, awfully out of tune, by that, I mean, atonal. When did we begin to write music that is more pleasing to our present-day ears?

[@dahlrussell]

J. S. Bach’s music was a real turning point. His preludes & fugues are an example of trying to standardize tuning.

[@MatthieuStepec]

It is neither out of tune nor atonal. Also the answer here suggesting Bach had anything to do with tuning is wrong. If your question is when equal temperament became the norm, that would probably be the 19th century. It is possible that medieval music sounds foreign to you because it is quite different from later tonality.

[@Chad_Thundercock_III]

What is the instrument in the intro called?

[@limerickearlymusic]

Thank you for your question! From 00:00-00:20, the instrument playing the introductory music is a harpsichord, and the piece being played is by the French compsoer Louis Couperin, his Chaconne in D.

[@Chad_Thundercock_III]

@@limerickearlymusic thanks for the answer