The Welsh harp: our national instrument
The triple harp is so-called for its three rows of strings rather than one, which allows the harpist to play chromatic notes without levers or pedals. It originated in Italy as a baroque instrument before spreading across Europe, and was used by Monteverdi and later by Handel in their compositions.
The triple harp arrived in London in the 17th century. It was adopted by Welsh Londoners – who, Cerys explains, 'took immediately to its complexity and continental mystique. These musicians took the instrument back to Wales, where it became very popular in Meirionnydd (a historical region in northeast Wales).
By the middle of the 18th century, the triple harp fell out of fashion across the rest of Europe. But in Wales, it continued to be produced and played – thanks in part to its popularity in our eisteddfodau, or festivals. It was crowned as the Welsh harp by the antiquarians of the period, its actual history conveniently forgotten.
How does the Welsh harp sound, you ask? In a word: bellissimo.
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