Gothic harp vs Gaelic harp

At the salon des luthiers in Dinan, I met up with an interesting harpmaker, specialising in medieval European harps, Yves d’Arcizas. His craftsmanship and artistry is very high quality, with a selection of wood and a handling of the tools and finish that look similar to Davy Patton‘s. He had on his modest display a copy of the Wartburg harp – one of the best and earliest of the surviving Continental instruments.

I was fascinated to try playing this instrument, and also to compare it with my replica of the roughly contemporary Queen Mary harp. Though the gothic harp and the Gaelic harp are rather different beasts, there were a lot of subtle and conceptual similarities between these two instruments.

One thought on “Gothic harp vs Gaelic harp”

  1. I've just discovered your blog ! I was part of the trainees in Dinan, and the meeting you had with us that afternoon was REALLY interesting! It's a pity you didn't have the time to tell us about the gothic harp too, but your clarsach and your tunes stirred our imagination. Thank you.

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