Talharpa

The talharpa (Estonian Swedish lit. 'horsehair harp') or stråkharpa ('bowed harp'), also known as the hiiu kannel (from earlier Estonian: Hiiurootsi kannel (lit. ' Kannel (instrument) of Vormsi') is a two to four stringed bowed lyre from northern Europe.

Talharpa, by Charlie Bynum, Silver Spoon Music, Alkmaar NL, 2014

Historically, talharpa is known to have been played in the coastal areas and islands of western Estonia, particularly among Estonian Swedes. It is possible that the Swedish settlers brought the instrument to Estonia from Finland already around the 10th century, as later Swedish settlers in Estonia did not know nor use the talharpa.^[1] It is questionable whether it was formerly common and widespread in Scandinavia.

Talharpa is similar to the Finnish jouhikko and the Welsh crwth. Jouhikko, a close relative of talharpa, is still known in Finland.^[2]

The name talharpa (in standard Swedish language tagelharpa) probably comes from an Estonian Swedish dialectical form tal of the word tagel – 'horsehair' – from which the strings were made.^[3]

A Vormsi (Ormsö) islander playing a self-made talharpa, c. 1920

Background

The earliest known Old Norse literary mentions of a harp or lyre date to the Eddic poem Völuspá, though not as a bowed instrument. There have been attempts to interpret as talharpa the iconography, that show Gunnar charming the snakes in the snake pit with a harpa-like instrument (also don't include a bow and instrument is in a very different shape) and a stone carving at the Trondheim Cathedral of Norway, that shows a musician playing a bowed hurdy gurdy- or nyckelharpa-like instrument, dating to around the 14th century.^[4] In Nordic countries, the bowed lyre (as opposed to the plucked harp) has continued in Finland, where it is called jouhikko or a jouhikantele and Estonia where it is called hiiu kannel.^[5]

Construction techniques

Talharpas were traditionally built by hollowing out a single block of wood and gluing a soundboard on top, as can be seen from many instruments stored in the museums in Estonia and Finland. In modern times, many talharpa makers continue to build their musical instruments from solid wood, such as Rait Pihlap, Mihkel Soon or Rauno Nieminen. Others began to make tagelharpas following the classical school of lutherie, with each part assembled and characterized by reinforcements, bands, counter-bands, figured bottoms and blocks (such as Raivo Sildoja).

Modern use

The talharpa is sometimes used in modern folk music, most notably by the Estonian nu-folk duo Puuluup^[6] who use talharpas and modern live looping. Other notable musicians and bands, that use a bowed-lyre family instruments: Sofia Joons, Strand...Rand, Pekko Käppi, Styrbjörn Bergelt, Krista Sildoja, Metsatöll, Wardruna, Per Runberg, Janne Mängli, A Tergo Lupi.

Puuluup on stage

See also

• Crwth
• Jouhikko
• Gue
• Byzantine lyra (bowed lyre)
• Hiiu kannel (in Estonian)
• Bowed string instrument