![]() ![]() An early text describes a tune on it as one of the three accomplishments of Ireland. These smaller instruments are contemporaneous to the early Irish term crott, describing a popular instrument found throughout the sources.įrom the earliest references, the crott, generally translated "harp," held a clear prominence above all musical instruments. Early physical depictions of stringed instruments, particularly those found on high crosses, reveal smaller quadrangular instruments with relatively few strings. While modern harps use gut strings and are played with the pads of the fingers, medieval harps often used metal strings and were played with plectra. In general the instruments seem to have been crafted entirely from wood, often willow. Images of the instruments often appear on carved panels of high crosses and in illustrations within medieval manuscripts. Irish musician playing the harp from Topographia Hibernica.Įvidence for stringed instruments preceding the modern Irish harp is both abundant and diverse. The national and symbolic significance of the harp further compounds the difficulty. ![]() This problem of identification stems mainly from the often general and unspecific nature of the sources. While "harp" remains the standard interpretation of all stringed instruments mentioned in the sources, there is little to suggest that the harp, as it is known today, corresponds to the earlier instruments. The instrument appears in several different shapes and forms over the medieval period, suggesting an evolution from earlier four-sided instruments to the well-known triangular harp of today. The harp is Ireland’s best-known instrument and one of its most enduring national symbols. Stringed instruments dominate any study of music in medieval Ireland. Renowned for both its vocal and instrumental skills, medieval Ireland boasts a rich history in music. Acclaiming little else in his twelfth-century first-hand account, Giraldus extols the range and talent of Irish musicians, commenting specifically on their distinctive melodies, harmonies, and composition. Ireland’s achievement in music has been noted by admirers as early as the twelfth-century chronicler Giraldus Cambrensis.
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