12 X 13 Inch gold metal floor harp door or wall Christmas gift decor with a sparkly red metal bow and sparkly green metal holly leaves.
Sorry the photo does not show the real beauty of the bright gold color of this impressive door or wall decor piece. The gold colored floor harp is made of wire, metal mesh, and tin. The decorative holly branches has gold and green sprays with red holly berries. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for that person that has everything.
History of the Lyre.
The Lyre is a musical instrument dating far back in history. It was used by the Greeks and probably came from Asia. It was made of a hollow sounding board from which two arm like pieces stretched upwards. These arms held a cross piece or yoke with from three to ten strings attached to it. The sound was made by plucking the strings with the fingers or a pick.
The lyre was the symbol of Apollo, the god of music and poetry. It was a favorite among the Greeks for accompanying songs and recitations. The words lyric and lyrical come from this usage. The lyre was very similar to the cithara, from which the zither was copied.
History of the Harp.
The harp is the oldest stringed instrument. It is also the most important musically of the stringed instruments which are played with the fingers rather than with a bow.
The double harp is played with the fingers and thumbs of both hands. It is a triangular shaped instrument, with a sounding board and catgut strings. The strings are usually tuned to the principal key of the music. Pressure of the thumb or a turn of the tuning pins allows the player to make a change in the note of a string.
The most important development of the instrument was the invention of the pedal harp by Celestin Hochbrucker in about 1720. This harp has seven pedals by which each note of the scale in each octave can be made a half note higher. In 1810, Sebastien Erard invented the double action pedal harp, which is the kind of harp most often played today. This harp permits two changes in the length of the strings and thus two changes in the tone of each string.
There have been many kinds of harps. The early ones were small and had only one or two octaves. Modern times have brought developments such as the auto harp, which is held in the lap. The most common harp is a large instrument which rests on the floor and is held between the knees of the seated player. It is used frequently in symphony orchestras and in concerts.
The harp was the favorite instrument of the old Irish poets and it has become one of the emblems of Ireland.