The Aeolian harp

Everybody may know the sound of a harp, played virtuously by a musician creating sounds, that seem a little bit outer space, extraterrestrial and strange, but in the same way harmonically satisfying and peaceful. Could you imagine those sounds created by nothing else but the wind? The ancient Greeks could or at least discovered that this is possible if you create an instrument that catches the vibes of the wind and transforms them into music.

 

The look depends on the design, it can be the shape of a typical harp or lyre, but also modern forms are possible. The decision about the shape and also the material, whether using wood or metal, which are the common resources, defines how the sound turns out, the length and thickness of the strings also play their role, even if in the end it depends on the wind. Every melody is unique and not repeatable.

Aeolus, the ancient Greek god of the wind, has given his name to this instrument. The Aeolian harp.

The legendary origin describes King David hanging his kinnor, a kind of lyre, above his bed in the night, experiencing that it catches the wind and sings its own melody without anyone playing. Fascinated by this discovery the Aeolian harp was created.

Historically the harp was invented by ancient Greeks based on their knowledge about vibration in the air and their pressure on strings. Later, in the 10th century Dunstan of Canterbury was the first to write this knowledge down. Prosperity of the harp was in the 18th century in the romantic era where many people liked to hang one of those instruments into their window or garden, to enjoy the sound.

Today you can still discover many Aeolian harps in public places on rooftops of buildings or at the coast and they are also in private use, but not as much as in former centuries.

Can you believe that this fancy instrument was created in ancient times by the Greeks?

 

Solution:
The circumstances of the invention of the Aeolian harp are not completely cleared but in the current state of research the roots can definitely be detected in ancient Greece. Everything I told you was the truth.

 

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