This is a list of

musical piece Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

s and

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

s that include or feature the

Jew's harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in ...

or other

resonance Resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when an object or system is subjected to an external force or vibration whose frequency matches a resonant frequency (or resonance frequency) of the system, defined as a frequency that generates a maximu ...

based

lamellophone A lamellophone (also lamellaphone or linguaphone) is a member of the family of musical instruments that makes its sound by a thin vibrating plate called a lamella or tongue, which is fixed at one end and has the other end free. When the musician ...

s. Jew's harp music is

Library of Congress Subject Heading The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) comprise a thesaurus (in the information science sense, a controlled vocabulary) of subject headings, maintained by the United States Library of Congress, for use in bibliographic records. LC Subje ...

M175.J4. Famous Jew's harpists include the German musicians Father Bruno Glatzl (1721–1773) of

Melk Abbey Melk Abbey () is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several member ...

(for whom Albrechtsberger wrote his concerti), Franz Koch (1761–1831), who was discovered by

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

,Burnley, James (1886).
The Romance of Invention: Vignettes from the Annals of Industry and Science
', p.335. Cassell. . and, "the most famous," Karl Eulenstein (1802–1890). "Four of the famous Jew's Harp virtuosos of the world,"Munnharpas Verden
, ''DanMoi.com''. today are

Svein Westad Svein is a Norwegian masculine given name. Notable people with the given name include: Rulers * Sweyn Haakonsson (died c. 1016), in Norwegian Svein Håkonsson, an earl and co-ruler of Norway from 1000 to c. 1015 * Svein Knutsson (c. 1016–1035), ...

, Leo Tadagawa, Trần Quang Hải, and the late John Wright (1948–2013).. Other performers include Phons Bakx and the earlier Angus Lawrie and Patric Devane. US country musician Jimmie Fadden played the Jew's harp on many albums.

1700s

*Johann Heinrich Hörmann: Partita for Jews Harp and 8 other instruments (c.1730). Recorded by Othmar Costa conducting the Innsbrucker Kammerorchester (1971). *

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (3 February 1736 – 7 March 1809) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist, widely regarded as one of the leading figures in counterpoint and composition theory during the Classical period. He was a prol ...

: four surviving

Concerti A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ty ...

for Jew's Harp &

Mandora File:Mandora MET DP168838.jpg, Mandora (1726) File:Lute 2, MfM.Uni-Leipzig.jpg, 6~9 courses lute (Calchedon, Calichon) (1735)Georg Kinsky: Musikhistorisches Museum von Wilhelm Heyer in Cöln, Bd. 2, Köln 1912, S. 98. File:Gallichon, Muzeum In ...

in D, E, E, and F (1769–1771), 2 recorded by

Hans Stadlmair Hans Stadlmair (3 May 1929 – 13 February 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer. He conducted the Münchener Kammerorchester for almost four decades. He conducted more than 6000 concerts, many in collaboration with the Bayerischer Rundfunk ...

conducting the

Munich Chamber Orchestra The Munich Chamber Orchestra (, or MKO) is a German chamber orchestra based in Munich. Its primary concert venue is the Prinzregententheater, Munich. The MKO also gives concerts in Munich at such venues as the Pinakothek der Moderne and the ', an ...

(1981)

1900s

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 ...

: "Washington's Birthday" (1909), '' A Symphony: New England Holidays'' (1913) * Flanagan Brothers: "On the Road to the Fair" and "Miss McLeod's Reel" (1920s or 30s), "melodic style" * La Bolduc: "Ton amour, ma Catherine" (1930) *Henry Hall Orchestra with Phyllis Robins: "I Took My Harp to a Party" (1933)Wright (2015), p.176. *Jenny Howard: "I Took My Harp to a Party" (1933) *

Sonny Terry Saunders Terrell (October 24, 1911 – March 11, 1986), known as Sonny Terry, was an American Piedmont blues and folk musician, who was known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers and occas ...

: ''Sonny Terry's New Sound: The Jawharp In Blues & Folk Music'' (1961, FS 3821)Fox (1988), p.218. *

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

: "

The Fool on the Hill "The Fool on the Hill" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 EP and album '' Magical Mystery Tour''. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The lyrics describe a s ...

", ''

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same title. The E ...

'' (1967), "single boing" * The High Level Ranters ( Colin Ross): ''Northumberland Forever'' (1968/1997) *Jack Elliott: "Broken Tanner", "Jack's Choice", and "In the Bar-Room", ''Jack Elliott of Birtley: The songs and stories of a Durham miner'' (1969)Wright (2015), p.172. *

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

: "Story of Isaac" and "Tonight Will Be Fine", ''

Songs from a Room ''Songs from a Room'' is the second studio album by Canadian musician Leonard Cohen, released in 1969. It reached No. 63 on the US ''Billboard'' Top LPs and No. 2 on the UK charts. Background The recording sessions for ''Songs From a Room'' be ...

'' (1969) * John Wright: ''La Guimbarde'' (1971) *

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" (1972), "fine melodic riff"Wright (2015), p.179. See: *

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

Steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

*Emanuele Calanduccio: ''U Marranzanu'' (1973) *

: "Is This What You Wanted", ''

New Skin for the Old Ceremony ''New Skin for the Old Ceremony'', released in 1974, is the fourth studio album by Leonard Cohen. On this album, he begins to evolve away from the rawer sound of his earlier albums, with violas, mandolins, banjos, guitars, percussion and other in ...

'' (1974) *Mario Ruspoli: ''Les Guimbardes'' (1974) *Various: "Banish Misfortune" (John, Michael, and David Wright), ''

The Lark in the Clear Air ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1974) *Various: ''North America Jew's Harp Festival 1997 Highlights'' (1997) * Makigami Koichi: ''Electric Eel'' (1998), "newly invented versions of the jaw harp" *Albert Smith: "The Pigeon On the Gate - Stepdance" (1977), ''

The Voice of the People ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

Volume 14: Troubles They Are But Few'' (1998) *Oberallgäuer Maultrommerltrio: ''Allgäuer Volksmusik auf der Maultrommel'' (1979) *

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

: "

The Guns of Brixton "The Guns of Brixton" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash, originally released on their 1979 album ''London Calling''. It was written and sung by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, South London. The song has a strong reg ...

", ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. ...

'' (1979), "sound effect" *

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

: " Give It Away", ''

Blood Sugar Sex Magik ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24, 1991, by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Rick Rubin, its musical style differed notably from the band's previous album ' ...

'' (1991) *Various: ''Khomus: Jew's Harp Music Of Turkic Peoples In The Urals, Siberia, And Central Asia'' (1995) *The instrument features prominently in the opening theme and the score to the 1990s British animated television show,

Oakie Doke ''Oakie Doke'' is a British children's television programme that was broadcast from 1995 to 1997 on the Children's BBC block of the BBC. It was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films and was animated with stop-motion animation. The show ran for two ...

. "" *The instrument can be heard as part of the background music on the late 1970s / early 1980s American TV show

Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of 147 episodes. It was consistently among ...

, particularly during the chase sequences. *Various: ''Maultrommel Molln'' (1996), "Jew's Harp music from Austria and its neighbor countries" * Trân Quang Haï: ''Jew's Harps of the World'' (1998), "This recording features jew's harps from Bali, Yakutiya, Bashkiriya, Austria, and Norway, and also from different peoples of Vietnam." *Willie Kemp: "Glendarel Highlands", "Lovat Scouts", and "Monymusk", ''

Volume 7: First I'm Going to Tell You a Ditty'' (1998) *Tapani Varis: ''Jews Harp'' (1998), "solo and accompanied Jew's harp...collection of Finnish and Norwegian folk tunes...variety of harps" *

Huun-Huur-Tu Huun-Huur-Tu ( ; ) are a music group from Tuva, a Russian federative republic situated on the Mongolia–Russia border. Their music includes throat singing, in which the singers sing both a note and its overtones, thus producing two or three ...

: "Sagly Khadyn Turu-La Boor (It's Probably Windy On Sandy Steppe)", ''Where Young Grass Grows'' (1999) *The Jew Harp is used to play the theme song alongside the accordion in the Yugoslav movie ''

Ko To Tamo Peva ''Who's Singin' Over There?'' () is a 1980 Cinema of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav film written by Dušan Kovačević and directed by Slobodan Šijan. It is a dark comedy and features an ensemble cast. The film tells a story about a group of passengers tra ...

'' (1980).

2000s

*Svein Westad: ''Munnharpas Verden'' (2000) "Traditional and contemporary Jew's Harp compositions from Norway, Ireland, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Japan, India and Kyrgyzstan performed by," Westad, Tadagawa, Trần, and Wright. *Traditional Kazakh: "Kuu" (Nurlanbek Nishanov), "Jew's Harp Melody" (Edil Huseinov), ''The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan'', Smithsonian Folkways Recordings #40438 (2002), "elaborate Jew's harp techniques of Kazakhstan"WNYC Studios (2016).
#3878: Music for Jaw Harp
, ''WNYC.org''. *The OddTones: ''We're Allowed'' (2002) *Various: ''Fourth International Jew's Harp Festival'' (2002) *

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...

: unspecified tracks ( Jimmie "Bones" Trombly), ''

'' (2003) * David Simons: "Four

Kotekan ''Kotekan'' is a style of playing fast interlocking parts in most varieties of Balinese Gamelan music, including Gamelan gong kebyar, Gamelan angklung, Gamelan jegog and others. Kotekan are "sophisticated interlocking parts," "characteristic of ...

", ''Prismatic Hearing'' (2004) *

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

: "Me and Charlie Talking", ''

Kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

'' (2004) *

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

: "Terumah" (

Rashanim ''Rashanim'' is the eponymous debut album by guitarist Jon Madof's Rashanim trio with Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz on bass and Mathias Kunzli on drums released in 2003 on John Zorn's Tzadik Records as part of the Radical Jewish Culture Series. Recept ...

), ''

Masada Rock ''Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 5: Masada Rock'' is the fifth and final album in a series of five releases celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Zorn's Masada songbook project.

'' (2005) *

Wu Man Wu Man (; born January 2, 1963) is a Chinese pipa player and composer. Trained in Pudong-style pipa performance at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, she is known for playing in a broad range of musical styles and introducing the pip ...

: "

Old Joe Clark "Old Joe Clark" is a US folk song, a mountain ballad that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during World War I and afterwards. Its lyrics refer to a real person named Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer who was born in 1839 and murd ...

" (Lee Knight), ''Wu Man and Friends'' (2005) *

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

: "

God's Gonna Cut You Down "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (also known as "God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down", "God's Gonna Cut 'Em Down", "Run On" and "Sermon") is a traditional American folk song. The track has been recorded in a variety of genres, including country, folk, al ...

", '' American V: A Hundred Highways'' (2006) * Wang Li: ''Guimbarde'' (2006) *

Elizabeth Cook Elizabeth Cook (born July 18, 1972) is an American country music singer and radio host. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly s ...

: "Times Are Tough in Rock 'N Roll", '' Balls'' (2007) *

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

: " Good Time", '' Good Time'' (2008) *

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap ( ; born 9 December 1977) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. She is considered a pioneer in pop music, particularly electropop, and in music technology. While attending the ...

: "2-1", ''

Ellipse In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focus (geometry), focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special ty ...

'' (2009) *

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is cha ...

: "Lion in a Coma", ''

Merriweather Post Pavilion Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by ''Billboard'' magazine. The venue was also ranke ...

'' (2009) *

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...

: "The Toad Lickers" (performed by

), '' A Map of the Floating City'' (2011) *Wang Li: ''Reve de Sang'' (2011) *

: "Nightingale", ''

Dear Heather ''Dear Heather'' is the 11th studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released by Columbia Records in 2004. It was dedicated "in memory of Jack McClelland 1922-2004." Background The album features Cohen experimenting with differ ...

'' (2004) * Sam Lee: "Wild Wood Amber", ''Ground of his Own'' (2012) * Karolina Cicha: "Za rieczkaju", ''9 Languages'' (2013) *

Faun The faun (, ; , ) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology. Originally fauns of Roman mythology were ghosts ( genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their chief, the god Faunus. Before t ...

: "Tanz Mit Mir", '' Von den Elben'' (2013) * Dirtwire: "Ibex" and "Taiga", '' Ondar EP'' (2014) *Wang Li: ''Past, Present, Future'' (2014) *

Kepa Junkera Kepa Junkera Urraza (born 1965 in Bilbao, Basque Country (autonomous community), Euskadi, Spain) is a Basque people, Basque musician and composer. A master of the trikitixa, the diatonic accordion, he has recorded more than 10 albums. [ Allmusic ...

: "Marea Zumaian", ''Maletak'' (2016) *Wang Li and Wu Wei: ''Overtones'' (2016) *Tyler Childers: "WhiteHouse Road" Purgatory (2017) *Tapani Varis: "Munniharppuuna" (1996) *Go_A: "Shum (song), SHUM", ''SHUM'' (2021) *Big Thief: "Spud Infinity", ''Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You'' (2022) *Otyken with Ummet Ozcan: "Altay" (2023) *Cameron Winter: "Cancer of the Skull", '' Heavy Metal'' (2024)

References

External links

The online sound archive at the Musée de l´Homme in Paris is a treasure trove of Jew's harp music
, ''DanMoi.com''. {{Strings (music) Frame lamellophones Lists of compositions by instrumentation