No one really knows where the harp originated and we will never know what harp music sounded like in the pre-historical era. One of the earliest musical instrument discoveries showed a harp-like instrument on rock paintings dating back to 15,000 BC in France. Many believe that the earliest harps came from the sound of the hunter's bow.
In Egypt, some of the earliest images of bow harps are from the Pharaoh's tombs dating some 5,000 years ago. These hieroglyphs show that there were many harps in ancient Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III (1198-1166 BC) had many bow harps painted in his tomb. In the New Kingdom, harps measured up to 2 metres (6.5 feet) in height with 19 strings and were played seated or standing up.
The word "harp" is believed to be an Anglo-Saxon word which means "to pluck". Harp, or "harpa" was used to describe the triangular-shaped stringed instruments during the 13th century. The harp is a very old music instrument and its' roots is quite difficult to determine. It is believed to have been developed from the hunter's bow. Evidence of harps during Ancient times can be seen in Egypt. Inside the Egyptian tombs are wall paintings of bow-shaped instruments similar to that of a harp. For example, the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III reveals many paintings of bow harps. Bow harps have 19 strings and is more than 6 feet in height.
Vertical harps with 2 arms also known as lyre harps or "lyres" also began appearing in ancient Sumaria by 2800 BC. Some of the oldest carvings of harps were discovered in Phoenicia with marble harp statuettes found dating back to 3,000 - 2,300 BC. The development of the lyre harp in Greece also coincided with the development of mathematical musical scales. By the 6th century BC, Pythagorus discovered numerical ratios corresponding to intervals of the musical scale. The Greeks are also credited with inventing the Aeolian harp, a harp played by the wind.
Ancient Rome did not seem to place as high an importance on music compared to other ancient civilizations. With the decline of the Roman Empire, music seemed to have died out and there are very few historical references for a half millenium. In early European society following the fall of Rome impressions of lyre harps were found on the coins of pre-Christian Gauls. The harp and musical culture in general seems to have disappeared in the Dark Ages. These centuries are shrouded in mystery.
Angled harps -are believed to have originated from Ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia.
This type of harp had no pillar and was played upside-down. An image of the angled harp was discovered painted on a vase from a Babylonian temple. It has 12 to 15 strings.The lyre or vertical harp is believed to have originated from Ancient Sumaria. This type of harp was very popular in Greece and Rome. it is also mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 4:21} and was the type of harp King David played as a young man. The lyre is played using only one hand and had fewer strings. Another type of harp that originated from Greece is called the Aeolian harp and is played by the wind.
The triangular harp evovled during the Middle Ages. By then, the pillar was added giving the strings more tension and thus allowing it to have a better tone and volume. Evidence of this type of harp were found in manuscripts such as those found in the Utrecht Psalter dating back to early 9th century. It resembles the Celtic harp of today.
Other Discoveries of Harp in Early History
- Rock paintings in France dating back 15,000 B.C.
- Carvings in Phoenicia dating back 2300 to 3000 B.C.
- Used as vocal accompaniments by monks in Western Europe during 4th century A.D.
- In England, pieces of a harp were found in a buried ship dating back to the 7th century.
- In Germany and France, remains of Germanic harps were found in graves dating back from 5th up to 10th century.
- Stone carvings in Northumberland dating back to the 600's A.D.