Exhibition 2007
"Tre secoli di arpe"
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SC0120.
Harp with manual mechanism (Dital Harp)
Ireland, Dublin, John Egan and Sons, ca. 1820
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Date c. 1820
Provenance Ireland (Dublin)
Maker John Egan and Sons
Height 102.3 cm
Width 45.3 cm
Weight 4 kg
Nr. of strings 28
Longest string 70.8 cm
A4 21.5 cm
Range C2-B5
Mechanism manual buttons (ditals)
Built by John Egan in Dublin about 1820, this harp is characterized by a button (dital) mechanism: pressing one of the buttons on the inside of the column engages a mechanism that rotates the fourchettes (pronged discs or ‘forks’) situated on the neck, altering all notes of that name throughout the range of the instrument. For example, pressing the C button changes all the C’s, and so on, just as on SÈbastien Erard’s single action pedal harp; noteworthy too is the semicircular soundbox, also typical of Erard’s harps. The original case and ivory tuning key are also extant; the luxurious decoration, in a mannerist Irish style, is emblematic of the romantic taste of the English nobility. On the neck is a plate reading: This improved Irish harp was invented & made by John Egan Dublin, & his two sons John & Charles Egan, 1820 (the date refers to the registration of the patent). The two ivory buttons (one on the neck and one at the base of the column) served to attach the support strap. |
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