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H a r p

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The harp is not like any other member of the string family. It has about 45 strings stretched across its tall triangular frame. The strings are plucked by hand while seven pedals at the bottom of the harp adjust the length of the strings to produce additional notes.  The modern harp used in the orchestra today has over 90 strings and uses a complex pedal-activated system for chromatic alteration of the strings.

Normally triangular in outline, all harps have three basic structural components: resonator, neck and strings. The earliest known use of the word harpa was in about 600 A.D.. In the ancient world, solo harpists and harpists in large ensembles were usually men while harpists who played in small chamber ensembles were often women. In the Western world until the late 19th century, professional harpists were usually men, while women played the harp as a domestic instrument probably from the 17th century. Today, men and women play harps throughout the world; but throughout Africa, in India, Georgia and Siberia women are rarely professional harpists and, in a few cases, are not even allowed to touch the instrument.