 Ardival makes historical harps and traditional harps. The historical harps use authentic construction methods: hollowed-out soundboxes and gut or brass wire strings as appropriate. We make medieval gut-strung Pictish-style harps. Our wire-strung clarsachs follow the Scottish and Irish traditions. We also make Renaissance bray harps, often called gothic harps, and modern folk harps with sharping levers. The personnel are Graham Muir, Bill Taylor and Zan and Alex Dunn. Graham is our craftsman; Alex, Bill and Graham cooperate in the design of the harps, and Bill is in charge of stringing and giving the player’s point of view; and Zan is the one most likely to be at the end of the telephone…… We have sent harps all over the world -- throughout Britain and Europe, to the Americas, Japan, New Zealand and Australia, and we have had the pleasure of welcoming visitors 'frae a' the airts'. US Visitors: [The Harps - Page 1 & Page 2 ] [The Harp Holidays] [ The Teacher ] [Exhibitions] [Links] [ Contact: ] |
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Rosemarkie & DupplinInspired by carvings on the 8th century Pictish stones, these triangular harps with long strings are appropriate for players of both historical and traditional music. The Rosemarkie harp, with its two and a half octave range, is suitable for medieval music through the 14th century, as well as for much of traditional music. The larger Dupplin harp has a longer soundbox and an extended bass, which gives a fuller sound, and allows players to explore renaissance music of the 15-16th centuries. Special Medieval 8 stringing is available on request, including both B and Bflat in each octave. Rosemarkie: Strings - 19 nylon or gut;
Dupplin: Strings - 23 gut |
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KentigernThe Kentigern is a large medieval gut-strung harp, with gentle curves on the arm and pillar, and is typical of European harps during the 13th-14th centuries. It has a hollowed-out soundbox made of lime, with an external string rib carved from the same block of wood. The arm and pillar are made of sycamore. The string arm has been designed so that the player can easily fret semi-tones. Kentigern: Strings - 23 gut; |
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Clarsachs: Wire-Strung HarpsThe original clarsachs of the Gaels were strung with wire. Played across the Highlands of Scotland and in Ireland from the 10th century, these harps have a pronounced sustain, often described as 'bell-like'. Evidence collected by Edward Bunting in the late 18th-early 19th centuries shows that these harps were played with fingernails and a damping technique. Constructed according to principles seen in surviving Scottish and Irish instruments, the soundboxes are hollowed-out from single blocks of timber, and the clarsachs are strung with brass. Local castles at Kilravock (the home of the Rose clan) and Kilcoy have fireplace carvings with clarsach-playing mermaids, hence the harp names. |
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| The Kilcoy (righ)t has a two-and-a-half octave range giving enough scope to play tunes from early and traditional sources, including pipe music and fiddle tunes.
Kilcoy: 19 brass strings |
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The Rose (left) is a substantial lap instrument, with a bright, resonant sound capable of filling a cathedral.
With a range of over three octaves, the lowest string is a drone note, which can be tuned to either bass G or A; the second lowest string is c below middle c', beginning the diatonic scale.Special stringing is available upon request, giving the two unison 'sister' strings in the middle of the clarsach. Rose: 26 brass strings |
| Kinnellan Renaissance Wire-strung Clarsach
The Kinnellan is a loud, full-voiced wire-strung clarsach, of the sort played in the Highlands and Ireland, and across Europe by the 16th century.
Kinnellan: 30 brass strings |
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HARPS - PAGE 2 [The Harps - Page 1 & Page 2 ] [The Harp Holidays] [ The Teacher ] [Exhibitions] [Links] [ Contact: ] Ardival Harps, Orchard House, Castle Leod, Strathpeffer, Ross-shire, Scotland IV14 9AA Tel/Fax +44 (0)1997 421260Web site design by Plexus Media © copyright Plexus Media 2001. All photographs copyright Ardival Harps 1998 |