Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
PG STUDENT 0898282
Exam No. 9828203
21 August 2009
Acknowledgements 3
Chapter 1: Introduction 4
1.1 Terminology 5
1.2 Review of Related Literature 6
1.3 Theories and Methodology
1.4 Early Revival Period 1892 – 1932 12
Chapter 5: Conclusion 63
Figures 68
Appendix I: Post Revival Harps Catalogue 1932 - 1964: Briggs and Paris 83
Appendix II: Post Revival Harps Catalogue 1970 - 1990s:
Sanderson & Taylor, Brown & Bruce and Firth 103
Appendix III: Present Day Makers Catalogue 1979 - 2009:
Pilgrim, Norris, Yule, Starfish 118
Appendix IV: Comparison Tables 130
Bibliography 137
List of Interviews 145
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The research for this work has only been possible through the cooperation of a great
many individuals who allowed me to view their harps, measure their harps, and interview
them about their harps and views on harp construction and performance. There were also
many people who communicated with me via post, email, phone and sent photographs
and measurements of their harps. Thanks also to the harp-makers of today who
graciously gave of their valuable time to show me around their workshops and discuss
their harps.
Thanks are due to harp-makers Mark Norris of Norris Harps, John Hoare of Pilgrim
Harps, Mike Anderson, Davey Tod and Dave Shepton of Starfish Harps and John Yule of
Yule Harps.
I would also like to thank the following harp owners, performers, and relatives and
descendants of harp owners and harp-makers: Mike Baldwin, Jenny Brockie, Ank van
Campen, Sarah Caughie, Simon Chadwick, Norman Chalmers, John, Helen and Steph
Christie, Stuart Edymann, Ruth Exell-Stevenson, Jean Fleetwood, Marion Firth, Mary
Fleming, Frederick Frayling-Kelly, Jane Freshwater, Anne Garrison, Avril Garwild, Kate
Gray, Rachel Hair, Karen Hickmott, Iain Hood, Jean Hutchings, William Jackson, Alison
Kinnaird, Anabel MacGregor, Kirsty MacGregor, Christine Martin, Darryl Martin at St
Cecilia’s, Meredith McCracken, Catriona McKay, Isobel Mieras, Ben and Clive Morley,
Marie-Louise Napier, Mary O’Hara, Padraig O’Toole, Mike Parker, Keith Sanger,
Graham, Alison and Jean Schreiber, Patsy Seddon, Mona Silli, Danny Sweeney, Bill
Taylor, Fraya Thomson, Mary Veal, the West Highland Museum, and Edward
Witsenburg.
For editing, review and wood identification assistance, thanks to Clemens Bieger and Jo
Morrison.
In the matters of research guidance, I profited from the knowledge of the staff at the
department of Celtic and Scottish Studies, particularly my supervisors Kath Campbell
and Margaret Mackay.
3
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
This work is an investigation into the developments in the construction of small harps in
the UK, specifically Scotland, since the revival of the instrument in the early 20th century
developments.
2004. I was interested by the harp workshop and the construction techniques used to
course on making your own Bohemian harp, run by Klangwerkstatt, a company from
Germany that specialises in running instrument making courses. After producing this
differences between the construction techniques of that style of harp verses the harps that
are made in Britain and primarily Scotland. This aroused my interest to look more
closely at the differing construction techniques to be seen throughout Britain. The first
post revival harps that were produced in Scotland for a general market rather than replica
commissions were made in the 1930s. Was the construction of these harps based on
replicas of Scottish harps or influenced by the pedal harp? How has the development of
the construction of harps in Scotland evolved from the 1930s through to 2009 and what
were the motivations propelling the makers? How have the changing styles of
4
My own background as a performer, tutor, promoter and learner of the Scottish harp has
placed me in an ideal position to carry out this research. My undergraduate degree at the
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama provided a strong foundation for getting to
know the teachers and performers of Scottish music. Since then, my own involvement
with performance, teaching and promotion have taken me throughout Scotland and
abroad. I have been involved in festivals such as the Edinburgh International Harp
Festival, have re-founded the Glasgow Branch of the Clarsach Society and co-founded
1.1 Terminology
For the purposes of this work, I have decided to use the terms “small harp” or “Scottish
harp” or simply “harp” because these terms are commonly in use by performers in
Scotland. These terms are used interchangeably, although “small harp” or “harp” is used
when the harp is not actually built in Scotland. It is to be assumed when the term “harp”
is used that I am not referring to the classical pedal harp (which will always be called the
“classical harp” or “pedal harp”) but am instead referring to the instrument in question for
this work. I have reserved usage of the term “clarsach”1 solely for referencing pre-
revival harps made in Scotland before the 18th century or replicas of this instrument.
However, sometimes the word arises in quotations by players or makers as it has been a
1
“Clarsach” is the Gaelic translation of the word “harp”, and has increasingly been used
by non-Gaelic speakers to identify the Scottish harp.
5
As much of this dissertation involves a detailed analysis of various aspects and parts of
A general overview of the harp can be found in Rensch’s Harps and Harpists (1989). It
includes detailed information about all aspects of harps, from the earliest picture sources
through the non-pedal harp and the pedal harp histories. Pratt’s Affairs of the Harp
(1964) is a more organological approach to the instrument, but is completely based on the
pedal harp.2
2
For further detail, please see my earlier “Literature Review” submitted as part of my
MSc course, 12 December 2008.
6
Armstrong’s The Irish and the Highland Harps (1904) gives a thorough description of all
the surviving Irish and Scottish clarsachs. This is useful when discussing influences upon
As the history of the harp in Scotland has a broken tradition3, most academics pursuing
ideas of authenticity have placed an emphasis on furthering the knowledge regarding the
ancient wire strung clarsach. Information concerning harp making and playing in
Scotland since the revival of the instrument in the 1890s is often disregarded because in
more recent years the early revival playing styles have been considered as less than
authentic. However, if it were not for these early pioneers with an interest in the Scottish
harp and their stalwart perseverance in its promotion, there would not be the vibrant
There are many books that give a peripheral overview of the harp in Scotland throughout
the last century, but mostly this is as a brief note at the end of a book or chapter far more
dedicated and devoted to the earlier forms of the harp in Scotland. Sanger and Kinnaird’s
Tree of Strings (1992) is the foremost resource for the history of the harp in Scotland. It
introduces the harp’s earliest sources in Scotland through legends and songs and
continues through the earliest archaeological evidence, carvings of Pictish harps from the
8th century, the wire-strung clarsach from the Highlands, gut-strung harps of the
lowlands, and the demise of the harp in the Highlands around the 1700s. There is a short
3
The harp was out of use in Scotland roughly between the late 1600s and early 1900s.
Please see my earlier essay submitted as part of my MSc course, “The Scottish Harp
Revival: The Early Years”, 17 February 2009, for further reference.
7
chapter at the end entitled “Classical Revival” which covers the late 1700s to early 1800s
and details the activities of the Highland Society of London and the classical harp tuition
describes some of the early revivalist activities, including Mod competitions and the
Collinson’s The Traditional and National Music of Scotland (1966) covers all Scottish
instruments, although the chapter on harps is lengthy. It covers similar material to Sanger
and Kinnaird’s work, although in a less detailed fashion. Both works have an intentional
emphasis on the wire-strung harps and harpers of the Highlands and have significantly
less information on anything after the revival period. There is thus a gap in the research
regarding harp-makers and players in Scotland after the revival period, which I hope to
My research has been primarily conducted through three main channels: study of
archival material, interviews, and the creation of a database catalogue of harps that allows
for analytical comparison and observation of a variety of different harps. These three
methods proved to be the most valuable for my research because there is very little
8
Through the archives at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh I have had access
to the extensive archives lodged by the Clarsach Society, including the minute books
from the Society’s first meetings in 1932 through the 1970s. These minute books provide
small clues about which harps were being made when and where from 1932 to the 1970s.
There is also an extensive photographic archive, which has many pictures of different
people throughout the Society’s history playing harps from different makers. Also of
interest from the Clarsach Society’s archives is the collection of press cuttings, which
document different stages of the Clarsach Society’s progress as well as notices of harp
deposited at the library in February of 1964. The collection includes many volumes on
early types of harps, sculptures of harps, and lyres, but there are also several relevant
The Mitchell Library also has collections of various newspaper and magazine articles
pasted into the “Glasgow Scrapbook” which has some relevant information, as well as
some articles from various magazine archives. The Post Office Directories for Glasgow,
also housed in the Mitchell Library, list the years that different Glasgow instrument
9
My main interviews were with the harp makers themselves, including Starfish Designs,
Pilgrim Harps, Yule Harps and Norris Harps. Unfortunately it was not realistic to record
these interviews, as often there was machinery noise or radios playing in the background,
but handwritten notes obtained during the interviews provided ample information. There
was also the issue that interviewing in a workshop meant that there was much movement
from one area to another to discuss different aspects of the harp-making process. I found
it was beneficial to have a semi-structured interviewing technique that allowed the harp-
makers to elaborate on certain areas and for me to follow up on threads that were
presented. Often this manner of interviewing presented more information and ideas than
I also interviewed a variety of harp players and owners. These interviews were also
semi-structured. Some of the interviewing was done via email, as time did not permit to
visit the large number of people I was in contact with. Part of my research was
compiling a catalogue of as many older Scottish harps as I could find in my limited time,
as well as talking to owners of more modern Scottish harps. I was therefore in contact
with over forty harp owners and players from around the world. I also had contact with
several relatives or descendants of harp makers who had retired or passed away.
The last main aspect of my research was conducted through my own analytical
observation based on the photographs and information gathered about both the earlier
revival harps (1930s – 1980s) and the modern harps made today (1990s – 2009). There
was much comparison and contrast to be made and information to process related to the
10
organological aspects of the different instruments. To aid these observations, I visited
many privately owned harps that were made by makers in Scotland who are no longer in
production (as it was impossible to talk to the builders themselves). When I visited these
photographing the harp from many angles, checking for labels, plaques or signatures, and
measuring tape and so a small error of margin should be taken into consideration. For an
additional number of harps I was unable to visit due to time and distance constraints, I
received photographs taken by the harp’s owner and the owner did their own
informant to try to avoid confusion and to try to ensure that the informant understood
which measurements I was after. However, even with the diagram and a description of
what each measurement was of, these measurements should also be considered with a
averages and disregarded numbers that are quite far from the norm (see Appendix IV for
comparison information).
An effort was made to always get photographs from the same angles on every harp for
purposes of comparison, but sometimes this was not possible due to harps being
ideal in a future research project to collect more detailed and accurate measurements for
these harps, and include measurements of some of the finer details that I did not have the
11
equipment to measure, such as soundboard width and string diameters. I hope that my
work presented here has paved the way for some of these future research directions.
Although there were some changes in the size and shape of the harp in Scotland between
the twelfth to sixteenth centuries, the harps that were played during that time in the
Highlands were known for being wire-strung instruments played with a fingernail
Scotland but there are no surviving instruments and the pictorial evidence suggests these
harps were similar to the gothic harps played in Europe during that time. The wire-strung
harp became continuously less prominent as the clan structure in Scotland began to
collapse through the 1600s. By the 18th century the wire-strung harp was used by only a
few players and hardly ever as a professional instrument as it once was (Sanger &
Kinnaird 1992: 168). This lack of harp activity, besides classical tuition in the urban
Lord Archibald Campbell was the main instigator of the early harp revival. He was a
member of An Comunn Gaidhealach and arranged for the first Mod to be held in 1892.
The Mod was a competition which featured various aspects of Gaelic culture, primarily
consisting of singing and poetry recitation (Thompson 1979: 7). Lord Archibald was
known to be an advocate of the clarsach, having been quoted as “anxious to revive the
12
playing of the Highland harp, or clarsach” (Celtic Monthly 1892: 13)4. He commissioned
Robert Glen, a bagpipe maker in Edinburgh, to make three replicas of the Queen Mary
Harp5 and Buchanan, a Glasgow piano maker, to make six harps (fig. 2). Buchanan’s
harps were also replicas of the Queen Mary, but not so faithful to the original as Glen’s.
Buchanan used scaled down pedal harp design including a rounded soundbox, gut strings,
and brass blades. Glen’s harps were true to the Queen Mary, as can be seen in figure 2.
They did not include the intricate carvings of the 15th century harp but have the same
construction technique of hollowing out the soundbox from a single piece of wood. Glen
These harps allowed the ladies who were competing in the vocal categories at the Mod to
also compete in the Gaelic song with clarsach accompaniment category6. This was the
beginning of a new era of Scottish harp playing. Since there had been no one to pass
down the traditions and music of the clarsach, there were only classically trained harp
teachers that could make settings of Scottish music for the harp. They did not know how
to play the wire-strung clarsachs, so Buchanan’s instruments were more accessible, both
because of the gut strings and because of the blades which facilitated key changes. The
ladies’ style of singing Gaelic songs was also classically influenced as most of them had
4
For further information regarding Lord Archibald Campbell and the early Scottish harp
revival, please see my earlier essay submitted as part of my MSc course, “The Scottish
Harp Revival: The Early Years”, 17 February 2009.
5
The Queen Mary harp is one of only three surviving 15th century harps, wire-strung,
ornately carved, sound box constructed from a single piece of wood, now housed in the
National Museum of Scotland.
6
Results from these early Mod competitions were published in the Celtic Monthly. For
further information again see my work “The Scottish Harp Revival: The Early Years”,
2009.
13
formally trained voices. The Mod experienced various numbers of participants in the
‘Gaelic Song with clarsach accompaniment’ category, some years not having any entrants
at all. Lord Archibald’s instigation of the building of these replica instruments is, for the
purpose of this work, considered the start of the revival of the Scottish harp. During this
time, there were no commercially produced harps and the instrument was mainly used as
accompaniment for Gaelic songs in connection with the Mod competitions. This
14
CHAPTER 2:
The Clarsach Society7 was formed in 1932 following that year’s annual Mod
competition. This Society continues through the present day and has been essential to the
development and promotion of the Scottish harp. The founders and early members were
asked a Glasgow based violin-maker, Henry Briggs, to produce harps for them.
Henry Briggs came from a family of instrument makers. His father, James William
Briggs (J. W. Briggs) was a well-known violin-maker. James William was born in 1855
in Wakefield, Yorkshire where he was a pupil of the renowned Manchester based violin-
maker William Tarr (Baptie, 1972: 19). Briggs started his own business in 18768. His
son Henry Briggs was born in 1879. James William received a gold medal at the Leeds
Exhibition in 1890, which improved business substantially. In 1893 Briggs moved the
family and business to Glasgow (Rattray, 2006: 108). He made violins, violas, and
cellos, but was best known for the violins on the Guarnerius model (Plowright, 1994: 16).
7
The Clarsach Society listed their objects in their first constitution: to promote and
encourage the playing of the clarsach, to preserve its place in the National life of
Scotland, to uphold its title to be the true and most ancient instrumental accompaniment
of Gaelic song, and to collect, produce and distribute music and songs for the clarsach
and arrange competitions and demonstrations. (NLS Acc. 10247, #1)
8
“The Science of Musical Instrument Making” Town and Country News, 3 May, 1935
15
Less information is available about Henry Briggs’ upbringing. He was sent to learn
town, having a violin-making history that dates back at least 200 years. In 1677, twelve
Henry was sent back prematurely as he was not qualified enough. He was known to
carve the scrolls of the violins, as he was not proficient enough to do anything else10.
However, he made his first violin in 1891 at the age of 1311, so was presumably a skilled
In 1897, James William employed Philip Schreiber to work for him as a finisher12.
Schreiber was born in 1878 in Markneukirchen and was surrounded by the flourishing
training school in Markneukirchen, then an apprenticeship with master Holm Viertel and
learned the family craft of violin and lute making13. James William met Schreiber during
After five years in Glasgow, Schreiber left to set up his own business in Antwerp,
Belgium in 1902. For the next two years he had a regular correspondence with Briggs.
Many of the letters still survive, and show the “apparently frantic activities of the
9
http://www.markneukirchen.de/engl/haupt.php
10
Schreiber family notes.
11
Daily Graphic, April 7, 1948.
12
Interview with Schreiber family, 21 July 2009.
13
Interview with Schreiber family, 21 July 2009.
16
Glasgow violin trade” (Rattray, 2006: 116). Briggs was unwell during this period and
sent many of his violins to Schreiber with urgent pleas to restore or repair them in good
haste and in fine craftsmanship14. In 1904, Schreiber returned to Scotland to work with
Briggs, possibly expecting to become a partner in the Briggs firm. Schreiber married
Florence Adams in 1911, and she “remained bitter that this [the partnership] never
happened and that Philip was only ever regarded as the assistant” (Rattray, 2006: 116).
From 1914 to 1919, Schreiber was interned as a German alien in Knockaloe, Isle of Man,
where he was held throughout the duration of World War I, although he had already
resided in Scotland for seventeen years (other than the two in Antwerp). During this time
violins and a viola. There was also an additional violin that was not part of the quartet
(fig. 3). The cello is featured in Rattray’s Violin Making in Scotland 1750 – 1950 book,
showing its high quality, especially since it was made while Schreiber was held as a
foreign prisoner.
In 1932, Mrs. Duncan Macleod from the newly formed Clarsach Society “enthused Mr.
Briggs into the making of harps in Glasgow” (NLS Acc. 10247: #1)15. On 5 July 1932,
Mrs. Macleod noted in the minute book: “Briggs (Cambridge Street, Glasgow) brought a
specimen of the first harp he had made. It was met with unanimous approval. It is hoped
14
Letters from the Schreiber Collection.
15
The Clarsach Society Minute books are held at the National Library of Scotland,
reference number 10247. Years 1931 – 37 are held in book #1 of the collection (see
bibliography for further information).
17
that this is the beginning of a harp industry in Scotland” (ibid). In the September 1935
Glasgow Weekly Herald, Briggs recounts Mrs. Macleod’s efforts, stating “One of the
ladies prominent in the Gaelic movement came to me several times and asked me to
attempt a harp. Naturally I wasn’t keen, as I have always been a violin maker, and my
assistant – there are only two of us here – refused outright at first to have anything to do
with harp-making!”16
The Clarsach Society notes from the 1930s only mention Henry Briggs. The Post Office
Glasgow Directory lists JW Briggs until his final solitary entry in 1929/30, wherein the
entry changes to “Briggs, Henry B., violin maker, 8 Cambridge St, C. 2 res. Barraston
House, Torrance; tel. add., 60 Balmore, Glasgow” as well as “Briggs, James W., violin
Briggs died in 1935, but it seems apparent that he was not heavily involved in the
An article reprinted from Town and Country News on May 3rd, 1935, states that “During
the last three years… there has been a growing demand for Celtic harps, of which they
[Briggs] have made a number. This is a small type of harp, wholly hand-made.” By
September 1935 they had made 87 harps18. Henry Briggs seemed fairly forward thinking
16
Glasgow Weekly Herald, September 7, 1935
17
The Post Office Glasgow Directory is housed in the Mitchell Library. Years 1910 to
1933 were checked. See bibliography for further information.
18
Glasgow Weekly Herald, September 7th, 1935
18
I find that the Celtic peoples react most quickly to the harp music – but
there really is no race or sect in the world to which it does not appeal.
There is a quality in the notes which comes out of the very earliest musical
ideas. I meet many Gaels who are jealous of their racial tradition of
harping and would like to see it remain their exclusive property. But the
appeal goes far beyond the regions of the Celtic peoples, and even in this
modern world of jazz there is a definite and growing interest in the idea of
individual music such as that of the harp.19
Although Briggs has a rather progressive view for the time about the possibilities of the
small harp, he also states that the current use of the clarsach is “for use in the home, as an
instrument to accompany the old ballads”.20 Several photographs have been printed in
newspapers and magazines of Briggs and Schreiber in their workshop (fig. 4).
In 1948 he is quoted in the Daily Graphic as saying he wanted to “close the business and
have no successor” which was surprising since he had just completed a trip to America
and gathered orders totaling over £1000.21 But he had no family member who was likely
to carry on the business.22 He is also quoted in a different article in the Daily Graphic as
saying, “Ours is not a commercial concert, we make instruments when, where and for
whom we please.”23 After his retirement, he was sent offers from America and Europe
enticing him with advisory positions or touring Europe buying old violins, but he planned
to decline the offers and retire to Cowal. By 1958 he was said to have made 150 harps.24
19
ibid
20
ibid
21
Daily Graphic, April 7, 1948
22
Weekly Scotsman, 1948
23
Daily Graphic, August 27, 1948
24
Clarsach Society Executive Council Meeting notes 1958 (NLS Acc. 10247 #4)
19
2.3 Briggs Harps
Briggs made several types of harps. Among the first he made were based on the Queen
Mary harp, examples being the harps on view at St Cecilia’s Hall in Edinburgh and the
West Highland Museum in Fort William (pages 84 and 85 in Appendix I). These harps
are similar to the Dalriada model that is advertised in his catalogue, but there are some
slight differences. For the purposes of this work, the form of the West Highland Museum
harp and the St Cecilia’s Hall harp will be referred to as Briggs’ purpose-built clarsach,
as each of these harps were made for a special purpose. The harp at St Cecilia’s was
made for the winner of the Daily Record Gaelic Melody competition, and the West
Highland Museum harp was made especially for Comunn Na Clairsach, or the Clarsach
Society.
These purpose-built harps had 30 strings, from G one and a half octaves below middle C
to A two and a half octaves above middle C. All were made of gut strings except the
lowest five, which were wound with metal. The arm was made of either a solid piece of
wood (Comunn na Clairsach example) or two pieces glued together (Daily Record
example). The arm had a squared bottom and rounded (but not V shaped as other Briggs
examples) top. The underside of the arm gently turns from a sharp edge at the head to a
rounded corner along the non-string edge, and especially at the top shoulder end, to
facilitate the right hand playing the treble notes. The head is the same height or lower
than the shoulder. This purpose-built design had the most low-headed design of all of
Briggs’ harps. There is a gentle, almost imperceptible "Highland hump" which is the
20
point at the top of the harmonic curve, which gives extra length and tone to the treble
strings25. This is a more distinctive feature on some of the other Briggs harps. The
harmonic curve has a slight taper towards the shoulder, a strong central dip, and ends on a
graceful upwards arch, except the very lowest string, which sits about an inch below the
end of the harmonic curve for space conservation26. The end of the arm protrudes over
the pillar by about an inch and a half in the style of the Buchanan harps. Brass blades are
The pillar has an extremely bowed, pregnant curve, the most exaggerated of all Briggs’
models. There is a serpent carving along the front part of the pillar incorporated into the
T brace on both harps, similar to the Queen Mary harp. The Comunn na Clairsach harp
has intricate fish carvings copied from the Queen Mary, while the Daily Record harp was
either unfinished or left deliberately without carving. Both harps have some interlacing
Celtic patterns carved in the front of the pillar above the serpent. Briggs used a mortis
and tenon joint to attach the arm and pillar together (fig. 5). The end of the pillar is
called the tenon, and is narrower than the rest of the pillar. This is inserted into the hole,
called the mortise, in the arm piece. This can be clearly seen in the Comunn na Clairsach
25
CD liner notes, The Harp Key, by Alison Kinnaird; see also Stevenson, 1981: He
[Briggs] “incorporated the ‘Highland hump’ or ‘harmonic curve’ in the cross piece. This
rising curve afforded an increased length of string in the treble register and a consequent
improvement in resonance.” (“Harps of their own sort” brochure, National Library of
Scotland Lecture Series)
26
It could also be the case that Briggs was copying this feature from the Queen Mary
harp, which had an additional string added to increase the number of bass strings. As this
string was added at a later period and not planned into the original design, the hole for the
tuning peg was added below the peg-band (fig. 6) (Armstrong 1904: 171)
21
harp where the pressure of the strings is pulling the arm towards the left and opening a
visible crack in the arm/pillar joint on the outside (non-string) side of the harp.
The shoulder joint, as in all Briggs harps, varies between solid and thick laminate. The
Comunn na Clairsach harp, with its solid arm block, has only one additional piece of
wood glued on either side of the arm to make up the shoulder joint. The Daily Record
harp, with two pieces of wood making up the arm, has an additional three pieces glued to
the inside and one on the outside to make up the shoulder joint. This joint is held
together by screws going from the top block inside the soundbox to the bottom of the
The soundboard is made of horizontal Swiss pine27. The soundbox is made up of seven
staves. Three-square shaped soundholes line the back panel. They follow the gradual
increase in size of the staves, the top hole being rather narrow and the bottom hole being
wider. There are wooden nails supporting the top of each stave in place with the top
The base of both of these purpose-built harps is of the Queen Mary style, with the pillar
joining the soundbox at a protruding block from the base (fig. 7). This block protrudes
from the base of the soundbox at a right angle, making it impossible for the harp to sit
unsupported on the floor. Both of these harps have custom made stools or legs to
27
Most harp-makers use spruce, but Briggs is quoted as using old Swiss pine in the
article “The Man who Invented Clarsach” in the Glasgow Weekly Herald, September 7,
1935
22
accommodate this. The Comunn na Clairsach harp has an extra ‘rim’ of wood around the
base of the soundbox, and four shaped wooden legs attached to the base of the harp. The
Daily Record harp has a custom-built box that it can sit in for display or playing
purposes.
Both harps are made of walnut, although the Comunn na Clairsach has a darker stain.
The lighter true colour of the wood shows through at some points, for example in the
2.3.2 Dalriada
Briggs’ Dalriada was the most expensive harp he offered, listed at £35 in his 1938
brochure (more than twice several of his other harps). The Dalriada model is similar to
having a shallower, less pregnant curved pillar than the purpose built harps, a slightly
higher head in relation to the shoulder, and ornate carvings. The shape and some of the
carvings are unmistakably reminiscent of the Queen Mary harp, which was plainly used
as a model, although these were not replica harps. (Appendix I, pages 86-89.)
The stringing design on the Dalriada harps was slightly different than the purpose-built
harps. There were 31 strings, one more than the purpose-built harps. The lowest string
was an E (two strings lower than the purpose-built harps) and the highest a G (one string
lower than the purpose-built harps). The move towards the lower strings was probably
23
brought about because of the players’ classical technique and the desire to have more of
As the base of these harps has the same Queen Mary styled protruding block which
prohibits it from standing on its own, each Dalriada has a custom built stool for display or
playing. These stools, however, are quite a different style than the two seen with the
purpose-built harps. The stools have a rectangular hole in the top through which the base
of the harp rests, and the top surface is at an angle, with the lower end towards the player,
so when the harp was leaned back towards the player, the slanted base of the harp would
be flush with the slanted top of the stool. The protruding block of each Dalriada is
ornately carved with a Celtic design. The projecting block is attached to the soundbox by
mortise and tenon, as is the pillar base into the projecting block. Tension of the strings
The soundboards are all horizontally-grained Swiss pine. The soundboxes are either built
of layered ply and then rounded, or constructed of seven staves as in the purpose-built
harps. This is one of the most discernable deviants from the ancient wire harps as they
were hollowed out from one log. The staved or rounded back construction was taken
from much more recent classical harp designs. On the rounded back version, there are
four soundholes expanding from long and thin at the top to shorter and wider towards the
base. The Briggs catalogue advertises the wood of the Dalriadas to be of birds-eye and
wavy maple. This is definitely the case with some of the Dalriadas, but most likely not
24
The arm of the Dalriada is a similar shape to the purpose-built harps, with a gentle
‘Highland hump’ and a graceful inner curve swooping up to finish at the head with an
upward gesture. The arm does not protrude so far over the pillar as in the purpose-built
harps, only about half an inch, or in some cases not at all. Some of the Dalriadas have a
rounded, curved head (Appendix I, page 88), but most seem to come to a V shaped point
as in the Ossian model harps. As in the purpose-built harps, the strings and bridge pins
follow the shape of the curve other than the last/lowest string, which for space purposes,
was placed lower than the second to last string28. Brass blades are in use again, screwed
The pillar to arm joint is again mortise and tenon and there is no evidence of through
supports. The pillar is characterised by highly ornate carving. There is use of carving in
relief, incised lines and engraved work. One Dalriada in particular features very similar
carvings to the Queen Mary, here described by Robert Bruce Armstrong in 1904:
Upon the right side there is a foliaceous and trefoil29 pattern; then within a
circle, surmounted by pellets, a two-legged reptile with an upturned head
is represented with a fish in its jaws, and above a horse-like animal with
its right foreleg and hoof raised to its mouth… there is a foliaceous pattern
ending in interlaced stems and leaves, above which, within a circle
surrounded by pellets, there is a fine representation of a lion standing upon
three legs with the left foreleg raised in front. (Armstrong, 1904: 175)
28
This was only the case in the rounded back Dalriada model. The staved-back model
did not have a lower placed final peg.
29
A trefoil pattern is an ornamental design of three rounded lobes like a clover leaf.
25
The serpent/reptile head carvings on the T of the pillar is also similar, as are many plant-
based designs. Some of the other Dalriadas have a fairly different carving scheme,
putting original serpent carvings on the pillar and arm rather than copying the Queen
Briggs made two different versions of harps both called Ossian that were different in both
price and shape. The more affordable Ossian No. 1 (Appendix I, pages 90-94) was
characterised primarily by a similar upward sweeping head to the Dalriada but with a
more slender ‘S’ shaped pillar similar to the Ossian No. 2 and a flat bottom with feet, so
it could easily stand on its own. It was available in either beech (for £12.10) or walnut
(£15.15)31.
The arm segment is very similar to the Dalriada and probably made from the same
template (fig. 8), both have a width of 22 inches. The Ossian has a clear V shaped
molding along the top of the arm running towards the Highland hump. At this point, the
V shape is rounded out into the smooth curvature of the shoulder joint. This provides a
nice definition to the top of the harp and variation between the smooth shoulder joint and
more angular head (fig. 9). The harmonic curve mirrors that of the Dalriada, and there is
the same pattern as the Dalriada with the lower note appearing about an inch lower than
30
For a detailed description of the Queen Mary harp’s carving and engraved work, see
Robert Bruce Armstrong, 1904.
31
Briggs catalogue: Dalriada and Ossian Clarsachs or Celtic Harps
26
the harmonic curve. The shoulder joint is usually made with two additional pieces of
wood on either side of the arm segment, and this sits directly on top of the soundbox.
The Ossian No. 1 pillar is the first major deviation from the Dalriada. Whereas the
Dalriada pillar was about the same size and shape at the top and bottom and curved in a
bowed C shape, the Ossian No. 1 pillar features a reflex curve, or S shaped curve (fig.
10). The top of the pillar arches forward to meet the end of the arm, bends out again at
the centre, and then in towards the soundbox at the base. The joint from the arm to the
pillar is still a mortise and tenon joint, but the joint from the bottom of the pillar to the
large metal bolt, which goes from the front of the pillar, through the soundbox and is
secured in a hole in the bottom of the soundbox base (fig. 11) with a washer and four-
sided nut. The pillar on some examples of the Ossian No. 1 featured an extra faceted
detail along the front, the best example is the harp pictured in Briggs’ brochure (fig. 12).
This does, however, seem less common than just leaving the pillar gently rounded.
The soundbox, again like the Dalriada, was either made of seven staves or made of
rounded layered ply. The ply was usually 3 layers thick. The staves were made of solid
wood. There were four soundholes, like the Dalriada, expanding from long and narrow at
the top to wider and shorter at the base. The soundholes were supported by a strong inner
frame, which encircled the four holes. Inner stiffeners run up both sides of the back of
the soundboard.
27
The base of the Ossian harps is made up of an approximate inch and a half block of
wood, which is placed inside the soundboard and staves/rounded back. (This is not
visible when the harp is in normal floor standing position.) There is an oblong hole that
goes all the way through this base board and provides a stable support for the pillar
attachment bolt. The feet are screwed onto this bottom block with two screws apiece.
The feet are generally rectangular or oblong in shape and are normally shaped so the part
with the screws is raised off the floor, making four clear contact points with the floor (fig.
13).
The biggest difference between the two Ossian models is the distinctive shapes of the
arm. The arm of the Ossian No. 2 model has a more distinctive Highland hump, a deeper
drop just after the hump, a much higher head, and a rounded top with the ending direction
pointing forward and down, versus the upward sweep of the Ossian No. 1 and Dalriada
head (fig. 14). Briggs seems to be the first maker to utilise this shape of arm. He could
have been slightly influenced by John Egan, harp maker in Dublin in the 1820s32 who had
two main shapes of harps, one of them having a rounded head but without the same
definition or point as Briggs (fig. 15). All the Ossians still have a V shaped top of the
arm from the head to the Highland hump, where it becomes rounded. The Ossian No. 2
32
John Egan developed a small harp with both ring stops as a predecessor to blades, and
ditals on the pillar to act as pedals on a pedal harp. These harps only experienced a
passing phase of popularity. For more information see my previous essay submitted as
part of my MSc course: “Egan’s Portable Dital Harps”, 13 April 2009.
28
has been the harp the most used as a model for future harp makers (Appendix 1, pages
95-98).
The harmonic curve placement of the tuning pegs/strings follows the graceful S curve of
the arm, starting with a downward sweep, arching up again, and then finishing in a
downward direction. The segment of the arm itself is shaped to meet the pillar, rather
than the pillar doing all of the shaping, as in the Ossian No. 1. The pillar retains the same
S shape as the Ossian No. 1, although there are no examples of the extra facet option of
the Ossian No. 1 (see fig. 10). The joint connections are all the same as the Ossian No. 1:
mortise and tenon for arm to pillar, bolt for pillar to soundbox.
All of the Ossian No. 2 models seem to have a rounded back to the soundbox, usually a
two- or three-layer ply is used. The shoulder joint varies between one extra piece of
wood besides the main arm piece and three extra pieces of wood. This was probably
dependant on what pieces of wood were available in the workshop at the time. If there
was nothing big enough, pieces would have been glued together. The soundboard is
again horizontally-laid Swiss pine. The overlapping strip holding the rounded back to the
soundboard is held on with wooden nails. There are no cross supports originally in the
soundboxes. The edges of the soundholes are robustly braced with two thick wooden
29
supports running vertically up the edges of the soundholes. Some smaller pieces of wood
go from one support to the other in between the soundholes (fig. 16). This has been a
major asset in helping the Briggs harps remain so stable throughout the years.
The Briggs firm also made a few special, custom-made harps, featuring particularly
abundant carvings. Three examples will be mentioned here. The first is pictured in the
Briggs brochure as being made for Mrs. Ian Campbell of Aird, the president of the
Clarsach Society. The harp is essentially an Ossian No. 2 model but with a mythical
feathered or scaled bird with wings and a long bill positioned on the top of the arm/head
(Appendix I, page 101). The pillar and back-side of the arm are ornately carved which is
unusual for the Ossian harps, and more in line with the Dalriada harps.
Also of note is a knee harp that went to America with a Mr. John Thomson of Chicago, a
native of Shetland, now living in the USA (Russell-Fergussion 1964 vol. C: 54). This 23-
string instrument, of a scaled down Dalriada design, also featured externally positioned
carved birds. There are two of them along the pillar, one at the top looking down and one
at the bottom looking up. They appear to be holding some sort of snake or twined rope
between their two bills, running along the length of the bow shaped pillar. One other
This harp, also on the Dalriada model, features another bird carved in relief, this time
down the side of the pillar, its beak intertwined with the knotted lacework design
30
(Appendix I, page 103). No other Briggs knee harps are known. The current location of
There was another, less well-known, harp-maker in Glasgow in the 1930s besides Briggs.
William Thompson worked from Beethoven House, 7 to 9 Govan Road at Paisley Road
We made about 50 harps during the period between 1930 and 1937. They
were all similar in design and the construction was based on the Queen
Mary Harp… The last of our harps went to America about a year ago.
We endeavoured to make a harp at a reasonable price which could be used
by students. We would like to have continued making them, but the War
came along, and put a stop to that. (Russell-Fergusson 1964, vol. C: 53)
The harp Russell-Fergusson includes in her collection (fig. 17) is dated c. 1933. The
Clarsach Society minute books also include a brief mention of Thomson in the Music
Committee Meeting on 20 July 1933: “Mr. W. Thompson, piano maker, was also making
them, as well as Briggs, who had made the Lady Elspeth clarsachs. Prices of the former
make, from £10, and of the latter from £10-10” (NLS 10247, 1931-37: #1). The
Thompsons had a strong business sense, which included, depending on the times:
Scrapbook33 #23: 180-81). They seemed to have a strong initiative to try to capitalise on
33
The Glasgow Scrapbooks are held in the Mitchell Library.
31
was probably seen to be the next possible big instrument market in Glasgow (to develop
from the piano and organ market). Unfortunately the war took a serious toll on the firm
as the Clydebank branch of the business was badly damaged in the bombing (ibid).
Thomson possibly employed several people to make the harps, as a reporter from the
Glasgow Evening Citizen on 6 June 1933 stated that she “visited the premises of Messrs
Wm. Thomson and Son, in Glasgow, and saw the clarsach craftsmen at work” (Glasgow
Scrapbook #17: 11). The harps were primarily of beech with soundboards of Swiss pine
(refer to fig. 17). There is only one harp that is photographed, which has 30 strings. Its
soundbox is square and the shoulder sits flush with the top of the soundbox. The bow
shaped pillar is faceted on both inner and outer curves and is quite narrow. The arm is
also narrow (in comparison with Briggs harps), has no Highland hump, and finishes on an
Philip Schreiber, who had been first James William Briggs’ assistant from 1897, and then
Henry Briggs’ assistant, retired from the Briggs firm in 194834. At some point after
Schreiber’s retirement, Briggs took up a new assistant, Angus Paris. Paris seemed less
teacher at Allan Glens School, founded in 1853 with the aims to “give a practical
education and preparation for trades or businesses to between forty and fifty boys, the
34
Personal communication with Schreiber descendants.
35
Clarsach Society notes Paris had “rebuffed attempts to cooperate with the
Society” (NLS Acc 10247 Minute book #4)
32
sons of tradesmen or persons in the industrial classes of society.”36 His pupils knew him
to be a competent violinist and a luthier of some distinction and also noted that Briggs
Briggs had semi-retired by 1955 although the Clarsach Society continued to appeal to
him to repair and presumably make harps through the late 1950s. The Clarsach Society
Miss Jean Campbell brought to the Council’s notice, the problem of the
future making of clarsachs in Scotland and suggested that great effort
should be made to induce Mr. Briggs by financial benefit, to collect his
valuable data together with equipment and specifications for a future
craftsman to make use of. Mr. Briggs, most unfortunately having trained
no one during his long life of making instruments. (NLS Acc 10247
Minute book #4)
Briggs died in 196338 and Paris was reluctant to make another harp after Briggs’ death.
harp (made by Angus Paris, successor to Briggs, at urgent request of the Society)” which
was deemed to be satisfactory. Paris must have agreed to continue making some harps as
36
http://www.allanglens.com/SchoolHistory.htm
37
Personal communication with Fred Frayling-Kelly, a past student at Allan Glens
School, who had Paris as a woodwork tutor.
38
Clarsach Society minutes from Executive Council Meeting on April 8, 1963.
33
Unfortunately Paris passed away in early 1965, as recorded by the Music Committee
meeting of the Clarsach Society in February of that year. His death was reported as a
“serious setback” and a “great blow… as now we have no one in Scotland prepared to
A harp nearly identical to Briggs’ Ossian No. 2 bears the label: “Handmade by ANGUS
this is the one, or one of the ones he made after Briggs’ death (Appendix I, page 100).
There are only small differences from the Briggs Ossian No. 2 model. The V shaped top
is not carried all the way through to the Highland hump, the point is smoothed out in the
dip of the harmonic curve (fig. 18). The base includes a metal plate for additional support
between the pillar and the soundbox. The supports running on the inside of the soundbox
adjacent to the soundholes were not carved away from the holes as were Briggs’ early
Ossians. Instead they were squared wooden supports. There is also several instances of
harps that have Briggs’ signature inside, but that have been scored out and the name Paris
has been written beside it (fig. 19), suggesting there could have been some animosity
From the death of Angus Paris in 1965, there was no one making harps in Scotland until
Sanderson & Taylor began in 1969. During this time, the Clarsach Society investigated
Japanese Aoyama harps and ordered harps from Morley’s in London. To add to the
problem, in 1968, Morley’s changed partnerships and their small harps doubled in price.
34
A Mr. McLeish tried to make some harps in Scotland, but these all “disintegrated” within
a few years. A Mr. Burns in Dundee with Mr. and Mrs. Easson “had skill and knowledge
of instrumental repairs… and had purchased the equipment of the late Mr. Paris… was
prepared to assist with harp repairs and possibly attempt the making of new ones” but this
39
Clarsach Society minutes from AGM on September 27, 1966 (NLS Acc 10247 Minute
book #4).
35
CHAPTER 3:
This chapter introduces the harp-makers that established themselves from the 1970s.
Chapter 4 also deals with some harp-makers that commenced only slightly later, the
difference being that Chapter 4 harp-makers are still in production by 2009. The harp-
makers in the next two chapters established their businesses at a time when harp playing
in Scotland was growing faster than ever before and the demand for harps was enough to
The 1970s and 80s was a time when performers of the Scottish harp were developing
away from the Gaelic song accompaniment style which had prevailed for the last several
decades. The performers were experimenting playing with other instruments in band
settings in conjunction with the instrumental folk revival happening throughout Scotland:
The harp performers involved in this transitional period provided the impetus for the
After around six years of no harp-makers in Scotland, Sanderson & Taylor began harp
production in 1970. Jean Campbell, an influential teacher and member of the Clarsach
36
Society, had initially approached them as early as 1963, but they only developed their
first harp prototype by April of 197040. The first Sanderson & Taylor advert appeared in
the Clarsach Society’s Annual Report for 1969-70. The Scots Magazine in 1971
describes how:
Laurie Taylor was a woodwind specialist and played the bassoon with the Halle
Orchestra, and Derek Sanderson a stringed specialist and played the violin with the BBC
Scottish Symphony Orchestra. They had met at a concert in Stirling and decided to start
a business together offering their own crafted instruments and repair services.42 Neither
Mary O’Hara43 ordered a harp from Sanderson in 1975.44 As O’Hara already owned two
Briggs harps, the Sanderson & Taylor did not live up to her expectations and she had
several criticisms about various aspects of the Sanderson & Taylor harp including
inaccurate semitones, ‘clanging’, and slipping pegs. Taylor was quick to reply to
O’Hara’s complaints that his harps were played by both Derek Bell, “who in many
40
Clarsach Society minutes from AGM on September 27, 1966 (NLS Acc 10247 Minute
book #4).
41
Scots Magazine, May 1971
42
ibid
43
Mary O’Hara is a well-known Irish singer and harpist who toured extensively in the
British Isles and America from the late 1950s through the 1960s.
44
Mary O’Hara publicity information: “Mary O’Hara and her Briggs Harp”
37
peoples mind is the best small harp player there is”, and by “leading Dutch harpists”
The company continued until Sanderson and Taylor decided to retire, although Taylor
continued selling woodwind instruments. The adverts (or listings) for Sanderson &
Taylor continued in the Clarsach Society’s Annual Reports until 1981-82, when there was
no listing for them, but then in the 1982-83 Annual Report, there is a listing for Brown &
Bruce, who were previously craftsmen employed by Sanderson and Taylor. Brown &
Bruce continued till the early 1990s (see Appendix II, page 104-108). Ian Brown was
the most interested in the harp manufacture, and made several trips to Holland to sell,
promote and regulate the Brown & Bruce harps (fig. 20). He was previously a cabinet-
maker46. The Brown & Bruce harps are very similar to the original Sanderson & Taylor
harps, although they are slightly more substantial and generally have a more pronounced
varnish.
Sanderson & Taylor soundboxes used a birch ply without any cross braces or centre
support pieces. This caused the soundbox to dimple as it aged and the tension on the
strings pulled the soundboard up which in turn caused the soundbox to gently implode.
The heaviest gauge of gut string was used, but as the short string lengths were short, it
produced a light tension harp. The shape was probably copied exactly from the Briggs
Ossian No. 2 model, although Briggs’ sturdy inner-frame support was not replicated.
45
Letter correspondence between O’Hara and Sanderson held in O’Hara private
collection.
46
Personal communication with Ank van Campen, 8 August 2009.
38
Sanderson & Taylor produced three harp models, the “Clarsach”, the “Chamber Harp”
and the “New Clarsach”. The “New Clarsach” was a product of the late 1970s and early
1980s with wider spacing, as performers were asking for “more room between the
strings”.47 The “Chamber Harp” is nearly the same as the “Clarsach” but has been
Brown & Bruce produced five models with small variations between them. The
“Dunedin” harp had 31 strings, 28 of gut and 8 of wound wire. It had concert-gauge
string tension49. Sycamore was used for the arm, pillar and laminated back and spruce
for the soundboard. Two varnishes were used, Rosewood or Golden Oak, and they were
available in semi-matt or gloss finish. The “Lothian” model was exactly the same other
than the strings were of a “finer gauge”. Both harps were available in either wide or
narrow string spacing. Both the “Waverly” and the “Holyrood” harps had 34 strings, 23
of gut and 11 of wound wire, and were only available with wide spacing. They were
available in the same woods and finishes as the 32-stringed harps. The only difference
between the two 34-stringed instruments was the string tension, the “Holyrood” being
concert-gauge. The last harp produced by Brown & Bruce was a “Knee Harp” with 24
strings. It had all gut strings, concert-gauge tension, narrow string spacing and was
47
ibid
48
ibid
49
Concert-gauge string tension means that the tension of the strings was equal to that of
the classical pedal harp.
50
“Brown & Bruce: Makers of Clarsach and Celtic Harps”, promotional leaflet.
39
Most of the construction techniques Sanderson & Taylor and Brown & Bruce used were
similar to the Briggs Ossian No. 2 model. They used dowels to add extra support to the
mortise and tenon joint between the arm and pillar (fig. 21), which was not used by
Briggs but were otherwise nearly the same in size (See Appendix IV, page 130 for
comparison tables).
3.2 Firth
Ian Firth was never a full-time instrument maker, but he made many harps. He was a
professor of physics at St. Andrews University. He often took harp players in to show
them his lab at the University where he carried out research regarding harps. One of
attaching a vibrating device to the board, and documenting the different patterns in the
sand depending on the frequencies transmitted through the vibrating device. This showed
where the soundboard vibrated well or poorly for the different frequencies51.
Firth’s first harps were dated from the early 1970s,52 and the Clarsach Society’s Annual
Report 1969-70 reported that harps were made by Firth on a commercial basis and had
Scottish Craft Centre.53 The Clarsach Society’s Annual Report 1973-74 noted that Firth
51
Personal communication with Iain Hood, 25 July 2009.
52
1971, see Appendix II, page 109.
53
NLS Acc 10247 #5, Annual Reports
40
was awarded the Saltire Society’s John Noble Award for Crafts in the Music Instrument
Section. At the AGM meeting of November 1, 1977, it was reported that “Dr Ian Firth
was not taking any further orders for harps as he had given up harp-making”,54 although
he resumed making harps later. Firth’s daughter Rebecca also made some harps. Her
name first appears in the list of harp makers in the 1985-86 Annual Report and continues
throughout the 1990s (Appendix II, page 115 for Rebecca’s harps). Firth stopped making
harps for the second time around 1994 and passed away in 2001.55
Firth’s harps have two general designs, one modeled on Briggs’ Ossian No. 1 and one
modeled on the Ossian No. 2 (see Appendix II, pages 109-117, and Appendix IV, page
130 for comparison tables). A wide variety of woods were used including maple, birds-
eye maple, and sycamore. Horizontally-grained spruce was always used for the
soundboard. The harps were always left the natural wood colour rather than using dark
stains or varnishes (except the Knee Harp, see Appendix II, page 111). Blades were used
on the first harps, then Loveland levers, and then a new kind of lever that Firth developed
himself.56 The most recent harps also feature a metal plate in which the bridge pins and
levers were set (fig. 22). Firth harps were constructed more solidly than Sanderson &
The makers outlined in this chapter, Sanderson & Taylor, Brown & Bruce and Firth, were
among the first to pioneer the construction of the harp into the 21st century. Using ideas
54
NLS Acc 10247 #4, Minute books
55
Personal communication with Marion Firth, 20 August 2009.
56
I was unable to view firsthand any of Firth’s own style of levers.
41
and techniques mostly based on the preceding Briggs harps but sometimes all their own,
they provided much needed instruments to a growing harp community ready to involve
the Scottish harp in the blossoming folk revival. Although none of these makers are still
in production, their harps are still being played and appreciated by people around the
world.
42
CHAPTER 4:
The harp-makers covered in this chapter, Pilgrim, Norris, Yule and Starfish, are the true
innovators of today’s Scottish harps. They have taken ideas from the past but are not
happy to sit in isolation making harps based on old designs; they are always looking for
ways to improve and refine the instrument’s sound and usability. These makers are
constantly involved with the performers needs and are continually implementing new
John Hoare of Pilgrim Harps was involved in the folk music scene of the 1960s. He
could not afford to buy himself various different new instruments, so he bought broken or
old instruments and rebuilt or redesigned them for playing. His fascination with harps
started when he came across a Grecian Victorian pedal harp that he could hardly get
apart, much less repair. He made a few instruments from scratch, but realised he enjoyed
working with the harps the most. In about 1977 within 24 hours of this realisation, he
contacted a friend of a friend and soon had a job restoring harps with Wilfred Smith57.
Smith made some original small harps but primarily restored pedal harps. The small
harps he made were similar to the Morley clarsachs, (which were similar to the Egan
57
Smith began repairing harps in 1939 in London and began making pedal harps in the
1960s (Rensch 1989: 217) and was first mentioned as making small harps in the Clarsach
Society notes at the AGM of November 23rd, 1970 (NLS Acc 10247 #4)
43
Derek Bell, the harp player from the prominent Irish band “The Chieftains”, approached
Smith and asked him to make a harp with concert tension, as Bell also played the pedal
harp with the Belfast Symphony. It took five years to produce this higher-tension harp.
The teachers preferred this instrument, as they were all classically trained at the time, so
it was easier for them to use as a teaching instrument. The main wood they used at the
Smith wanted to concentrate on pedal harps and focused on making them lightweight, to
the extent that they began to lose reliability and he lost motivation. In 1979 the business
folded and Smith retired. “Smith’s Godstone workshops, in Surrey, were taken over by a
co-operative firm involved in making harps and harp kits, and also doing harp repair.
Since Godstone is located on the medieval Pilgrims’ Way, this firm was called Pilgrim
Harps.” (Rensch 1989: 217) Six people formed this co-operative limited company in
1980 and they all owned equal shares. Because they were more interested in and were
more knowledgeable about folk instruments, they started working on the folk side of the
market.58 They began producing the first concert-gauge small harps. They had a few
other models at the time, a 28-string “Troubador” harp of oak and another oak Scottish
They tried a 32-string model, the idea being to reduce the price with a smaller size. This
harp was made with a lighter tension, as requested by Barry Milner of the Highland
58
John Hoare interview, 20 July 2009.
44
branch of the Clarsach Society. They tried a wire-strung harp but did not find it
successful enough to continue. Kirsten Nogues in Brittany played this wire-strung harp
for a period.
All of Smith’s original levers made from 1972 were cam action59 style vertically planed
circular discs that were placed on the treble side of the string and pushed the string to the
side when the handle was pulled down (fig. 24). The other levers available at that time
also operated by pulling the handle down to engage, and it was the same action as on the
pedal harp (pushing the pedal downwards engaged the mechanisms and the string
sounded a semitone higher). Smith’s levers were entirely made of plastic, including the
mounting bracket. Pilgrim adapted this original lever and kept the plastic circular cam
action but changed the mounting bracket to metal (see fig. 24). They also took out
Smith’s small stops in the cam action, which held the handle in either the “up” or “down”
position. This allowed a smoother cam motion between the engaged and unengaged
position.
In 1985, Pilgrim changed the handle and circular cam to brass and also switched the
direction of the handle movement to be in alignment with the progressing levers around
the world (fig. 25). The lever still sat on the treble side of the string, but when engaged,
the handle is pushed up and the lever pushes against the string from the front rather than
59
A “cam” is an eccentric or multiply curved wheel mounted on a rotating shaft, used to
produce variable or reciprocating motion in another engaged or contacted part.
(http://www.answers.com/topic/cam)
45
The most well-known Pilgrim harp model is the “Clarsach” (Appendix III, page 119).
This is the descendant of the heavy-tension small harp made for Derek Bell. It is
characterised by a low rounded head reminiscent of the Egan harps. The arm has less of
an upward thrust due to the more perpendicular angle of the strings leaving the
head to pillar joint. This means the pillar and arm, both being made out of two pieces of
wood laminated together, overlap the joining section of the arm and pillar joint. On the
back side of the harp, the pillar stretches to the top of the harp, while on the front side of
the harp, the arm of the harp laps over the pillar to the front of the harp (fig. 26). This
reinforces the strength of this joint, as the tension of the strings pulling from the front of
the harp does not allow a crack to open on the back of the pillar at the arm to pillar joint
In 1992, Pilgrim saw that many performers of the small harp preferred instruments with
lighter tension. They developed the “Ashdown” for this purpose. Its shape is
distinctively different than the “Clarsach”, featuring an upwards pointing squared head
reminiscent of the Briggs Ossian No. 1 model. The “Skylark” model was their “response
to the increased demand for a ‘student’ harp that retains our hallmark of genuine hand-
made craftsmanship.”60
60
www.pilgrimharps.co.uk
46
Performer Isobel Mieras, well-known for singing with the harp, is an advocate of her
Pilgrim harp. She says it has “a sound which is exactly what I want to go with the
voice.”61 Isobel continues to point out that “there are other harps with different sounds
for other purposes. And it’s absolutely marvelous now, the difference in the harp
world,”62 referring to how there are so many makers producing harps in modern times
that there are different sounds that have developed to suit different players’ styles and
needs.
4.2 Norris
Mark Norris served a four-year apprenticeship at the Arnold Dolmetsch Inc. company
from 1976 -1980. Dolmetsch was largely responsible for the Early Music Revival, and
also for the promotion of the recorder as an instrument for teaching music in schools63.
Norris was the last Dolmetsch apprentice before the company ended in 1980. He was
such as clavichords and harpsichords. This experience provided Norris with a solid
grounding in craftsmanship, but he realised he did not desire to stay in the early music
In 1980, harp performer Savourna Stevenson, then 19 years old, was playing a Sanderson
& Taylor harp, which according to Norris was “nice sounding, but too delicately made”.
61
Isobel Mieras interview by Patsy Seddon 17 March 2008 (SA 2008.025)
62
ibid
63
Dolmetsch also made a few small harps, although he was not well-known for them.
64
Mark Norris interview 28 June 2009.
47
Savourna broke three Sanderson & Taylor harps through her strong playing style. Norris
found the balance between a delicate structure for resonance and a sturdy structure for
With this in mind, he looked at the existing small harps of the time (Pilgrim and
Sanderson & Taylor), and tried to take the positive elements but improve on the problems
that were causing Sanderson & Taylor’s lack of endurance. His previous harp experience
had been only with pedal harps. He gathered most of his design elements from studying
pedal harps. He was not concerned with trying to make a ‘clarsach’ or replicating the
Norris has three goals to achieve with his harps: 1. To make them as musically
satisfying as possible through good semitones, professional quality sound and sufficient
instrument that is manageable to carry and to transport via air travel. 3. To make an
Norris uses a birch ply for his soundboxes, like Sanderson & Taylor, but reinforces it
with several laminated sheets and glue to help strengthen and hold the curved shape. The
top layer of the laminate is the veneer that matches the rest of the harp. He uses a
sycamore frame which is made up of a base and top plate, two D shaped cross braces
(ribs), corner strips for the soundboard to attach to, side rails and spinal pieces to
65
ibid
48
reinforce the thin sides of the soundholes (fig. 27). The tension from the strings on the
soundboard wants to pull the soundboard up into a curved shape, so by bracing the sides
of the soundbox it allows for a thinner soundboard, which benefits the sound. The
soundboards are tapered in all directions so that the thickest part is the mid range below
the centre strip (fig. 28). This was a technique developed by Erard66.
Norris uses a lap joint between the arm and pillar, although on some of his more
To construct his harmonic curve, Norris first designed his strings and worked out what
diameter and tension he wanted for each tone. This mathematical analysis produced the
curve through the known variables of set pitch and tension. By making the strings have a
sharp, steep angle to the soundboard, his harmonic curve arches higher than, for example,
Pilgrim harps.
Norris’ first harps had blades. He then used some of the plastic cam levers offered by
Pilgrim (see fig. 24). In 1986 he was awarded £3500 from the Scottish Development
Agency to develop a new lever technology. He spent half a year designing a new
mechanism. He was influenced by the pedal harp and especially Erard’s fourchette
mechanism, which grips the string from both sides and produces a good tone and does not
66
Erard (1752 – 1831) patented improvements on the single action pedal harp and
invented the double action pedal harp (perfected and patented in the summer of 1810,
Patent no 3332).
49
Through that time, he developed the “ultimate Norris Semitone Levers” which he now
uses on all his harps (fig. 29). The handle is attached to a rod which, when engaged,
rotates an asymmetric circular disc on a horizontal plane with two fourchette-style rods.
These two rods simultaneously grip the string in a double vise creating a strong Z style
hold on the string without any displacement. All the lever parts are metal, creating no
sound difference between the engaged and unengaged sound. The lever handle,
horizontal circular disc and table pin are all mounted on the harp through a medal plate,
Norris promotes four main models (Appendix IV, pags 112-123). The Norris
“Professional”, the “Basic Pro”, the “Lute-Back” and the “Rounded Back”. All have 34
strings and can be made with heavy- or light-tension strings. The “Basic-Pro” reduces the
decorative elements in order to make a more affordable option. All the harps have a
rounded soundbox except the “Lute-Back” model, which features 12 staves. Norris
prefers the simplicity and reliability of the rounded back models67. It is similar to the
pedal harp and has had years of refinement. Norris uses figured sycamore, American
black walnut or English walnut for the harps as well as spruce for the soundboard.
One noticeable development is the base of the harp. Norris used to screw the feet directly
onto the bottom of the harp, but as a result of several breakages, developed a new method
of putting a plinth in between the base of the soundbox and the feet.
67
Mark Norris interview 28 June 2009.
50
Because of the high demand on a one-person business, Norris does not have much time to
test radically different ideas for improvements. He is driven by demand for what he is
already known for making. He realises that there is so much more that could be done to
forward the instrument, but there is not enough time and people will also buy what they
know and trust verses an experiment. A new idea that he would like to try is that of
4.3 Yule
John Yule was born and brought up on a farm in East Lothian. He grew up surrounded
by Scottish folk songs and music and played the melodeon. He was trained as a boat-
builder and started his own joinery business in 197869. Barbara McDermitt, who later
became his wife, encouraged him to try making a harp. He described how the process
began:
I couldn’t find any useful books of instruction, so I decided the best thing
to do was to get information first-hand. I looked at as many harps as
possible, asked teachers and players for advice and found out what they
wanted from an instrument… I’m not one for copying someone else’s
ideas – I like to do things my own way. I’ve tried to keep the appearance
of my clarsachs similar to the ancient Irish harps but with a good resonant
sound combined with strength in the framework70
Yule made his first trial harp in 1982, and sold his first harp in November of 1983. He
was first listed as a harp-maker in the Clarsach Society’s Annual Report in 1981-82. The
harps that were available to him to view and measure were Brown & Bruce, Pilgrim and
68
ibid
69
Yule interview 21 August 2009.
70
“Just Stringing Along” Evening News 16/03/85
51
Norris, but he made his own designs. The boatbuilding experience helped with the
construction techniques, and he set out to design instruments with the balance of strength
for durability and flexibility for resonance. From 1983 to 1986, he only built harps part-
time as he still worked in his joinery business, but in 1986 he began to make harps full-
time. By 1995 he had made 100 harps.71 In 2000, Yule moved from Scotland to
Colorado which has put a temporary halt to most harp-making endeavors, although he did
make three harps in 2003 for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to represent Scottish harp-
making. By 2000 he had made around 150 harps, and plans to resume making in the
future.72
Yule used cherry and oak, but preferred sycamore. The soundboards were always made
of Sitka spruce. Yule started with the plastic cam lever offered by Pilgrim, and then
moved to Loveland levers. He still uses Loveland levers except on his wire-strung harps,
where he uses the brass levers currently offered by Pilgrim (refer to fig. 24, 25 and 31).
Yule’s “Carnethy” harp is a professional quality harp with tension and string spacing
close to the pedal harp. The arm and pillar are uniquely made of a three-piece
lamentation. He mostly used sycamore for all three layers, but could substitute walnut or
cherry for the outside layers, but always retained sycamore for the middle layer. The
distinctive shape of the Yule Harp’s arm and pillar pieces are characterised by the strong
thickly squared forms. Every effort was made to make harps that would last. The
71
“Distinctive Harps”, Yule promotional brochure, 1997.
72
Yule interview 21 August 2009.
52
soundbox has a rounded back, but unlike the rounded backs of earlier harps that used ply,
Yule makes the back out of 11 staves made of quarter-sawn red cedar, rounds the corners,
and covers it with a veneer of the same hardwood used for the frame. The base is flat and
has feet or detachable legs which raises the instrument six inches higher.
identical tension, string spacing and volume, although the tone is slightly brighter. The
main differences between it and the “Carnethy” is the two-piece lamination for the arm
and pillar (rather than three) and the squared soundbox. The sides of the soundbox are
splayed inwards slightly for greater ease of playing. The “Soutra Chieftain”, introduced
carving.
Yule’s first harps had concert-gauge tension, as he did not like the sound of the lighter-
tension harps that were available in the early 1980s. One of his customers accidentally
bought folk-gauge tension strings to put on her Yule harp, and discovered that it was a
nice sound. Yule began to develop a line of harps focused on the lighter tension
stringing. The “Lapwing” and “Raven” fall into this category. These harps feature the
unique aspect of soundholes on the side of the soundbox, rather than the back (see
There is no reason to have the soundholes in the back, the sound hits the
players’ body and becomes muffled. If the holes are to the side, it frees
the sound. Have you ever seen a guitar or fiddle with the soundholes in
the back?73
73
Yule interview, 21 August 2009.
53
The string band on the lighter-strung models is also off-centre of the main soundboard,
which was designed so the right hand (the hand that plays the upper treble notes) had
easier access to the upper strings.74 Yule stresses the importance of being “innovative in
William Jackson, one of the first professional harp players in Scotland to use a Yule harp,
says:
“Many people have commented on the volume of the instrument not only
when being played on its own but also with various other instruments…
when I am playing with Ossian we use the clarsach together with the
Highland Bagpipes and much to the surprise of the audience the harp is
clearly audible. Another important aspect is strength. I have flown over
thirty times in a six week tour of the USA and the instrument is always
used to the rough handling it receives at airports, and needs a minimum of
tuning when I arrive at the venue.75
Jackson also now plays a lighter strung Larry Fisher harp made in America. He says of
the main change in playing styles, “Harp players were not originally playing dance
music, but more accompaniment. Harps are more light strung now, especially with
74
ibid
75
Yule, John “Distinctive Harps”, February 1997
76
Personal correspondance with William Jackson, 8 August 2009.
54
4.4 Starfish
Founded in 1987 by Mike and Gay Anderson, Starfish Designs are now in their 22nd
year. Anderson started out as a cabinet-maker, and made his first harp for his youngest
daughter Judy because the available harps were all too expensive. This first harp was
deemed “an unqualified success.” Judy’s teacher was thrilled with it and lost no time in
encouraging Mike to make more. It was not long before he had acquired so many
commissions that he became a full-time harp maker (Wuthier 1993: 14). Anderson had
looked at Michael Colville harps, from Barra, and Pilgrim harps to construct his first few
models77. By 1993, there were seven Starfish models available. They had three different
31-string models. In 1992 the business was joined by boatbuilder Dave Shepton and
formed an official partnership in 200078. 2003 saw the addition of another boat builder,
Davey Tod. In 2004 they formed a limited company, Starfish Designs (Scotland) Ltd.
The first harps were made with concert-gauge stringing because that was all that was
available at the time. There was the option of stringing the harps an octave higher
(moving all the strings up one octave), but this made the harp too lightly (low tension)
strung79. Starfish began to request special strings from Bowbrand,80 which were made
and the octave higher tension. A few years later when Salvi took over Bowbrand, they
77
Mike Anderson interview 23 June 2009.
78
www.starfishdesigns.co.uk
79
ibid
80
Bowbrand is the main harp string dealer in the UK.
55
introduced these strings as ‘folk-gauge’ strings and made them generally available.
Starfish now produces most of their harps with this folk-gauge tension.
With its medium tension it still provides the resistance to pull that is
required to learn correct technique. It is bright and clear sounding and
especially good for playing traditional music with its fast jigs etc. As the
strings are smaller in diameter they can be positioned slightly closer
(about one tenth closer than concert gauge). This means that the hand
stretch needed is less and also helps when playing faster pieces.81
Starfish used a birch ply on the shoulder joint for the first three to four years, but have
since developed an emphasis on solid wood construction. The main woods used by
Starfish are American cherry, American maple and American black walnut. They use
quarter-sawn spruce from Austria for the soundboard, which is stocked from a piano
soundboard maker. They make the neck out of laminated pieces for added strength. A
more recent development has been the continuation of the stave lines into the shoulder
Starfish used a circular plastic rotating cam style lever (see fig. 24) on their first harps,
which was riveted to a mounting bracket and secured to the harp by two screws. These
levers were provided first from Border Harps and later supplied by Pilgrim Harps. The
circular cam had a handle molded onto the plate and a graduated edge which contacted
the string when the cam was rotated from the “off” position to the “on” position.82 This
cam style lever had several downsides including excessive wear on the string, inordinate
amount of fastening space needed on the arm of the harp, substantial string displacement
81
www.starfishdesigns.co.uk
82
Loveland lever patent, prior art summary.
56
when the cam was engaged, and ample possibilities for buzzing as the contact of the cam
Starfish next moved to levers made by Robinsons Harp Shop in California (fig. 30). This
handle that includes a brass dowel with a turned groove to accept the string. When the
handle is pushed up, the dowel is brought up from under the string, displacing the
alignment of the string.83 The brass dowel caused a slightly different tone quality than
the upright table pin, but it was an improvement because it passed over metal rather than
plastic. The rivets of the handles did not age well and were unpredictable, often
becoming either loose or stiff. However, the main problem was that with a “sufficiently
firm stroke,” the string could dislodge and create a buzz (Bunker 1990: 7).
On 26 June 1990, Robert Bunker from Loveland Colorado patented the Loveland lever
(fig. 31) which, according to Starfish, was a great improvement. The dowel part of this
lever is fixed to the L shaped mounting bracket (rather than on the rotating cam like
Robinson), and the rotating handle lowers a grooved cam down pushing the string against
the stationary dowel. The use of Delrin84, a self-lubricating nylon, for the handle of the
lever cut down on string wear. It also helped that the groove in the cam fit the different
83
Loveland and Cunningham lever patent, prior art summery.
84
Polyoxymethylene, in the United States also commonly known under DuPont's brand
name Delrin, is an engineering plastic, which is often marketed and used as a metal
substitute. Delrin is a lightweight, low-friction, and wear-resistant thermoplastic with
good physical and processing properties.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene_plastic)
57
string sizes. There was no possibility for buzzing because of the string placement
In 2005, Starfish transferred to Camac85 levers (fig. 32) from France. The Camac levers
operate on a vertical plane cam action system. One peg, mounted on the rotating circular
cam with attached handle, moves to lock the string in a loose Z-shape against a stationary
peg mounted to the L-shaped mounting block. All the parts are nickel-plated cast and
machined metal, with some plastic parts and are noted for their smooth mechanical
function. They have evolved from a tear-shaped metal handle to a key-shaped metal
handle.
In 2009, Starfish began trying the new Delacour levers (fig. 33), also from France. The
advanced mechanisms in the Delacour levers feature a tangential lever operated disk with
gripping fourchettes. The two rotating circles have an off-centre hole and the pegs move
Starfish used to make three different models of 31-string instruments. There was high
demand for that number of strings because the Briggs and the Sanderson & Taylor harps
had 31 strings, with the lowest string being E. In about 2002 or 2003, Starfish started to
discontinue some of their 31-string models because 34-string models were becoming
more popular.
85
Camac is a well-known pedal and lever harp factory in France, founded in 1972 and
now producing world-renowned instruments.
58
In 2009, they have a range of six harps (Appendix III, pages 126-129). The “Tiree” is the
last remaining 31-string harp and is “a very sweet sounding harp… the result of many
years of 31-string harp development… its appeal is to people who do not want the extra
bulk of a bigger harp and are willing to sacrifice the extra three strings.”86 Starfish
attributes this change in preference from the 31 string to the 34 string mainly to the
development and popularity of the graded music exams in schools, which often required
the instrument to go down to the low C. The three models with 34 strings include their
most popular harp, the “Glencoe”, known for its big sound and beautiful tone that is well-
used by both professionals and students. It has 11 staves. The “Student” harp is a more
affordable 34-string option with only 5 staves and a smaller soundbox. It is significantly
lighter and smaller. The “Lochaber” is the only Starfish harp with concert-gauge strings,
which appeals to people who already perhaps play the pedal harp or are looking for a
harp strung with heavier tension. The last harp produced by Starfish is the 37-string
“Mamore”, developed in 2001. This harp has a larger soundbox and extra strings to
All the Starfish harps make use of the half-lapped joint between the arm and pillar. The
Glencoe harp utilises a center brace inside the soundbox of birch ply at the E above
middle C and two cross braces at G above middle C and D below middle C. These cross
braces provide support for the soundbox, which was what was lacking in many of the
older harps.
86
www.starfishdesigns.co.uk
59
The harmonic curve Starfish uses is unique in its discontinuous curve. The curve arches
up fairly high with the lowest gut strings, then drops quite low for the highest of the metal
bass strings and arches up again (fig. 34). This configuration allows for a longer lower
Starfish have recently developed two very new harps based completely on the needs of
performers. The first is the McKay Harp (Appendix III, page 129), developed for
Catriona McKay who was looking for a harp with extra chromatic possibilities. She felt
restricted that the harp is so diatonic, and often felt “locked in” the diatonic range. She
wanted a harp with chromatic options, not for the melodic purposes, but to allow for
“creative doors to open… ideas that can found on that harp [the McKay harp] that then
can be transferred to the other harps.” 87 The McKay harp was developed with a full
chromatic range in the middle octave. This harp will not appeal to the general market,
but it is a strong example of a maker complying to the developing needs of the performer.
The other example of Starfish adapting to the performers’ needs is that of making an
instrument that is as light in weight as possible. This new Glenelle harp (Appendix III,
page 129) has just been released in 2009 upon the request of performers such as Rachel
Hair and Catriona McKay, who needed a harp as light as possible to accommodate their
traveling and touring needs. As airport stipulations become more stringent and baggage
weight allowances decrease, traveling by air with the harp for performing musicians is
becoming more difficult. There was a clear need for an instrument that still had the
87
Catriona McKay interview 20 August 2009.
60
performance-standard sound but was also as light as possible to facilitate easier
movement via air travel as well as day to day usage for locally based gigs. Hair states:
My priority over the past few years was that it [the harp] has to be as
physically light as possible, as I fly so much… and also the stress
carrying it is on my back, and therefore they’ve [Starfish] listened to my
woes and created the Glenelle harp. As for the actual design of the harp…
I’m not bothered about how it looks, just about how it sounds and how
workable it is. They are also working on a custom built fiberglass flight
case that will be as light as possible.88
The Glenelle harp was produced with the singular goal of maintaining sound quality but
reducing weight wherever possible. This was achieved by taking the Glencoe model and
drilling circular holes out of the normally solid pieces of wood wherever possible except
where obviously visible. The two laminated pieces of wood compromising the arm and
pillar both had matched holes drilled out of the inner sides that get glued together. The
holes are matched to make for greater glue contact for the remaining solid-wood areas. If
the wood was approximately 20mm thick, about 14-15mm is drilled out, taking out about
75% of the weight for that area. Similar holes were also drilled out of the center brace,
bottom brace, the two thicker staves on both sides of the harp, and the bottom plate (fig.
35). This has reduced the weight of the harp from the normal Glencoe model by about
The biggest change, according to Starfish, between the harps produced through the 1980s
to the harps produced today, is the use of apoxy resin as the adhesive. This viewed by the
company as a considerable improvement on the old glues that Briggs, Thomson, and
Sanderson & Taylor would have used. The apoxy resin soaks into not only the space
88
Rachel Hair personal communication 6 August 2009.
61
between two adjoining pieces of wood, but also the surrounding wood on either side
making the joint areas actually stronger than the solid wood areas. Other modern
contributions include the use of fiberglass or carbon fibre sheets to reinforce the pillar
By looking at the construction techniques of Pilgrim, Norris, Yule and Starfish and the
interactions they have with the performers who play their harps, it becomes clear that the
harps of today have adapted to suit various different performing styles. Performers such
as Wendy Stewart have noted the biggest change in harp development to be the change in
string tension, “it’s interesting because quite a few of the makers now, Pilgrim, Starfish,
Norris are starting to realise that the heavy concert gauge tension and spacing is not
entirely suitable for the kind of traditional playing that I think we’re into.”89 The string
tension is perhaps one of the larger and more obvious developments, but various small
and feet have all affected the overall sound which has developed to the stipulations of the
89
Wendy Stewart interview conducted by Patsy Seddon, 2 April 2008 (SA 2008.026)
62
CHAPTER 5:
CONCLUSION
the first commercially produced harps in Scotland during the 1930s based on replicas of
Scottish harps or influenced by the pedal harp? How has the development of the
construction of harps in Scotland evolved from the 1930s through to 2009 and what were
the motivations propelling the makers? How has the changing performer’s styles
the players and performers. I have also found that the process of development is by no
means finished or stabilised; most makers are keen to continue experimenting and
Through the catalogues and figures presented in this work, as well as through the analysis
of the commercially produced harps constructed from the 1930s, it becomes clear that the
early builders of that time were heavily influenced by the pedal harp as well as by the
ancient Scottish clarsach. When Briggs made his Dalriada model, which was based on
the Queen Mary harp, he only replicated the Queen Mary in the most basic aesthetic
sense, not in any of the actual construction techniques. His soundboxes where either
rounded or staved, neither of which was of the traditional single-block historical Scottish
design. Blades were added to all the harps to facilitate more chromatic modern music as
well as to aid rapid key changes without retuning the instrument. All the harps were
63
strung with gut rather than wire. The soundboards were made of horizontally-grained
spruce or pine, corresponding to the pedal harp. There were wooden supports along the
inside of the soundbox, encircling the soundholes and providing reinforcement to the
rounded back.
The Ossian No. 2 model, which became the ‘standard’ Scottish harp design, retained the
pedal harp elements of the Dalriada: rounded or staved soundbox, horizontally grained
new shape of arm. This elegantly shaped rounded head has become the guide for nearly
all the harp-makers in Scotland since. The Ossian No. 2 also introduced the flat base and
usage of feet on the harps in Scotland, rather than the protruding block of the ancient
Scottish harps.
These construction developments were in alignment with the beginnings of the small harp
revival in Scotland, England, Ireland and America. This is evidenced by the first small
harps made by John Egan in Dublin in the 1820s, the later small harps made by Morley’s
in London from the 1890s, and the Clark harps made in New York in the early 1900s.
Future research would benefit from linking these makers and analysing the connections
between the various countries to look at the development of the small harp post-revival in
the Western World. Further research would also be needed to look into the social,
economic and political conditions of the various countries during the production of these
revival instruments and to analyse the changing circumstances that impacted these harps.
64
By analysing the harps produced in Scotland from the 1930s through to 2009 and by
delving into newspaper and Clarsach Society archives, the developments and the
motivations behind these developments become palpable. The makers from the 1930s
did not start out as harp-makers, they produced other instruments and, in the case of
Briggs, were approached and queried about making harps. Although this may not have
been a favourable proposition at the time, he persevered and became the only harp maker
to serve Scotland and much of the British Isles from the early 1930s to the late 1950s. In
the case of Thompson, he doubtless tried to capitalise on what he saw as possibly the next
big instrument movement, although events out of his control stopped his harp making.
The makers who followed Briggs, including Paris and then Sanderson & Taylor (and
linked with them, Brown & Bruce), Firth, Pilgrim, Norris, Yule and Starfish Designs all
in some respect used aspects of the Briggs as a basis for their own designs. Paris, being
Briggs’ son-in-law as well as his assistant, made harps that were identical to Briggs other
than a few small deviances. Sanderson & Taylor harps were very similar to Briggs’
Ossian No. 2 copies as well, as the makers were specialists in other instruments and were
only called upon to make harps due to the fact that there were no harp-makers in the
country at the time. The Sanderson & Taylor harps were the same height and width as
the Briggs Ossian No. 2, but slightly smaller around the base of the soundbox. There
were fewer inner supports and they were generally made more delicately than the Briggs,
which contributed to the lack of longevity of the instrument and the dimpling of the
soundbox. Sanderson & Taylor started using dowels to reinforce the mortise and tenon
65
The late 1970s is the first time when makers voluntarily began making harps because
they saw a need for the instrument, rather than having it requested by a small number of
individuals. This shows the noticeable increase of players that were beginning to appear
throughout the 1970s to warrant this increase in numbers of harp-makers. They began
making harps because they saw the need for more instruments, whether it was because
they were providing for a single performer, or because their daughters wanted to play the
harp. The harp performers throughout the 1980s and 1990s began pushing the
boundaries of what had previously been done with the harp and required stronger harps,
or harps with certain string tensions to assist their playing, or louder harps or harps with
more strings. Performers were moving out of the genteel drawing-room Gaelic song
accompaniment phase that the harp had been in for many decades following its revival in
Scotland. The advent of graded music exams being available for the small harp also
increased the amount of children who needed harps, along with the fact that more
teachers were available who specialised in the small harp. These motivations inspired the
makers to change the blades to levers, develop suitable string tensions, change the
standard number of strings, and reinforce the soundbox for more reliable stability. The
harps have also increasingly become larger in almost every respect: taller, wider, bigger
and with longer soundboxes. Advances in technology also aided these developments, as
glues changed to apoxies, special plastics and advanced metal plating for mass
production of small pieces became available for highly mechanical levers, and further
knowledge about tensions working against the harp aided the exact tapering of the
66
The interaction between performer and harp-maker can easily be seen directly up to the
present day. Performers such as Catriona McKay and Rachel Hair work closely with
Starfish Designs to create instruments that are ideal for their needs. Norris Harps have
developed through the interaction with performer Savourna Stevenson. This co-
dependant relationship benefits both the performer and the maker as the performers are
given new strings or levers to try from the experimental point of view of the maker, and
conversely the performer brings their needs, concerns and opinions to the maker. This
allows the maker to develop better instruments to suit the playing styles of today’s
performer, which in turn affects not just the harps of the performers, but the harps of all
As the harp in Scotland has only been developing for less than a century since its revival,
and the main upsurge in performance and building has happened only in the last three
decades, we can expect to see a considerable amount of development and changes in the
years to come. The small harp has always been an instrument that has avoided the
standardisation that affects most other instruments and this paves the way for future
67
FIGURES
Fig. 1:
Examples of harp
measurement diagrams.
68
Fig. 2: Queen Mary harp and Lord Archibald revival harps
Glen Harp
Photo courtesy of Highland Folk Museum, Kingussie
Buchanan Harp
Photo C. Brown
69
Fig. 3: Miniature instruments made by Schreiber during war internment (except the
harp), shown with 2 pence piece. Photo C. Brown
70
Fig. 5: Mortise and tenon joint
Diagram C. Brown
71
Fig. 8: Arm on Dalriada (left) and Ossian No. 1 (right)
Photos C. Brown
Fig. 9: V shaped molding along the top of the arm on Ossian No. 1
Photo C. Brown
Fig. 10: Dalriada (left) verses Ossian No. 1 (centre) and Ossian No. 2 (right) pillars
Photos by C. Brown
72
Fig. 11: Base screw on Ossian No. 1
Photo C. Brown
73
Fig. 13: Ossian Feet
Photo C. Brown
Fig. 14: Ossian No. 2 arm (left) verses Ossian No. 1 arm (right)
Photos C. Brown
74
Fig. 16: Inner support of Briggs
Photo C. Brown
75
Fig. 18: Paris arm V shape not continued (left) verses Briggs (right)
Photos C. Brown
76
Fig. 20: Ian Brown in Holland, 1984.
Photos courtesy of Ank van Campen
Fig. 21: Sanderson & Taylor and Brown & Bruce dowel usage in mortise and tenon joint
Photo C. Brown
77
Fig. 23: Wilfred Smith harp (left), Morley harp (centre), Egan harp (right)
Photos Ruth Excell-Stevenson, Ben Morley, C. Brown
78
Fig. 26: Lapped joint
Diagram by C. Brown
79
Fig. 28: Soundboard tapering
Diagram C. Brown
80
Fig. 30: Robinson’s Harp levers
Diagram Cunningham Patent prior art (Patent No. 6080921)
81
Fig. 33: Delacour levers
Photo C. Brown
82
APPENDIX I:
Containing:
Purpose-built harps
Dalriada
Ossian No. 1
Ossian No. 2
Paris harps
Custom-made harps
Schreiber Miniature Harp
83
Briggs: Purpose-built (1933) (owned by St Cecilia’s, Edinburgh)
Strings: 30, G to A.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to shoulder top: 38.5 in (with protruding block).
Width horizontal arm: 21.25 in.
Curve of pillar outside: 35 in. to bottom of curve, 18 in to end of pillar
Around base soundbox: 17.625 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 34.625 in.
String band pillar to neck: 33.625 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
Across front top of soundboard: 4.875 in.
Height of end of arm: 4.5 in.
84
Briggs: Purpose-built Fort William (West Highland Museum)
Notes from museum display: The salmon carving was the Briggs’ motif. This clarsach
probably dates to the 1920s. On loan from the Clarsach Society (No 42).
85
Briggs: Dalriada (1933) (housed by Jean Fleetwood)
Elaborate carvings.
Label on base: Dalriada Clarsach,
Briggs, Maker, Glasgow 1933 Owner’s history: “I hold at
present as a member of The Friends
Sound box: staved, 7 panels of Highland Music. This came
Sound board: Spruce about as our FoHM Treasurer, Alan
Sound holes: Findlay, found the harp in his
Bottom: Queen Mary style, carved, custom stool father's loft in Perth when they
were clearing out the house after he
Model: Dalriada died. He took it north with a view
Date: 1933 to lending it out as a fund raiser for
Strings: 31, E to G. FoHM. I think he put it to Bill
Taylor at Strathpeffer, who strung
Custom built stool (Briggs) it, and tuned it to a slightly lower
pitch as there is a very slight twist
Wood: sycamore in the top. I said it could come here
and that Gillian would play it from
time to time to keep it going. It
Dimensions: became clear as soon as Gillian saw
Height vertical pillar to head top: 38 in. it, that with the blades it was no use
Width horizontal arm: 22 in. as a beginner's harp, and especially
Curve of pillar outside: 39 in. as it couldn't be tuned up
Around base soundbox: 18 in. sufficiently.
Edge of soundbox length: 35.25 in.
String band pillar to neck: 34 in. So it has sat here since then, 2 or 3
Height of end of arm: 4.875 in. years or so.”
Across front base of soundbox: 11.25 in.
Length across top of soundbox: 4.25
86
Briggs: Dalriada (1934) (owned by Mary Fleming, Edinburgh)
Elaborate carvings.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 42.72 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22 in.
Curve of pillar outside: 40.375 in.
Around base soundbox: 17.375 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 35.375 in.
String band pillar to neck: 34.375 in.
Height of end of arm: 4 in.
87
Briggs: Dalriada (1943, #24) (owned by Christine Martin)
Elaborate carvings.
Original invoice. Date: March 15th, 1943. Mrs Fulton, 12 University – Glasgow.
Carved Clarsach, No. 24.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 38 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22 in.
Curve of pillar outside: 37.5 in.
Around base soundbox: 18 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 35 in.
String band pillar to neck: 33.5 in.
Height of end of arm: 4.5 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11.25 in.
Length across top of soundbox: 4.25 in.
88
Briggs: Dalriada (owned by Jean Hutchings)
Elaborate carvings.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 42 in.
Height vertical to shoulder top: 41.5
Width horizontal arm: 22.875 in.
Curve of pillar outside: 40.625 in.
Around base soundbox: 18 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 34.875 in.
String band pillar to neck: 34.125 in.
Height of end of arm: 4.375 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 10.75 in.
Length across top of soundbox: 3.5 in.
89
Briggs: Ossian No. 1 (1933) (owned by Mary Fleming, Edinburgh)
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 39 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22 in.
Around base soundbox: 17.5 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 35.375 in.
String band pillar to neck: 32.5 in.
Height of end of arm: 4 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
90
Briggs: Ossian No. 1 (owned by Patsy Seddon)
Wood: walnut
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 40.25 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 35.5 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22 in.
Curve of pillar outside: na double curve
Around base soundbox: 17.625 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 34.75 in.
String band pillar to neck: 31.375 in.
Height of end of arm: 4.75 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
Length across top of soundbox: 3.375 in.
91
Briggs: Ossian No. 1 (owned by Jean Hutchings)
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 39.5 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 38.5 in.
Width horizontal arm: 23 in.
Around base soundbox: 18.125 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 35.625 in.
String band pillar to neck: 32.875 in.
Height of end of arm: 4.25 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
Length across top of soundbox: 3.5 in.
92
Briggs: Ossian No. 1 (1938, #51) (owned by Avril Garvild)
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 39.5 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 39 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22.75 in.
Curve of pillar outside: na double curve
Around base soundbox: 17.5 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 35.5 in.
String band pillar to neck: 35.25 in.
Height of end of arm: 4.5 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
Length across top of soundbox: 3.5 in.
93
Briggs: Ossian No. 1 (owned Mona Silli, Austria)
Model: Ossian
Date: unknown
Owner’s history: bought at
Strings: 31, E to G. Edinburgh International Harp
Festival a few years ago (c. 2005)
Wood: Golden satinwood and birdseye maple
Dimensions:
(measurements unavailable)
94
Briggs: Ossian No. 2 (#85) (owned by Kirsty MacGregor)
Sticker on front unreadable, but looks the same as other Briggs harps.
Signature: Henry Briggs signature and “85”
Model: Ossian #2
Date: c. 1935
Strings: 31, E to G.
Levers/blades: Metal levers, not original. Owner’s history: Kirsty bought
from Anne MacDearmid in the
Wood: sycamore mid/early 1980s. Alison Kinnaird
Dimensions: arranged the sale and arranged for
Height vertical pillar to head top: 41 in. levers to be put on.
Height vertical to neck top: 39 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22 in.
Curve of pillar outside: n/a
Around base soundbox: 17.75 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 36 in.
String band pillar to neck: 33 in.
Height of end of arm: n/a
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
Length across top of soundboard: 3.5 in.
95
Briggs Ossian No. 2 (#86) (owned Kirsty MacGregor)
96
Briggs: Ossian No. 2 (1938, #108) (owned by Alison Kinnaird)
Sticker on front unreadable, but looks the same as other Briggs harps.
Label on inside has disintegrated, but reads: “This Ossian Clarsach was specially
designed and made….. Empire Exh……” (The Empire Exhibition was an international
exposition held at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, from May to December 1938. Ref.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Exhibition,_Scotland_1938)
Signature: Henry Briggs signature and “108”
Sound box: rounded, one cross brace at middle C, two layer ply.
Sound board: spruce. Vertical crack just below middle C, across string band as well, but
well monitored and no change in many years.
Sound holes: 4, tapered from long and thin (top) to short and wide (bottom)
Bottom: flat base, feet
Neck: 3 piece construction
97
Briggs: Ossian No. 2 (1953) (owned by Mary O’Hara)
98
Briggs: Ossian No. 2 (#152) (housed by Danny Sweeney)
Signature by Briggs looks rubbed out, signature by Angus Paris still visible. “152”
clearly printed.
Wood: mahogany?
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 41.5 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 39.875 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22.75 in.
Curve of pillar outside: n/a
Around base soundbox: 18 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 35.875 in.
String band pillar to neck: 32.875 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in
Across top of soundboard: 3.625
99
Paris (#15) (owned by Alison Kinnaird)
Model: Ossian ?
Date: 1964
Strings: 31, E to G.
Wood: sycamore
Sound box: rounded, unusually divided off centre of soundholes. 3 layer ply.
Wooden string knobs except lowest 3 strings. Strengtheners squared and tapered.
Sound board: spruce. No cracking. 6 layers (?)
Sound holes: 4, tapered from long and thin (top) to short and wide (bottom)
Bottom: flat base, carved feet
Neck: 3 piece construction Owner’s history: Alison bought in
Pillar Arm: Solid. Pillar beveled for last string. the 1960s for £40 with case.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 41.5 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 39 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22.75 in.
Curve of pillar outside: n/a
Around base soundbox: 18 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 35.875 in.
String band pillar to neck: 31.625 in.
Height of end of arm: n/a
Across front base of soundbox: 10.75 in.
Length across top of soundboard: 3.75 in.
100
Briggs: Ossian No. 2 Hilda Mary Campbell’s (1932?) (owned by JF)
No sticker on front
Elaborate carving
Signature: soundboard replaced, so no signature
101
Briggs: Knee Harps
102
APPENDIX II:
Containing:
Sanderson & Taylor
Brown & Bruce
Firth
103
Sanderson & Taylor harp (owned by Mike Baldwin)
104
Brown & Bruce (owned by Mary Veal, Glasgow)
Sound box: rounded. Has inner stiffeners, ends 6 strings from top. One cross support at
A below middle C (could be from Starfish?)
Sound board: Spruce
String band: string pegs on all but bottom octave.
Sound holes: 4 oval
Arm: Two layers glued together in unison.
Pillar: Two layers glued together in unison. Two through wooden dowel pins indicate
pinned corner mortise tenon joint with arm. No bevel at inner bottom for bottom
string.
Bottom: flat base, feet. No hole in base. Concealed inner block with hole for pillar bolt.
Neck: two main arm pieces, two additional pieces on inside, one additional piece on
outside (5 total)
Levers/blades: Blades originally.
Date: unknown
Strings: 31, E to G. Owner’s history: bought
Wood: maple dark finish, underside (no finish) fairly recently. Starfish
light wood, maple? upgraded original blades to
Loveland levers.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 41.5 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 39 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22 in.
Curve of pillar outside: did not calculate
Curve of pillar to join: 36.75 in.
Around base soundbox: 16.5 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 36.25 in.
String band pillar to neck: 33 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
105
Brown & Bruce (owned by Jennie Brockie, Edinburgh)
106
Brown & Bruce (owned by Anne Garrison)
107
Brown & Bruce (housed by Isobel Mieras)
Carving on pillar and round celtic carving on back of head above dowels
Sound box: rounded.
Sound board: Spruce
String band: no string pegs
Sound holes: 4 oval
Arm: Two layers glued together in unison.
Pillar: Two through wooden dowel pins indicate pinned corner mortise tenon joint with
arm.
Bottom: flat base, feet.
Neck: two main arm pieces, two additional pieces on inside, one additional small piece
on outside (5 total)
Levers/blades: brass Blades. Material padding.
Date: unknown
Strings: 31, E to G, 8 wound wire, rest gut.
Wood: maple light finish
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 41.25 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 38.5 in.
Width horizontal arm: 33.625 in.
Curve of pillar outside: did not calculate
Curve of pillar to join: 36 in.
Around base soundbox: 17 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 36.25 in.
String band pillar to neck: 33.5 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 11 in.
Across top of soundboard: 3.75 in.
108
Firth (1971) (owned by Meredith McCracken)
Strings: 32, E to A
Wood: maple, birds eye maple
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 40 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 39 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22 in.
Around base soundbox: 20 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 37 in.
String band pillar to neck: 34 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 12 in.
Across top of soundboard: 4 in.
109
Firth (1973) (owned by Iain Hood)
The badge you can see on the front of the harp was Iain’s George Watson’s school badge
(instead of a clan badge which was quite popular at the time).
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 41.2 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 40.8 in.
Width horizontal arm: 24 in.
Around base soundbox: 20 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 36.8 in.
String band pillar to neck: 34 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 12 in.
Across top of soundboard: 4.4 in.
110
Firth Knee Harp (mid 1970s) (owned by Meredith McCracken)
111
Firth (1975/76) (owned by Marie-Louise Napier)
112
Firth (1977) (owned by the Clarsach Society)
Date: 1977
Owner’s history: An old ex-rental
Strings: 32, E to A Clarsach Society harp, will be sold as
Wood: maple not suitable for rental.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 40.75 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 40.5 in.
Width horizontal arm: 22.5 in.
Curve of pillar to join: 34.375 in.
Around base soundbox: 19.375 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 37 in.
String band pillar to neck: 33.375 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 12 in.
Across top of soundboard: 3.875 in.
113
Firth (late 1970s, early 1980s) (owned by Karen Hickmott)
114
Firth, Rebecca (date unknown) (owned by the Clarsach Society)
Date: unknown
Owner’s history: An old
Strings: 32, E to A ex-rental Clarsach Society
Wood: unknown harp, will be sold as not
suitable for rental.
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 40.875 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 40.375 in.
Width horizontal arm: 23 in.
Around base soundbox: 20.375 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 37 in.
String band pillar to neck: 33.875 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 12.625 in.
Across top of soundboard: 4.25 in.
115
Firth (date unknown) (owned by Helen Christie)
116
Firth (1994) (owned by Meredith McCracken)
Strings: 34, C to A
Wood: sycamore
Dimensions:
Height vertical pillar to head top: 44 in.
Height vertical to neck top: 44 in.
Width horizontal arm: 24 in.
Around base soundbox: 23 in.
Edge of soundbox length: 41 in.
String band pillar to neck: 37 in.
Across front base of soundbox: 13 in.
Across top of soundboard: 4 in.
117
APPENDIX III:
PRESENT DAY MAKERS CATALOGUE
1979 – 2009
Containing:
Pilgrim
Norris
Yule
Starfish
Note: As these makers are still in production and their harps are easily procurable,
detailed photographs and measurements have not been taken. All photographs are from
the harp-makers publicity materials.
118
Pilgrim: Clarsach
Strings: 34
Range: 1st A to 6th C
Height: 109cm, 43in
Extreme Width: 69cm, 27in
Weight: 8.2kg, 18lbs
119
Pilgrim: Skylark
Strings: 34
Range: 1st A to 6th C
Height: 110cm, 43in
Extreme Width: 69cm, 27in
Weight: 8.2kg, 18lbs
Gut Strung
Maple Satin or choose from a range of colours
Hire purchase and hire schemes
All brass semitone levers
Soundboard selected from the finest European Spruce
Available with or without legs
Covers & accessories available
Hand-painted & carved decorations available
2 year warranty
120
Pilgrim: Ashdown
Strings: 34
Range: 1st A to 6th C
Height: 119cm, 47in
Extreme Width: 70cm, 27.5in
Weight: 8.2kg, 18lbs
121
Norris: The Basic Pro
Norris: Professional
122
Norris: Round back
123
Yule: Carnethy
Yule: Soutra
124
Yule: Soutra Chieftain
Yule: Lapwing
125
Starfish: Tiree
31 strings
1st Octave G to 6th Octave E
23 gut strings; 8 metal strings
1,120mm (44”) high approx
610mm (24”) wide approx
8.5kg (18.5lbs) approx
folk-gauge strings
Starfish: Lochaber
34 strings
1st Octave A to 6th Octave C
24 gut strings
10 metal strings
1,130mm (44”) high approx
680mm (26.75”) wide approx
12kg (26.5lbs) approx
126
Starfish: Glencoe
34 strings
1st Octave A to 6th Octave C
24 gut strings; 10 metal strings.
1,170mm (46”) high approx
635mm (25”) wide approx
10.5kg (23lbs) approx
Starfish: Mamore
37 strings
1st Octave A to 6th Octave G
26 gut strings; 11 metal strings
1,350mm (53”) high approx
740mm (29”) wide approx
12.5kg (27.5lbs) approx
127
Starfish: Student
34 strings
1st Octave A to 6th Octave C
24 gut strings; 10 metal strings
1,140mm (44.75”) high approx
640mm (25”) wide approx
9kg (20lbs) approx
Starfish: Columba
26 strings
1st Octave G to 5th Octave C
23 gut strings; 3 metal strings
850mm (33.5”) high approx
545mm (21.5”) wide approx
6.5kg (14lbs) approx
128
Starfish: McKay
Starfish: Glenelle
129
APPENDIX IV:
COMPARISON TABLES
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Armstrong, Robert Bruce, Musical Instruments: The Irish and the Highland Harps
(Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1904)
Baptie, David, Musical Scotland Past and Present (Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag,
1972)
Briggs, Henry B. Dalriada and Ossian Clarsachs or Celtic Harps brochure. NLS
Shelfmark HP1.81.1423
Cheape, Hugh, Tartan: The Highland Habit (Edinburgh: National Museums of Scotland,
1991)
Collinson, Francis, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland (London: Routledge
and Kegan Paul, 1966)
Eydmann, Stuart, The Life and Times of the Concertina: the adoption and usage of a
novel musical instrument with particular reference to Scotland (The Open
University PhD, 1995)
Freshwater, Jane, Harping on Edge: The Clarsach Revival and the Island Communities of
Barra and Eriskay 1974 – 2004 (University of Edinburgh Masters dissertation,
2004)
Kennedy-Fraser, Marjory, Songs of the Hebrides (London: Boosey & Co, 1909)
Lanier, S. C., “ ‘It is new-strung and shan’t be heard’: nationalism and memory in the
Irish harp tradition” British Journal of Ethnomusicology vol. 8 (1999), 1-26
137
Linnett, Oona, The Development of the Gut Strung Irish Harp c. 1819 – 1912 (University
of Wales Masters dissertation, 2003)
The Lyon & Healy Harp: A facsimile of our 1899 Harp Book, reprinted in 1979 in
celebration of our 90th Anniversary (Chicago: Lyon & Healy Harps Inc, 1979)
Magee, John, The Heritage of the Harp (Belfast: Linen Hall Library, 1992)
Marson, John, The Book of the Harp (Suffolk: Kevin Meyhew Ltd, 2005)
McKinney, Rebecca, Old Tunes for New Times: Contemporary Scottish Nationalism and
the Folk Music Revival (University of Edinburgh PhD, 1999)
Munro, Ailie, The Folk Music Revival in Scotland (Surrey: Biddles Ltd, 1984)
Plowright, Dennis G, Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers (Exmouth: Bartlett Printing
Ltd, 1994)
Pratt, Samuel O., Affairs of the Harp (USA: Colin Harp Music, 1964)
Purser, John Scotland’s Music: A History of the Traditional and Classical Music of
Scotland from Early Times to the Present Day (Edinburgh: Mainstream
Publishing Company Ltd, 2007)
Rattray, David, Violin Making In Scotland 1750 – 1950 (Oxford: British Violin Making
Association, 2006)
Rensch, Roslyn, Harps and Harpists (Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1989, repr.
1998)
Rensch, Roslyn, Three Centuries of Harp Making (Indiana: Indiana University Press,
2007)
Rimmer, Joan, The Irish Harp Cláirseach na hÉireann, 2nd edn. (Cork: Mercier Press,
1977)
Sanger, Keith, and Alison Kinnaird, Tree of Strings: Crann nan Teud (Temple: Kinmore
Music, 1992)
138
Seddon, Patsy, ‘Scottish Harps’, Scottish Harps: Edinburgh International Festival
(August 1998), 16-17
Slobin, Mark, “Rethinking ‘Revival’ of American Ethnic Music” New York Folklore, 9
(1983), 37-44
Woolley, Chloë The Revival of Manx Traditional Music: From 1970s to the Present Day
(University of Edinburgh PhD, 2004)
ARCHIVAL MATERIAL
#1: Minute book, 1931-37 with Constitution and Rules and Annual Reports
#2: Minute book, 1936-47 with Annual Reports
#3: Minute book, 1946-57 with Annual Reports
#4: Minute book, 1957-75 with Annual Reports
#4a: Minute book, 1977-89 with Annual Reports
#5: Annual Reports, 1975-90
#7: Constitution and Rules
#10: Greeting cards, Briggs catalogue, 1938
#16: “The Story of the harp in Scotland”, by Jean Campbell
#17: Manuscript music arranged by Jean Campbell
#20: Letters to Jean Campbell. Anonymous letter.
#24: Instructions for playing Morley’s portable harp.
#29: Life stories of Hilda Mary Campbell and Margaret Hewett
#32: “Comunn na clarsaich: a summary of the archives 1931-90” by Janet Watt
#33: 4 audio cassettes of Scottish music, performances by members of the Society
#40-43: Photographs
#57: Harp makers’ catalogues and information
#59: Press cuttings
139
Volume G: Large Mounts from Other Sections
“What the Crisis Meant To Me: Glasgow Woman’s Fears for Her Sudeten Husband” The
Weekly News, Saturday (Schreiber personal collection)
“Clarsach Day At the Mod: Some of the Harpists: Medal Class Finalists” The Bulletin,
September 29, 1933 (NLS Acc. 10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press
Cuttings)
“Glasgow and the Clarsach” The Evening Citizen, Nov 30, 1934, Glasgow Scrapbook,
Mitchell Library. Vol. 17, page 11
“The Science of Musical Instrument Making” Town and Country News, 3 May, 1935
(Schreiber personal collection)
“I Meet Such Interesting People”, The Sunday Post, September 19, 1937, page 18.
(Schreiber personal collection)
“Germans’ Frantic Appeals To Glasgow Business Man”, The Weekly News May 27, 1939
(Schreiber personal collection)
“The Old Violin Maker is Turning Out His Masterpiece – After Fifty-seven Years:
Coaxes Melody from Wood”, Daily Graphic, April 7, 1948 (Schreiber personal
collection)
“America Wants the Clarsach”, Weekly Scotsman, date unknown, estimated at 1948
(Schreiber personal collection)
“These Craftsmen Make Fine Violins”, Daily Graphic, August 27, 1948 (Schreiber
personal collection)
“Famous Glasgow violin craftsman has retired”, Evening Times, June 8, 1949. (Schreiber
personal collection)
140
“James Dow’s Diary: Keep the Briggs business going, says America”, newspaper
unknown, date unknown, but presumably around 1949 (Schreiber personal
collection)
Prichard, Caradog “Harps are One Man’s Life” Everybody’s Mary 6, 1954 (NLS Acc.
10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings)
“Seventeen Musicians” Scotsman, 1980 (NLS Acc. 10247, Clarsach Society Archives,
#59: Press Cuttings)
Taylor, Liz “The girl with the sycamore harp” The Scotsman January 25, 1982 (NLS Acc.
10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings)
Anderson, Helen “Just Stringing Along” Evening News March 16, 1985 (NLS Acc.
10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings)
“Clarsach Course a big success”, Oban Times 1985 (NLS Acc. 10247, Clarsach Society
Archives, #59: Press Cuttings)
Jones, Peter “Harp maker wins award” paper and date unknown, estimated 1986 (NLS
Acc. 10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings)
“Plucky big to boost harp” paper and date unknown, estimated 1986 (NLS Acc. 10247,
Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings)
“The Young ones keep harping on” Scotland On Sunday November 20, 1988 (NLS Acc.
10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings)
“From Canada – and She Plays the Clarsach” The People’s Journal (October 15, 1949),
NLS Acc. 10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings
Clark, Ronald W., “It’s women who like harps” John Bull (May 20, 1950), NLS Acc.
10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings
“Sanderson & Taylor” Scots Magazine (May 1971), NLS Acc. 10247, Clarsach Society
Archives, #59: Press Cuttings
“Over 1100-Mile Journey – For Clarsach Lessons!” The People’s Journal (April 15,
1972), NLS Acc. 10247, Clarsach Society Archives, #59: Press Cuttings
141
Weidensaul, Jane B., “Lyon & Healy: the First Ninety Years” American Harp Journal
Vol. 7, #2 (Winter 1979), 5-9
“Histories of Glasgow companies: William Thomson & Sons”, Glasgow Scrapbook #23,
180-181 (Mitchell Library)
Wurthier, Kora, “Musical Starfish and other Scottish Marvels” HARPA Nr. 9 (1/1993),
14-15
Bryan, Howard, “A Piece of the Puzzle”, American Harp Journal Vol. 15 #3 (Summer
1996), 27-29
Frick, Rudolf, “The Origin of Small Modern Harps” HARPA, No. 16 (winter 1994), 37-
44
Will, Ulla, “Paddy Cafferky – Jan Muyllaert” HARPA, No. 17 (summer 1995), 16-19
Frick, Rudolf, “Wandering Minstrels: Edinburgh Harp Festival 1995” HARPA, No. 18
(summer 1995), 65-68
Fischer, Evelin, “Edinburgh Harp Festival 1996” HARPA, No. 22 (summer 1996), 12-15
Moor, Martha, “The Swanson Harp Company” American Harp Journal, Vol. 16 #2
(Winter 1997), 12-15
“Wood… Your Harp’s Most Valuable Resource”, Harp Today Vol. 2 (spring 1998), 12-
17
Bryan, Howard, “An American in Mouzeil”, HARPA No. 28 (spring 1998), 46-48
142
LEAFLETS/PAMPHLETS
“Brown & Bruce: Makers of Clarsach and Celtic Harps” promotional leaflet
Stevenson, Ronald, “Harps of their own sort”, National Library of Scotland Lecture
Series, 1981
CDS
Kinnaird, Alison, The Harp Key Crann Nan Teud, 1996 Temple Records
PATENTS:
Bunker, Robert, “Sharping lever for a musical instrument”, 1990, United States, Patent
No. 4936182 http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4936182.html
Christiansen, Henning (Lyon & Healy, Inc.), “Harp Construction”, 1973, United States,
Patent No. 3739680 http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3739680.html
Cunningham, Robert, “Blade sharping device for a lever harp”, 2000, United States,
Patent No. 6080921 http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6080921.html
143
Truitt, Betty R., “Hand-manipulated sharping lever for a harp”, 1998, United States,
Patent No. 5796020 http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5796020.html
WEBSITES
“Organology”
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/20441?q=orga
nology&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit (viewed 05/12/2008)
144
LIST OF INTERVIEWS
145