It is not known exactly when the harp came to be but it was at least as early as 3500 BC. There have been wall paintings found of harps in Egyptian tombs that date back this far, pretty amazing! One theory is that the harp formed as a development of the crossbow. 

The ‘Lyres of Ur’ are some of the oldest instruments ever found and were discovered during an archeological dig in Iraq in 1929. Three lyres and one harp were found and were dated as over 4,500 years old. Unfortunately, some of these instruments were destroyed in the recent Iraq war. 

If we look at Ireland, where I am from, there is evidence of the harp from the 7th century and some people say the 5th. Therefore, the harp has featured heavily in Irish oral tradition throughout the centuries and has become deeply intertwined with Irish history, folklore and culture. 

On the harp, St. Patrick is thought to have said “Nothing could more closely resemble Heaven’s Harmony… but for the twang of the Fairy spell which infests it.”

‘Daghda,’ was one of the ‘Tuatha De Dannan’ which, in Irish folklore, were a semi-divine race that ruled Ireland 4,000 years ago. He was said to have a magical harp called ‘Uaithe’ which had magical healing powers.

These are just a couple of examples of the harp’s place in Irish folklore and history.

 

It is said that in the 11th century, a meeting was held at Glendalough in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Irish and Welsh harpers met here to put down the 24 measures of string music. This was quite a historic event and Glendalough is considered the spiritual home of the harp in Ireland.

 

The Irish medieval harp had wire strings and would have been played with the fingernails. It would have had a small frame and a willow soundbox. Also referred to as a ‘Cláirseach’ or ‘Bray Harp,’ it was central to Irish/Welsh/Scottish traditions up until the 17th century. Harpers would’ve accompanied poets in the old courts and ruling Chieftains would've employed harpers to compose and perform during this time. 

I’d love to be able to travel back in time and see these great halls with their harpers and see the meeting of the harpers in Glendalough. What a rich and magic history.

During medieval times, the wire strung harp was played. Over the centuries, the harp began to evolve, particularly by the 17th century with the Baroque movement. Music became more complex with more key changes and so the harp had to evolve in order to play these melodies.

Thus, the Triple Harp was born. It had three rows of strings, enabling you to play more sharps and flats. Multi row harps probably started in Spain; they had two rows intersecting diagonally. In Italy, harps were more narrow and couldn’t fit diagonally so they had two rows going parallel and decided to put in an extra row - this is where the first Triple Harp came from. By the 19th century, they had died out in Europe - except for in Wales, interestingly enough, where they’re still played today.

 

After The Battle of Kinsale in 1601, Queen Elizabeth ordered to “Hang the Harpers, wherever found, and burn their instruments.” So not a great time to be a harper. After this, the harp nearly died out, and even more so during Penal Times when the playing of all Irish music and instruments was forbidden. 

Yet, the harp survived!

The harp continued to develop further in the 18th century when attempts were first made in Bavaria to create a key changing device. This was perfected by Sebastian Errard in France who created the first Concert Harp. Fun fact; it was Marie Antoinette who first popularised the Concert Harp.

With the Celtic renaissance of the 19th century and the Folk revival of the 60’s and 70’s , the Lever Harp was born. Essentially, it’s a hybrid of the Concert Harp and the ancient wire strung Cláirseach and it’s the kind of harp I play and love.