Harps and Harpists

by Roslyn Rensch

Beautifully illustrated with more than 130 photographs and drawings, this book surveys the progress of the harp from antiquity to the present day -- from the simple bow-like early harp to the gleaming modern pedal harp, most recently equipped with the refinements of electronic sound. Part I considers the harps of the ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Cycladic peoples, those of the fabled Scythians, and traditional instruments still played in Burma and Afghanistan. Part II presents the non-pedal harp in the Western world, from early in the Christian era to the 20th-century. Examples from art and literature are discussed, along with extant early harps and some important harpists and their music. Part III traces the development of the pedal harp over the last 300 years. Famous performers, teachers, and harps are highlighted. The book concludes with information on the modern study of the harp, on harp societies, conferences and competitions, and on the burgeoning repertoire of harp musi

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction

329 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1989

Reviews

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even as I'm on the computer! This site is a total mess! Goodreads really needs to take some UI tips from Letterboxd. I feel like this site hasn't been updated since 2012. Harps and Harpists was terrific. Got the information I wanted with a bunch of great photos. A little dry, but not really in a position to complain, it's harp history.

[Brent Woo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty straightforward if not dry history of the instrument. I guess I'm more interested in the modern history of the instrument and repertoire, post-double-action. The whole section on modern non-pedal harps is just 3–4 pages. I choose to interpret this positively: the harp world is vibrant and moving fast. Any history is doing its best job not if it can spell out how the harp world looks right this very moment, but if it brings you to the point where you can jump off into and discovery the dizzying variety of today's instruments on your own. Which this does.

[Stephanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, straight-forward, interesting, well-researched. I took copious notes and also appreciated the many images.

Covered all the bases - early harps, Celtic, European, triple, chromatic, single-action pedal, double action pedal, etc.

[jOsEpHiNe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent non-fiction book that I received as a gift.

The cover artwork is lovely, a C-D is included (the music is beautiful), and it contains great info about harps.

Nice for leisurely reading.

Contains color photos and detailed history of the harp.