John Egan was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
musical instrument maker active during the years 1804 to 1838, who is considered by many as the father of the modern
Irish harp
The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring grea ...
. According to
Simon Chadwick, honorary secretary of the
Historical Harp Society of Ireland, "The ancient Irish harp tradition, which goes back to medieval times, was dying out around 1800. Egan invented a completely new romantic type of Irish harp, which was very successful, and which formed the basis of all subsequent revivals."
[For a Rare Discarded Harp, a Chance to Sing Again ]
, Colin Moynihan, ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', August 10, 2009
Egan overcame the restrictions of the traditional
Irish harp
The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring grea ...
by adding the
dital tuning mechanism and pliable
catgut
Catgut (also known as gut) is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, hogs, horses, mules, ...
strings of the
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an
pedal harp
The pedal harp (also known as the concert harp) is a large and technologically modern harp, designed primarily for use in art music. It may be played solo, as part of a chamber ensemble, or in an orchestra. It typically has 47 strings with seve ...
s, calling his creation "portables". Of the c.2000 harps Egan made, only 37 are known to exist. Although they are not considered as priceless as a
Stradivarius violin, for instance, they are considered classic instruments, and have been priced as high as US$24,000.
,
''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:John Egan (Harp Maker)
Irish musical instrument makers
Harp makers