Bohemian harp

Images of Bohemian harps have been found dating to the 18th century, in Přísečnice, as well as Nechanice. The Bohemian harp was especially popular in Prague, and especially in Přísečnice, where a factory for the harps was created, as well as a harp school.{{Cite web |date=27 December 2014 |title=Bis in den Salon des Zaren – böhmische Harfenspieler im 19. Jahrhundert |url=https://deutsch.radio.cz/bis-den-salon-des-zaren-boehmische-harfenspieler-im-19-jahrhundert-8273939 |access-date=30 November 2022 |website=Radio Prague International |language=de}} The harp was spread to Western Europe after a fire hit the town in 1811, causing mass emigration away from it.{{Cite book |last=Binterová |first=Zdeňka |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4E_4GAAACAAJ |title=Zaniklé obce Chomutovska a Kadaňska od A do Z |date=2006 |publisher=Oblastní muzeum |isbn=978-80-239-7630-4 |language=cs}} The harp became so popular in Germany, that Johann Georg Heinrich Backofen once referred to it as "our German harp".{{Cite web|title=Das Goethezeitportal: Hakenharfe|url=http://www.goethezeitportal.de/wissen/projektepool/musik-harfe/das-musikinstrument-harfe/hakenharfe.html|access-date=4 December 2022|website=www.goethezeitportal.de}}

The tradition of harp playing in Bohemia ended around the First World War, when Bohemia again experienced mass emigration. However, specimens can be found in many Czech museums. Since around 2002, some individuals have constructed versions of the harp, based on these specimens, and the Klangwerkstatt in Markt Wald.{{Cite web |title=Böhmische Harfe – Klangwerkstatt Markt Wald |url=https://www.klangwerkstatt.de/boehmische-harfe |access-date=1 December 2022 |website=www.klangwerkstatt.de}}

{{Anchor|Tyrolean harp}}

A variant of the Bohemian harp, the Tyrolean Harp, can still be found in areas of Tyrol. It was brought across by Bohemian workers working in the local mines, {{Cite web |last=deutschlandfunk.de |title=Von Tristan und Troubadix |url=https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/von-tristan-und-troubadix-102.html |access-date=1 December 2022 |website=Deutschlandfunk |language=de}} sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Tyrolean harps are typically tuned in E♭ major, but could be played in E major due to the strings' hooks. It, like the Bohemian harp, uses a curved soundboard.{{Cite web |title=Tiroler Volksharfe oder Liederharfe – Harfe Harfen Arpa Harpe Harpa |date=4 November 2017 |url=https://www.harfen.at/wp/tiroler-volksharfe-oder-liederharfe/ |access-date=1 December 2022}} It differs from the Bohemian Harp in that it is a cross between a keyed harp and a pedal harp, using a single pedal (unlike most modern pedal harps). This pedal mechanism was created in 1720, by Bavarian harp maker Jacob Hochbrucker, from Mindelheim. It also has a larger range than the Bohemian Harp, using six octaves.{{Cite web |title=Entwicklung der Harfe in Europa und der Welt – Finess Harfen |url=http://www.finess-harfen.de/harfenlexikon/articles/entwicklung-der-harfe-in-europa-und-der-welt.html |access-date=1 December 2022 |website=www.finess-harfen.de}} The Tyrolean harp is very popular in tradition Tyrolean folk music, both as an accompaniment and a solo instrument.{{Cite web|last=von|date=31 October 2019|title=Der fidele Seppl|url=https://volksmusikland.at/2019/10/31/der-fidele-seppl/|access-date=4 December 2022|website=volksmusikland.at|language=de-DE}}

File:Anna-Maria_Hefele_jm102658.jpg plays a self-built Bohemian Harp at the Black Forest Voices Festival at the St. Gallus, Kirchzarten church on 30 June 2019. The instrument to the right is a Nyckelharpa.|239x239px]]The harp's pillar is mostly built of spruce. In original instruments, the soundboard uses a vertical wood grain, with some models using a herringbone pattern or diagonal grain (which was exceedingly rare). The instrument had sound holes in the top of the harp, as opposed to conventional harps, which have them in the back wall.{{Cite web |title=Harfenbau Pepe Rasmus Weissgerber |url=http://www.weissgerber-harfen.de/boehmische.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |website=www.weissgerber-harfen.de}} Bohemian harps have between 30 and 18 strings, with seven strings per octave, with a range of five octaves. The instrument is between 120 and 170 cm tall, and is played seated, standing on the floor.{{Cite web |title=Harfe spielen lernen |url=http://www.harfelernen.de/de/harfen.php |access-date=30 November 2022 |website=www.harfelernen.de}} Strings were made of catgut, but modern replicas use either nylon or polyvinylidene fluoride. The harp notably had a very small distance between the strings, and the strings were held under low tension, to reduce the weight of the instrument.{{Cite web |title=Sören Wendt – Über meine Instrumente |url=http://www.soeren-wendt.de/index2.php?hp=instrumente |access-date=30 November 2022 |website=www.soeren-wendt.de}}

Bohemian harps come in two main varieties, those with levers, on the left hand side of the harp, to adjust the pitch of the strings, and those without. These hooks were used to raise the pitch of a string by a semitone,{{Cite web |date=22 March 2021 |title=Harfe – Musikschule Hildesheim e.V. |url=https://musikschule-hildesheim.de/angebote/instrumentegesang/zupfinstrumente/harfe/ |access-date=1 December 2022 |website=Musikschule Hildesheim e.V. – |language=de-DE}}{{Cite web |last=Hüttel |first=Claus |title=Hakenharfen {{!}} historische Haken Harfen |url=https://www.historical-harps.de/de/harfen/hakenharfen |access-date=26 November 2022 |website=www.historical-harps.de |language=de-de}} and were the forerunner of the semitone pedal on modernday pedal harps.{{Cite web |title=FolkWorld #44: Harfe |url=http://www.folkworld.eu/44/d/harfe.html |access-date=30 November 2022 |website=www.folkworld.eu}} Harps with semitone levers were often referred to as Hooked harps (German: Hakenharfen).

• Jiří Kleňha: Das Harfenspiel in Böhmen: die Geschichte der Wandermusikanten aus Nechanitz. Übersetzt aus dem Tschechischen von Gisela Rusá. 1. Auflage. Granit Verlag, Prague 2002.{{Cite book |last=Kleňha |first=Jiří |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/76602716 |title=Das Harfenspiel in Böhmen die Geschichte der Wandermusikanten aus Nechanitz |date=2002 |isbn=80-7296-019-9 |edition=1. Aufl |location=Praha |oclc=76602716}}
• Nancy Thym-Hochrein: Wanderharfner und Harfenjule. Die Hakenharfe im deutschsprachigen Raum. In: Folk-Michel, 1992, 3, pp. 18–22.
• Elvira Werner: Fahrende Musikanten – eine böhmisch-sächsische Erfahrung. In: Heike Müns (Hrsg.): Musik und Migration in Ostmitteleuropa. R. Oldenbourg Verlag, München 2005, pp. 153–166.

{{Harps}}

Category:Harps

Category:Czech musical instruments

Category:Austrian musical instruments