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The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
or
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
tongue or reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, with the earliest known Jew's harps dating back 4,000 years ago from
Shaanxi province Shaanxi is a province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to the west. Shaanxi ...
. It has no relation to the Jewish people. Jew's harps may be categorized as idioglot or heteroglot (whether or not the frame and the tine are one piece); by the shape of the frame (rod or plaque); by the number of tines, and whether the tines are plucked, joint-tapped, or string-pulled.


Characteristics

The frame is held firmly against the performer's parted teeth or lips (depending on the type), using the mouth (plus the throat and lungs when breathing freely) as a
resonator A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. That is, it naturally oscillates with greater amplitude at some frequencies, called resonant frequencies, than at other frequencies. The oscillations in a reso ...
, greatly increasing the volume of the instrument. The teeth must be parted sufficiently for the reed to vibrate freely, and the fleshy parts of the mouth should not come into contact with the reed to prevent damping of the vibrations and possible pain. The note or tone thus produced is constant in pitch, though by changing the shape of the mouth, and the amount of air contained in it (and in some traditions closing the
glottis The glottis (: glottises or glottides) is the opening between the vocal folds (the rima glottidis). The glottis is crucial in producing sound from the vocal folds. Etymology From Ancient Greek ''γλωττίς'' (glōttís), derived from ''γ ...
), the performer can cause different overtones to sound and thus create melodies. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, "The vibrations of the steel tongue produce a compound sound composed of a fundamental and its harmonics. By using the cavity of the mouth as a
resonator A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. That is, it naturally oscillates with greater amplitude at some frequencies, called resonant frequencies, than at other frequencies. The oscillations in a reso ...
, each harmonic in succession can be isolated and reinforced, giving the instrument the compass shown." "The lower harmonics of the series cannot be obtained, owing to the limited capacity of the resonating cavity. The black notes on the stave show the scale which may be produced by using two harps, one tuned a fourth above the other. The player on the Jew's harp, in order to isolate the harmonics, frames their mouth as though intending to pronounce the various vowels." See Bugle scale.


History

The oldest Jew's harps were discovered in Shaanxi, China, dating back about 4,000 years ago. They were from the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
site of Shimao, an important political and religious center during the Longshan culture. The earliest depiction of somebody playing what seems to be a Jew's harp is a Chinese drawing from the 3rd century BCE. Archaeological finds of surviving examples in Europe have been claimed to be almost as old, but those dates have been challenged both on the grounds of excavation techniques, and the lack of contemporary writing or pictures mentioning the instrument.


Etymology

There are many theories for the origin of the name ''jew's harp''. The apparent reference to Jewish people is especially misleading since it "has nothing to do with the Jewish people; neither does it look like a harp in its structure and appearance". In Sicilian it is translated as or ; both of which are derogatory terms for Jewish people also found in Italian and Spanish. In German, it is known as , which translates directly to 'mouth drum'. The name "Jew's Harp" first appears in 1481 in a customs account book under the name "Jue harpes". The "jaw" variant is attested at least as early as 1774 and 1809, the "juice" variant appearing only in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It has also been suggested that the name derives from the French meaning 'toy trumpet'. The current French word for the instrument is . English etymologist Hensleigh Wedgwood wrote in 1855 that the derivation from opposes the French idiom, where "if two substantives are joined together, the qualifying noun is invariably the last". He refers to the derivation, but not to the derivation. Both theories—that the name is a corruption of ''jaws'' or —are described by the ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' as "lacking any supporting evidence." The OED says that, "more or less satisfactory reasons may be conjectured: e.g., that the instrument was actually made, sold, or imported to England by Jewish people, or purported to be so; or that it was attributed to Jewish people, suggesting the trumps and harps mentioned in the Bible, and hence considered a good commercial name." Although the OED states that "the association of the instrument with Jewish people occurs, so far as is known, only in English", the term is also used in Danish.


Manufacture


Manufacture of Indian morchang

Indian morchangs are made in many metals but mainly in brass, iron, copper and silver. Different types of construction art are used for the construction of morchang in each metal.


Brass

Brass murchangs are manufactured from ancient Indian manufacturing style brass metal casting. Brass molding is a process of shaping brass, into desired shapes using a mold. The brass is heated to a molten state and then poured or forced into the mold, where it cools and solidifies into the desired shape. Brass molding is often used to create intricate or complex shapes.


Use


Cambodian music

The angkuoch (Khmer: ) is a Cambodian Jew's harp. It is a folk instrument made of bamboo and carved into a long, flat shape with a hole in the center and the tongue across the hole. There is also a metal variety, more round or tree-leaf shaped. It may also have metal bells attached. The instrument is both a wind instrument and percussion instrument. As a wind instrument, it is placed against the mouth, which acts as a resonator and tool to alter the sound. Although mainly a folk instrument, better-made examples exist. While the instrument was thought to be the invention of children herding cattle, it is sometimes used in public performance, to accompany the Mahori music in public dancing.


Indian music

The instrument is used as part of the rhythm section in various styles of Indian folk and classical music. Most notably the Morsing in the
Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...
of South India, or the ''Morchang'' in the folk music of
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
.


Russian music

In Russia, the instrument has its own brand called ''vargan''. A Jew's harp was excavated in a 9th-century burial mound in Idelbayev, Bashkortostan. The Jew's harp was banned in the USSR during the regime of
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
due to its closeness to Shamanism.


Nepali tradition


Murchunga

In Nepal, one type of Jew's harp is named the (). It is very similar to an Indian ''morsing'' or ''morchang'' in that the tongue (or twanger) extends beyond the frame, thus giving the instrument more sustain.


Binayo

The () is a bamboo Jew's harp, in the Kiranti musical tradition from Malingo. It is popular in the Eastern Himalayan region of
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
,
Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...
,
Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
, and
Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...
. It is a wind instrument played by blowing the air without tuning the node with fingers. The is six inches long and one inch in width.


Turkic traditional music


Kyrgyz music

The '' temir komuz'' is made of iron, usually with a length of 100–200 mm and with a width of approximately 2–7 mm. The range of the instrument varies with the size of the instrument but generally hovers around an
octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
span. The
Kyrgyz people The Kyrgyz people (also spelled Kyrghyz, Kirgiz, and Kirghiz; or ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia. They primarily reside in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China. A Kyrgyz diaspora is also found in Russia, Tajik ...
are exceptionally proficient on the instrument and it is quite popular among children, although some adults continue to play the instrument. ''Temir komuz'' pieces were notated by Aleksandr Zataevich in two or three parts. An
octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
drone is possible, or even an ostinato alternating the fifth step of a scale with an octave.


Turkish music

In Turkish, the Jew's harp is called as ağız kopuzu. The Jew's harp traditionally used in Turkish folk songs from Anatolia has fallen out of use with time. Modern renditions of Turkish folk songs with the Jew's harp have been done by artists such as Senem Diyici in the song 'Dolama Dolamayı' and Ravan Yuzkhan.


Sindhi music

In Sindhi music, the Jew's harp is called (). In Sindhi music, it can be an accompaniment or the main instrument. One of the most famous players is Amir Bux Ruunjho.


Sicilian music

In
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
, the Jew's harp is commonly known as marranzanu. Other names for the instrument include angalarruni, calarruni, gangalarruni, ganghilarruni, mariolu, mariolu di fera, marranzana, and ngannalarruni.


Austrian Jew's harp playing

Austrian Jew's harp music uses typical Western
harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
. The
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
has included Austrian Jew's harp playing in its
Intangible Cultural Heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...
list. In Austria, the instrument is known as (the literal translation is 'mouth drum').


Western classical music

Early representations of Jew's harps have appeared in Western churches since the fourteenth century. The Austrian composer Johann Albrechtsberger—chiefly known today as a teacher of
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
—wrote seven concerti for Jew's harp, mandora, and orchestra between 1769 and 1771. Four of them have survived, in the keys of F major, E-flat major, E major, and D major. They are based on the special use of the Jew's harp in Austrian folk music. Well-known performer Franz Koch (1761–1831), discovered by Frederick the Great, could play two Jew's harps at once, while the also well-known performer Karl Eulenstein (1802–1890) "invented a system of playing four at once, connecting them by silken strings in such a way that he could clasp all four with the lips, and strike all the four springs at the same time". The American composer
Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored d ...
wrote a part for Jew's harp in the ''Washington's Birthday'' movement of '' A Symphony: New England Holidays.''


Western music

The Jew's harp has been used occasionally in rock and country music. For example: *
Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...
's multi-part piece "Parthenogenesis", from their 1968 studio album, '' Living the Blues''. *
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
– "Sleeping Village" *
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
– " Join Together" *
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
– "Get Back To the Country"


See also

* Jew's harp music * Music of Central Asia * Traditional music of Sicily * Berimbau * Đàn môi, another kind of Jew's harp from
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
* Gogona, a similar instrument played by
Assamese people The Assamese people are a socio- ethnic linguistic identity that has been described at various times as nationalistic or micro-nationalistic. This group is often associated with the Assamese language, the easternmost Indo-Aryan language, an ...
(especially women) while singing and dancing Bihu * Karinding, a Sundanese traditional musical instrument from
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
* Kouxian, the Chinese version * Kubing, a bamboo Jew's harp from the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
* Morsing, Carnatic Jew's harp * Mukkuri, a traditional bamboo instrument of the Ainu of Japan, similar to a Jew's harp * Musical bow, a one-string harp that is played with mouth resonance * Piperheugh, a village in which trumps were once made * Isitolotolo


Notes


References


Citations


General and cited references

* Alekseev, Ivan, and E. I. .e. Egor Innokent'evichOkoneshnikov (1988). ''Iskusstvo igry na iakutskom khomuse''. IAkutsk: Akademiia nauk SSSR, Sibirskoe otd-nie, IAkutskii filial, In-t iazyka, lit-ry i istorii. * Bakx, Phons (1992). ''De gedachtenverdrijver: de historie van de mondharp''. Hadewijch wereldmuziek. Antwerpen: Hadewijch; . * Boone, Hubert, and René de Maeyer (1986). ''De Mondtrom''. Volksmuziekinstrumenten in Belgie en in Nederland. Brussel: La Renaissance du Livre. * Crane, Frederick (1982). "Jew's (jaw's? jeu? jeugd? gewgaw? juice?) harp." In: ''Vierundzwanzigsteljahrschrift der Internationalen Maultrommelvirtuosengenossenschaft'', vol. 1 (1982). With: "The Jew's Harp in Colonial America," by Brian L. Mihura. * Crane, Frederick (2003). ''A History of the Trump in Pictures: Europe and America''. A special supplement to ''Vierundzwanzigsteljahrsschrift der Internationalen Maultrommelvirtuosengenossenschaft''. Mount Pleasant, Iowa: rederick Crane * Dournon-Taurelle, Geneviève, and John Wright (1978). ''Les Guimbardes du Musée de l'homme''. Preface by Gilbert Rouget. Published by the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle and l'Institut d'ethnologie. * Emsheimer, Ernst (1941). "Über das Vorkommen und die Anwendungsart der Maultrommel in Sibirien und Zentralasien". In: ''Ethnos'' (Stockholm), nos 3–4 (1941). * Emsheimer, Ernst (1964). "Maultrommeln in Sibirien und Zentralasien." In: ''Studia ethnomusicologica eurasiatica'' (Stockholm: Musikhistoriska museet, pp. 13–27). * Fox, Leonard (1984). ''The Jew's Harp: A Comprehensive Anthology''. Selected, edited, and translated by Leonard Fox. Charleston, South Carolina: L. Fox. * Fox, Leonard (1988). ''The Jew's Harp: A Comprehensive Anthology''. Selected, edited, and translated by Leonard Fox. Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press; London: Associated University Presses; . * Gallmann, Matthew S. (1977). ''The Jews Harp: A Select List of References With Library of Congress Call Numbers''. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, Archive of Folk Song. * Gotovtsev, Innokenty. ''New Technologies for Yakut Khomus''. Yakutsk. * Kolltveit, Gjermund (2006). ''Jew's Harps in European Archaeology''. BAR International series, 1500. Oxford: Archaeopress; . * Mercurio, Paolo (1998). ''Sa Trumba. Armomia tra telarzu e limbeddhu''. Solinas Edition, Nuoro (IT). * Plate, Regina (1992). ''Kulturgeschichte der Maultrommel''. Orpheus-Schriftenreihe zu Grundfragen der Musik, Bd. 64. Bonn: Verlag für Systematische Musikwissenschaft; . * Mercurio, Paolo (2013). ''Gli Scacciapensieri Strumenti Musicali dell'Armonia Internazionali, Interculturali, Interdisciplinari''. Milano; . * * Shishigin, S. S. (1994). ''Igraite na khomuse''. Mezhdunarodnyi tsentr khomusnoi (vargannoi) muzyki. Pokrovsk: S.S. Shishigin/Ministerstvo kul'tury Respubliki Sakha (IAkutiia). . * Shishigin, Spiridon. ''Kulakovsky and Khomus''. Yakutia. * Smeck, Roy (1974). ''Mel Bay's Fun With the Jaws Harp''. * Wright, Michael (2008). "The Jew's Harp in the Law, 1590–1825". ''Folk Music Journal'' 9.3 pp. 349–371; ISSN 0531-9684. . * Wright, Michael (2015). ''The Jew's Harp in Britain and Ireland''. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate; . * Yuan, Bingchang, and Jizeng Mao (1986). ''Zhongguo Shao Shu Min Zu Yue Qi Zhi''. Beijing: Xin Shi Jie Chu Ban She: Xin Hua Shu Dian Beijing Fa Xing Suo Fa Xing; .


External links


The Jew's Harp Guild
(instructions with sound examples and remarks on the functioning of Jew's harps)

from Pat Missin's free reed instrument website

Demos, photos, folktale, and text {{Authority control Early musical instruments Heteroglot guimbardes and jaw harps Appalachian culture Chinese musical instruments Turkic culture