Talharpa

The talharpa, also known as a tagelharpa (tail-hair harp) or the stråkharpa (bowed harp), is a four-stringed bowed lyre from northern Europe. It is questionable whether it was formerly common and widespread in Scandinavia. Today it is played mainly in Estonia, particularly among Estonian Swedes who came to Estonia around the 10th century from the Swedish part of Finland; they likely brought the instrument with them (later Swedish settlers in Estonia did not use the talharpa.)[1] It is similar to the Finnish jouhikko and the Welsh crwth. The instrument is still known in Finland.[2]

Talharpa, by Charlie Bynum, Silver Spoon Music, Alkmaar NL, 2014

The name talharpa probably comes from the word tall ('pine tree'), as it is said also to be "pine harph" or "tagel" – horsehair – from which the strings were made.[3]

An Estonian man playing the hiiu kannel (or, talharpa), ca. 1920.

Background

The earliest known Norse literary mentions of a harp or lyre date to the Eddic poem Völuspá, though not as a bowed instrument. However, visual representations from iconography show Gunnar charming the snakes in the snake pit with a harpa and a stone carving at the Trondheim Cathedral of Norway shows a musician playing a bowed lyre, dating to around the 14th century.[4] In Nordic countries, the bowed lyre (as opposed to the plucked harp) has continued in Finland, where it is called jouhikantele and Estonia where it is called hiiu kannel.[5]

Construction techniques

Talharpas were traditionally built by hollowing out a single block of wood and gluing a soundboard on top, as demonstrated by various historical finds. In modern times, many tagelharpa makers continue to build their musical instruments from solid wood, such as Rauno Nieminen. Others began to make tagelharpas following the classical school of lutherie, with each part assembled and characterized by reinforcements, bands, counter-bands, figured bottoms and blocks.

Modern use

The talharpa is sometimes used in modern folk music, most notably by the Estonian nu-folk duo Puuluup[6] who use talharpas and modern live looping.

Another band that often uses the tagelharpa and the Kravik lyre is the neo-folk band Wardruna, with frontman Einar Selvik, which for years has been involved in rediscovering Scandinavian and Baltic folk music.

Hungarian artist Vvilderness used talharpa on album Path.

Puuluup on stage

See also

References
  1. Cronshaw, Andrew (1999). "Baltic States: singing revolutions". The Rough Guide to World Music. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). London: Rough Guides Limited. p. 18. ISBN 1-85828-635-2.
  2. Montagu, Jeremy (2007). Origins and Development of Musical Instruments. Scarecrow. p. 174. ISBN 9780810877702.
  3. Andersson, Otto (1930). The Bowed Harp. Translated and edited by Kathleen Schlesinger. London: New Temple Press p. 111
  4. Nieminen, Rauno (2020) The Bowed Lyre. p.16
  5. Rice, Timothy (2017). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Europe. Routledge. p. 730. ISBN 978-1351544269. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  6. , Puuluup official website


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