Jew’s harps

What are jew's harps?

The Jew’s harp is a small musical instrument with a frame to which a movable tongue is attached. This tongue is made to vibrate at the free end by the player. There are two main types of jew’s harp: Frame jew’s harps and hoop jew’s harps. In the case of frame jew’s harps, the tongue is completely enclosed by the frame and is stimulated indirectly via a string at the end. Stirrup jew’s harps are made of metal, the tip of the tongue protrudes from the frame and is struck directly with the finger. The sound and pitch of the instrument held to the lips are influenced by the size of the oral cavity and breathing, allowing various overtones to be made audible.

Classification and sound

According to the classification by Hornbostel-Sachs (1914) the jew’s harp belongs to the plucked idiophones. However, there are also arguments for classifying it as a free aerophone with a piercing reed. Despite its limited range, the Jew’s harp can be described as a drone instrument due to the various overtones that can be produced and the fundamental tone that is always present. In folk music, it was increasingly replaced around 1900 by the harmonica, which also produces tones with percussive reeds, but only their fundamental tones. In Central and North Asia, the name Jew’s harp is usually derived from the Turkish word “qopuz” or the Mongolian “chuur”.

Historical development

Origin and distribution

The jew’s harp probably originated in Asia, with many of the oldest examples being made of wood, particularly bamboo. Archaeological finds document the spread of the Jew’s harp in Europe from the 13th century onwards. One example is the stone sculpture of an angel playing the Jew’s harp in the choir loft of Exeter Cathedral from 1340.

Middle Ages and Renaissance

In German-speaking countries, the Jew’s harp was particularly popular in folk music. During excavations at Tannenberg Castle in Hesse, which was destroyed in 1399, a Jew’s harp was found that suggests an Asian model. Sebastian Virdung shows a Jew’s harp in his “Musica getutscht und außgezogen” from 1511, and Hans Burgkmayr’s woodcut series “Triumphzug des Kaisers Maximilian” from around 1515 depicts a court jester playing the Jew’s harp.

Baroque and high culture

The Jew’s harp found its way into the music of high culture during the Baroque period, when folk instruments were very popular. The composer Johann Georg Albrechtsberger wrote several concertos for Jew’s harp. One well-known player was Bruno Glatzl, a Benedictine priest from Melk, who played for Emperor Joseph II.

Virtuosos and concerts

The most famous Jew’s harp virtuoso was Franz Koch, born in Mittersill in 1761. The “Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung” reported on his performances several times, often referring to the Jew’s harp as a “harmonica”.

Modern and political influences

In Stalinist Russia, folk music was put at the service of state ideology and the Jew’s harp was banned, possibly because of its connection to shamanism, which was considered backward.

Design

Classification and construction method

In the Hornbostel-Sachs system, the Jew’s harp is classified as a plucked instrument, although some instrument experts also classify it as an aerophone. Regardless of the classification, the functional principle of the jew’s harp remains the same: a leaf spring is attached between the legs of a U-shaped frame as a spring tongue. This spring tongue is vibrated by the finger. The shape of the frame varies from region to region, but the basic principle remains the same.

The pitch of the fundamental tone is essentially determined by the length, thickness, hardness and shape of the spring. The width of the spring influences the torsional vibrations. A narrow distance between the spring and the bow improves the overtone content, which is decisive for the sound character of the jew’s harp.

Materials and types

Most jew’s harps are made of metal (e.g. iron, bronze or brass) and belong to the bracket jew’s harps, where the tongue protrudes over the bracket and is plucked directly. Frame jew’s harps, on the other hand, have a tongue that is enclosed by a frame and is plucked indirectly. Southeast Asian frame jew’s harps made of bamboo such as the Genggong in Bali and Lombok or the Karinding in western Java are examples of this type.

Playing style

Technology and sound

To play, the Jew’s harp is placed lightly against the incisors, with the lips resting against the thighs. The tongue vibrates in the oral cavity, which serves as a resonating body. By varying the volume of the oral cavity and the geometry (similar to the vowel formation in “a-o-u-ö-e-i”), a sound with different overtones and sound spectra is produced. This tone is amplified by simultaneous blowing or sucking. Musicians often switch between several jew’s harps to extend the range of tones.

Historical virtuosos and instrument development

At the beginning of the 19th century, there were jew’s harp virtuosos such as Johann Heinrich Scheibler, who mounted up to ten jew’s harps on a supporting disk to enable chromatic tone sequences. He called this instrument the AURA.

Musical use - traditional and modern

The Jew’s harp is widely used in folk music all over the world. It is a traditional instrument in the Alpine region from Hungary and Slovenia to France, Sardinia and Corsica. In Austrian folk music, the use of several Jew’s harps tuned to the keynote allows them to be integrated into major-minor harmony. Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Beethoven’s teacher, wrote seven concertos for Jew’s harp around 1765, which interpret the melodies and stylistic elements of contemporary Austrian folk music.

In Central Asia, the jew’s harp is used in Tuvan music, often in combination with upper and lower tone singing, known through groups such as Huun-Huur-Tu and Yat-Kha. In Africa, especially in southern Africa, European Jew’s harps have been widely used since the 1930s.

Pop culture and modern music

Many people are familiar with the sound of the jew’s harp from the Sesame Street theme tune. In the 1970s, the group Medicine Head made it popular in the pop charts. The jew’s harp can also be found in folk metal and Viking metal, e.g. with the band Bathory. Other well-known musicians who use the Jew’s harp include Carl Eulenstein, Ennio Morricone, Tapani Varis, Anton Bruhin, Albin Paulus, Bernhard Mikuskovics, Wolfdietrich Janscha, Toni Geiling, Attwenger, Seeed, Jon Bon Jovi, The Who, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Leonard Cohen, Joe Walsh, Saltatio Mortis, Subway to Sally and Die Ärzte.

Hans Werner Henze used the jew’s harp in his recital “El Cimarrón”. In the radio play and animated film “Maya the Bee”, the jump of the grasshopper Flip is musically accompanied by a Jew’s harp.