O'Neil
(36)
ggg
G
G
FF/EE
DD
CC
BB
AA
ΓΓ
|
The harps of 'Ixion' and Murney
In 1872, the English writer 'Ixion' owned one of the harps of the late harp schools and
described the creation of the Gaelic harp string gamut.
On the thirty-six string harp the rule is to take the fifteenth string, counting from the top down,
as the key-note, and make it G by means of a tuning fork. Lest the wires not bear this tension
in the upper octaves, the fourteenth string may be tuned as G in the first instance, thereby
reducing the tension throughout. When the harp, however, is strung with sufficiently fine or
well-tempered wire, it will bear the full concert pitch, the more so as I believe this pitch of late
has been reduced. And I may here mention at once that the eight lowest strings consist of
No. 18 wire, the next six of 20 wire, the next seven of 22 wire, the next seven of 24 wire, and all
the rest 25 wire brass or steel.
... the highest note at the top is G and the last note in the bass is also G.
To incorporate the sisters onto this gamut, the téad leagaidh would be required. In 1882,
Patrick Murney, who attended one of the late harp schools, provided the following information
to James Laverty.
RULES FOR STRING THE IRISH HARP OF THIRTY-SIX STRINGS
Use hard drawn wire
No. 18 in the 8 strings nearest the pillar.
No. 20 in the 7 following.
No. 22 in the 7 following.
No. 24 in the 7 following.
No. 25 in the 7 following.
Taken along with the information given by Robert Bruce Armstrong in his 1904 The Irish and
the Highland Harps, the above examples are sufficient to show that, in the 19th century:-
steel as well as brass was used for wire;
the position of string gauge in relation to the notes of the harp gamut varied
from instrument to instrument and took no special account of the sisters;
and the octaves ran roughly from ggg-ΓΓ as per Talbot's description of a 36 string gamut
around the turn of 18th century.
Bell
(34)
eee
↕
↕
↕
↕
ee
dd
↕
g
f
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
G
G
↕
↕
↕
B
A
↕
Γ
FF/EE
DD
CC
BB
AA
ΓΓ
|
Fanning
(35)
eee
G
G
FF/EE
DD
CC
BB
AA
ΓΓ
FFF
|
Black
(34)
ggg
G
G
FF/EE
DD
CC/BB?
AA?
|
Mooney
(33)
ddd
G
G
FF/EE
DD
CC
BB
AA
ΓΓ
|
Hampsey
(30)
ddd
G
G
FF/EE
DD
CC
|
'Ixion'
(36)
ggg
↕
↕
↕
↕
ff
ee
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
f
e
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
G
↕
G
F
↕
↕
↕
A
Γ
FF/EE
DD
CC
BB
AA
ΓΓ
|
Higgins?
?
G
G
FF/EE
DD
CC/BB
AA
ΓΓ
|
Murney
(36)
ggg?
↕
aaa
gg
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
aa
g
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
↕
a
G
↕
G
↕
↕
↕
B
A
↕
Γ
FF/EE
DD
CC
BB
AA
ΓΓ?
|
Talbot
(36)
ggg
c
c
FF/EE
DD
CC
BB
AA
ΓΓ
|