J. S. Bach on the Wire-strung Harp This instrument is NOT just for Irish tunes and Renaissance Faires!!
Hier haben wir den Kapellmeister, Herrn Johann Sebastian Bach. Wir hören nicht so gerne, dass die irische Drahtharfe von manchen immer wieder als “Renaissance Faire” instrument bezeichnet wird. Nein! Wir spielen, soli Deo gloria! On my new Argent Fox double strung harp with a full set of Truitt sharping levers, it is possible to play […]
Harp Ornaments (the carved wood kind)
My Argent Fox double-strung harp was originally planned to have wood carvings added to it but that final touch was overlooked as other concerns took precedence preparing for the harp’s delivery in fall 2022. This spring I decided it was time to revisit that forgotten detail and complete the visual aesthetic of the harp. My […]
Lessons & Carols on double-strung wire harp
We’ve selected the carols and Christmas hymns we’ll be singing for Lessons & Carols at our church on December 31st. Most of these will be played on the pipe organ and I’ll be accompanying on my double-strung wire harp. The collection this year will be: (from the Episcopal Hymnal 1982) Once in Royal David’s City […]
Harps in memory of our beloved kitties…
After two months of carefully changing out my bronze wires for copper phosphor bronze ones and bringing my double-strung harp up to tension (currently at A=390, Baroque pitch), my newest wire harp is ready to make his grand appearance at our Christmas Eve services! In the harp world, we tend to give our harps a name. […]
Restringing my Double Wire Harp part III Bringing up to pitch & tuning
If you’ve been following along, you’ve been reading about my wire harp restringing project over the past two months. It’s gone quite well, with all the bronze monofilaments replaced with copper phosphor bronze wires. Some of the strings original to the harp broke at the tuning pins as I carefully removed and I noted these […]
Restringing my Double Wire Harp, part II half done...
My last batch of replacement wires have arrived for my harp and I’ve learned from my string maker Laurie at Markwood Strings (highly recommended by the way!!) that the old strings which were breaking so much are bronze only. My new ones are copper phosphor bronze alloy and Laurie very kindly provides them with the […]
Restringing my double wire harp A followup to my Frequently Breaking Strings post
I’ve started the long, slow, tedious process of changing all the strings on my double-strung wire harp. If you haven’t read my earlier post on my difficulties with its strings, please feel free to read here. I made a list of all the strings that needed replacing, that is, the ones that are original to […]
Frequently Breaking Harp Strings Restringing my harp...
At the moment my now-primary church harp is Esabelle, my cross-strung wire harp. Here she is: She’ll need to be my prelude/postlude/Communion/hymn accompaniment harp for the foreseeable future, because: 1. She’s lightweight 2. She can be quickly carried in a nice green weatherproof bag for those torrential rainy Vermont mornings (see #1) 3. In the […]