The Jews-Harp in Britain and Ireland

Couverture
Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 28 déc. 2015 - 220 pages
Drawing upon previously unknown written sources and piecing together thousands of fragments of information spanning hundreds of years, Michael Wright tells the story of the jews-harp’s long history in the Britain and Ireland. Beginning with a chapter describing the instrument, he then looks at the various theories of its ancient origin, how it came to be in Europe, terminology, and its English name. He goes on to explore its commercial exploitation and the importance of the export market in the development of manufacturing and looks at the instrument’s appearance and use in art, literature and the media. Finally he considers the many players who have used the instrument throughout its long history.
 

Table des matières

TheorIes
1
Origins
23
The name
37
CommerCIaL exPLoITaTIon
55
Makers
77
exports
105
CuLTuraL asPeCTs
121
The Jewsharp in popular Culture
137
players
155
Conclusion
183
Bibliography
191
Index
203
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À propos de l'auteur (2015)

Michael Wright is a leading performer, historian and enthusiast of the jews-harp in the United Kingdom. His research into the social history of the instrument is ensuring that the full scope of the jews-harp’s contribution to trade and entertainment is recorded. Often asked the question ‘why is it called a jews-harp?’ and ‘where does it come from?’ he began what has become a life-long quest to draw together the various fragments of information available. He has written articles for the Galpin Society Journal, the Folk Music Journal and the International Jews Harp Society Journal exploring various aspects of the instrument’s history. Parallel and complementary to his research has been the exploration of the possibilities of the jews-harp as a musical instrument. These two strands – musical possibilities and social history – continue to fascinate him.

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