De chromatische harp
Hier is een korte geschiedenis van de chromatische harp in het algemeen.
De rest moet ik nog vertalen...
Here is a brief history about the origin of the chromatic harp:
Please note that this is a brief summary in my own words, but you can read much more on internet, for example:
An interesting article of chromatic harps by Harper Tasche on Harp Spectrum (also many other interesting articles on Harp Spectrum!)
A clear and comprehensive general history of the harp is available on the website of my colleague Carla Bos - in Dutch
A nice article about the Pleyel harp is available on the website of my colleague Renske Tjoelker - in Dutch
When music from the late Renaissance became more and more chromatic, the Diatonic harp tuned (7 tones in an octave) could no longer follow this musical development.
There were many attempts to adjust harps to the new tone systems: In the Baroque era there were harps with two or three rows of strings, the lever harps were created, in 1720 the single action pedal harps, and 100 years later the double pedal harp was invented.
The lever and pedal harps have one row of strings (diatonic tuning), and by a mechanism each string can be tuned a half note higher, with the lever harps this mechanism is moved by hand and with the pedal harps with the feet.
The levers or pedals can be put in the key of the piece to be played, and when a note needs to be changed one should move the mechanism and change the string.
Baroque harps had more rows of strings: apart from a diatonic tuned row another pentatonic tuned row of strings (for the half notes).
For example: two rows parallel to each other, or three rows of parallel strings where the two outer rows are tuned diatonicly and the middle row tuned pentatonicly.
Also, there were (Spanish) Baroque harps two crossing rows of strings: a diatonic row of strings crossed by a pentatonic row of strings. This kind of harp was played between roughly 1500-1780.
In this last way (the cross rows) is it possible to strum all half notes with both hands without having to grab with the finger through another row.
This system later in history (1894) is reinvented on demand of famous harpists in the "Pleyel" harps (a French manufacturer of pianos) for which Debussy has written his famous "Danses" for example.
Unfortunately the Pleyel factory did not built chromatic harps anymore after the war, probably because harpists generally played in orchestras where a pedal harp was required because of its bigger sound, easier playing techniques and glissando possibilities.
In North America there were manufacturers and players who developed a folky model of an older European chromatic harp around 1980.
These systems are all based on the Diatonic C major scale and the more a track removes itself from this scale, the harder it is to play.
In 1997, Christoph Pampuch developed a harp with crossed strings where one row is tuned into the whole-tone scale of C (c, d, e, f#, g#, a#) and the other row in the whole-tone scale of C# (c#, d#, f, g, a, b).
In this way, all twelve tones in an octave are equivalent to each other (provided the harp is tuned "tempered") and that makes this harp not only suitable for old music, but also for Jazz, improvisation and modern music.
Hier is een korte geschiedenis van de chromatische harp in het algemeen.
De rest moet ik nog vertalen...
Here is a brief history about the origin of the chromatic harp:
Please note that this is a brief summary in my own words, but you can read much more on internet, for example:
An interesting article of chromatic harps by Harper Tasche on Harp Spectrum (also many other interesting articles on Harp Spectrum!)
A clear and comprehensive general history of the harp is available on the website of my colleague Carla Bos - in Dutch
A nice article about the Pleyel harp is available on the website of my colleague Renske Tjoelker - in Dutch
When music from the late Renaissance became more and more chromatic, the Diatonic harp tuned (7 tones in an octave) could no longer follow this musical development.
There were many attempts to adjust harps to the new tone systems: In the Baroque era there were harps with two or three rows of strings, the lever harps were created, in 1720 the single action pedal harps, and 100 years later the double pedal harp was invented.
The lever and pedal harps have one row of strings (diatonic tuning), and by a mechanism each string can be tuned a half note higher, with the lever harps this mechanism is moved by hand and with the pedal harps with the feet.
The levers or pedals can be put in the key of the piece to be played, and when a note needs to be changed one should move the mechanism and change the string.
Baroque harps had more rows of strings: apart from a diatonic tuned row another pentatonic tuned row of strings (for the half notes).
For example: two rows parallel to each other, or three rows of parallel strings where the two outer rows are tuned diatonicly and the middle row tuned pentatonicly.
Also, there were (Spanish) Baroque harps two crossing rows of strings: a diatonic row of strings crossed by a pentatonic row of strings. This kind of harp was played between roughly 1500-1780.
In this last way (the cross rows) is it possible to strum all half notes with both hands without having to grab with the finger through another row.
This system later in history (1894) is reinvented on demand of famous harpists in the "Pleyel" harps (a French manufacturer of pianos) for which Debussy has written his famous "Danses" for example.
Unfortunately the Pleyel factory did not built chromatic harps anymore after the war, probably because harpists generally played in orchestras where a pedal harp was required because of its bigger sound, easier playing techniques and glissando possibilities.
In North America there were manufacturers and players who developed a folky model of an older European chromatic harp around 1980.
These systems are all based on the Diatonic C major scale and the more a track removes itself from this scale, the harder it is to play.
In 1997, Christoph Pampuch developed a harp with crossed strings where one row is tuned into the whole-tone scale of C (c, d, e, f#, g#, a#) and the other row in the whole-tone scale of C# (c#, d#, f, g, a, b).
In this way, all twelve tones in an octave are equivalent to each other (provided the harp is tuned "tempered") and that makes this harp not only suitable for old music, but also for Jazz, improvisation and modern music.
