instruments

Stringing

history archaeology & practice

medieval 16th-17th century 18th-19th century

It is a pity that stringing information does not seem to have been collected by Edward Bunting, who noted much otherwise lost Gaelic harp music from the playing of the 18th century harpers, as well as technical details about their playing. In all the Bunting manuscripts, stringing is mentioned once:

“
Fanning's harp had thirty-five strings, fourteen below and nineteen aboove the 'Sisters' - the eleven upper strings of iron wire „

Letter from James MacDonnell to Edward Bunting, c. 1839

In the early 19th Century, at the time when the Gaelic harp was virtually extinct, folklorists and collecters took notes from the few remaining harpers. They rarely comment in detail on stringing practice, and even when they do, we are none the wiser without knowing what guage system they were using:

“ Largest wire to be got in Flower the wire drawers Church St., Dublin, 5 wires of this, 3 wires of the next size, 6 of the next, 6 7 of the next, 6 5 of the next, 7 8 of the next, making 34 in all... ...1/2 lb each of the 3 first numbers of brass wire, 1/4lb of next which will string the tennor, then there are 2 oz of course and 2 oz of fine treble wire, this constitutes the whole wire. „
John Bell's notebook, 19th Century

“
RULES FOR STRINGING THE IRISH HARP OF THIRTY-SIX STRINGS
Use hard drawn wire
No. 18 in the 8 strings nearest the pillar.
No. 20 in the 7 following.
No. 22 in the 7 following.
No. 24 in the 7 following.
No. 25 in the 7 following which are the shortest. „

Dictated by Patrick Murney, July 1882

As the Gaelic harp tradition came to an end, a new instrument, descended from the European style of pedal harp with gut strings, took over its role as "the Irish harp". The inventor of the new type of harp was frank about his innovation:

“

J. EGAN most respectfully solicits the attention of the nobility and the musical world, to his Newly Invented Portable Irish Harp.

Those beautiful instruments are strung with Gut*...

...the strings, tuning, fingering &c. are exactly the same as the Pedal Harp;...

[footnote] *The Ancient Irish Harp, was Strung with Wire. „

John Egan advertisement, Dublin, 1824

Now with nylon strings as often as gut, this "lever harp" is the most common sort of harp found in Ireland and Scotland.

References

Simon Chadwick

medieval 16th-17th century 18th-19th century

history archaeology & practice

“ Fanning's harp had thirty-five strings, fourteen below and nineteen aboove the 'Sisters' - the eleven upper strings of iron wire „
Letter from James MacDonnell to Edward Bunting, c. 1839