Triple Harp
1736 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This harp was made in 1736 by David Evans, an instrument maker based in Rose Court in Covent Garden, London. He may well have been the David Evans who was employed as harpist to George III (reigned 1760 - 1820). This type of harp was developed in Italy and Spain from about 1580 and was used in Wales until the 1890s. It was known as the triple harp, because it had three rows of strings, the outer two being tuned identically and the middle one chromatically. Messrs Kirckman & Sons, the most famous makers of English harpsichords in the previous century, presented this instrument to this museum in 1869.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved, planed, gilt and painted sycamore and pine |
| Brief description | Triple harp, made by David Evans, London, 1736 |
| Physical description | "A high-headed harp with back of nine ribs of sycamore. Rising belly of pine, framed with scallop-shell and floral scroll painted decoration in gold with blcak detail. The six small soundholes in the belly are each surrounded with painted wreaths in gold, picked out in black. The string holes are shod with metal, The post is japanned black with gilt chinoeries. Its finial is meeing. The neck is richly carved with a mask and floral ornament and with a human head close to the sound box, and partly gilt. The strings, tunedo on the left side of the neck, include: right-hand row, thirty four strings, middle row twenty-nine, the shortest being located just below the sixth of the first row; the left-hand row twenty-five, the shortest opposite the eleventh of the first row." (Baines, Anthony. Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard insturments. London, 1998, pp. 76 - 77.) |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'David Evans Instrument Maker/ In Rose Court Near Rose Street/ Covent Garden 1736' (Ink inscription inside the body of the instrument) |
| Gallery label | TRIPLE HARP
English
By David Evans, London, 1736
Inscribed inside (in ink) David Evans Instrument maker/ in Rose Court Near Rose St/ Covent Garden 1736
Sycamore ribs, pine belly and gilt details.
Non-keyboard catalogue No.: 16/1
This harp was presented to the Museum by Messrs Kirckman & Sons, makers of harpsichords in the eighteenth century. The maker of this instrument may have been David Evans, harpist to George III.
Originally, the harp had a single row of strings tuned to a diatonic scale. A second row, which provided extra notes, was often sandwiched between two that were tuned normally and in duplicate, hence the term "triple harp". Such an arrangement was developed in Italy and Spain towards the end of the sixteenth century, and used in Wales until the 1890s.
Given by Messrs. Kirckman & Sons.
1740-1869(pre September 2000) |
| Credit line | Given by Messrs Kirckman & Sons |
| Object history | This instrument was given to the South Kensington Museum by Messrs Kirckman & Sons in 1869. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This harp was made in 1736 by David Evans, an instrument maker based in Rose Court in Covent Garden, London. He may well have been the David Evans who was employed as harpist to George III (reigned 1760 - 1820). This type of harp was developed in Italy and Spain from about 1580 and was used in Wales until the 1890s. It was known as the triple harp, because it had three rows of strings, the outer two being tuned identically and the middle one chromatically. Messrs Kirckman & Sons, the most famous makers of English harpsichords in the previous century, presented this instrument to this museum in 1869. |
| Bibliographic reference | Baines, Anthony. Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard insturments. London, 1998, pp. 76 - 77. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1740-1869 |
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| Record created | May 16, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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