ORCHESTRAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 



795 



Among the races identified with the improvement of this an- 

 cient instrument the Celts are entitled to first mention, the Irish 

 and Welsh being in particular associated with it in the pages of 

 history and romance. It still occupies a place in the festivals of 

 the hitter nation. Owing to the use of gut strings, the tones pro- 

 duced are more mellow and sympathetic than those of the piano, 

 but this one advantage can not compensate for the various other 

 disadvantages on its side as compared with the piano ; that is, for 

 popular use. What is not the case 

 with the piano, the performer must be 

 able to string and tune the harp. It 

 gets out of tune rapidly, while the 

 method of playing it calls for consid- 

 erable expertness in the performer, 

 owing to the absence of finger-keys 

 and other mechanical conditions fa- 

 miliar in the piano. 



The harp only became worthy of a 

 place in the orchestra toward the end 

 of the last century, when Southwell, of 

 Dublin, and Erard, of Paris, invent- 

 ed the modern pedal -action system. 

 Hochbrucker and Volter, German 

 makers, made some notable changes in 

 its construction about 1730, but until 

 the invention of the system referred 

 to it was not acceptable to musicians 

 of culture. 



The name of Erard ranks first in 

 Europe to-day, after the lapse of a 

 century, among harp-makers, but there 

 are several other manufacturers of 

 note in Berlin, Paris, and London, who 

 produce instruments of the first grade. 

 The pedal-action system of Erard en- 

 ables the performer to raise the pitch 

 of each string two semitones mechani- 

 cally, which facilitates execution and 

 effect to a wonderful degree. Harps 

 were made in this country ' as far 

 back as 1790. In that year Charles 

 Watts, of New York, exhibited in- 

 struments of his own construction, but they met with little de- 

 mand. For over a half-century harp-makers have existed here in 

 a few cities, but up to about fifteen years ago the instrument had 

 a very limited circle of ])atrons. Brown and Buckwell are the 



Fio. 2. — VioLix, Amati Model. 



