Artwork/carving on harps

[christie-wareham-norfolk]

I am currently thinking about buying a new harp and am pondering the issue of whether to let the natural beauty of the wood shine, go for ebony colour with a gold trim, or whether to have any artwork or carving instead. I’m interested to hear what other harpists have in the way of harp personalisation (with photos if possible please!) and any stories behind your decisions if you are happy to share them. Thanks in advance.

[lyn-boundy]

Well, here’s my beautiful Eleni – http://www.harpcolumn.com/forums/coffee-break/posts/62693!. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful luthier nearby so it was an easy decision, when upgrading from a 26-string Sharpsicle, to have my next (and probably last) harp hand-made to my own design. It’s the most exciting way possible of getting a new harp and I was even able to visit a few times during the process to see the work as it was happening. The thread that accompanies that photo will probably tell you more than you could ever want to know about my choice and it is an entirely personal one.

A great deal will depend, of course, on the choices of carving and/or decoration that are available to you. I wanted something very different that would mean a lot to me personally and over which I could let my imagination run riot but my main criterion, regarding the carving, was that it must enhance, and not detract from, the beauty of the wood itself. I’m very happy with the result though I’m sure many purists would shudder at what I’ve done.

If you don’t want to go crazy with carving, why not consider some kind of enclosure? As you’ll see, I chose to enclose a 175 million year old ammonite in the design and it’s probably the part I’m ,fondest of. My original idea was to have a piece of agate set into the wood but once you let your imagination go wild there is no end to the things you could choose to have built in, provided, of course, that the people making your harp are willing to do this.

Please keep us updated on what you choose s that we can share in the excitement and don’t rush your choice – this is something to really savour and enjoy!

[Angela Biggs]

I’m a fan of letting the natural beauty of the wood shine through — otherwise, why wouldn’t you get a harp made of carbon fiber? (Don’t get me wrong, I do want a carbon fiber harp — but I’d get that it in “natural” black, too!) My harp is not stained, but was sealed with a wax finish and allowed to age naturally. Besides looking gorgeous, this has the added benefit of hiding dings very, very well. I use my harp heavily and move it around often, so it does have some bumps — but you can only see them in very specific lighting (they’re basically invisible). A black finish would scratch to show the wood underneath, and would make imperfections much more obvious.

I bought my harp used, so I didn’t make the decorative choices, but it has a hand-painted Celtic knot on the soundboard, and I really feel it adds interest without being overwhelming. You can see a picture on my profile.

Decoration is very personal, however, and if you think you’ll sell the harp someday it’s a good idea to keep it to a minimum. I’m always keeping an eye out for a Heartland Serenity (their old therapy model), but the last one I saw had these feathery leaves painted all over it in bizarre colors, and I found it extremely distasteful. I know the seller lost out on at least one buyer because of the decorations on that harp!

[Sylvia]

You don’t say if you are buying a lever harp or pedal…or what type of playing you do.

I play pedal harp and bought my 1971 LH15 as walnut finish without decoration and my 1989 Etude also with walnut finish.

They are both shown on my website:
http://www.WeddingHarpMusic.yolasite.com

I prefer that finish because it looks more like the wood of the strings in orchestra.
I don’t care for the natural wood finish because to me it looks anemic and like they just forgot to finish it…but many people prefer the natural, so I’m probably in the minority. At the time I bought my LH15, they always decorated the soundboards, and I actually had to argue with the guy to get them to leave it plain.

[patricia-jaeger]

Christie, as Angela noted above, any custom decoration on a harp could make it more difficult to sell some day. A buyer might want to add something of his/her own choice instead.

[christie-wareham-norfolk]

Thank you Lyn, I remember seeing your harp when you first posted.
Sylvia I am looking at a 38 to 41 string lever harp and I play purely for fun on my own, not as part of an orchestra or group.
Angela/Patricia the possible difficulty of resale is something to consider but my plans are that I will keep this harp for a very long time so the other issue is that it needs to be a design/style that I will still really, really like in 20 years!

[deb-l]

hi Christie, I did not have the artwork custom done on my harp, I have the original owner to thank for that. Usually when buying a harp I’m more interested in the quality of the harp and look for natural finishes because they usually use better wood and I like the look of the wood best. I like the way ‘flamed’ wood looks. However, I have seen some stunning ebony harps and the gold trim sounds elegant. If the decorations are tastefully done it should not hurt resale value, harps that are unique have a personal quality and its a plus that they don’t look like they’ve been made in a factory to look like every other harp of that model. Besides it would be sad to have a custom harp made and already be contemplating selling it! It should please and suit YOU. When you hold it, it should look and feel like part of you. The type of decorations I like are carving, abalone along the soundboard and hand painted soundboards. Here’s a picture of the doves and vines on my Rees Aberdeen.

[Sherj DeSantis]

Hi Christie, The first thing I told my saleswoman when I was looking for my harp, was I didn’t want a “painted’ harp. I like natural wood. Then we found out that the Style 17 had been discontinued, and the only one available in Chicago was Ebony and Bronze. I held my breath and ordered it, because I couldn’t see it prior to purchase. While I waited, I went to my harp tech’s home, and he had several antique restored harps, and one at least, seemed to have a similar ebony and bronze finish. I loved the look of his. I am not an overly modern person in tastes. I have fallen in love with the finish on mine, and if you go to the Lyon and Healy site, you can click on the Style 23, and get a general idea of what they look like in that finish. Clearly, it is not a lever harp, but you can see the ebony and bronze look. My tech’s harp has a saying of something like..”Once I was a tree in the forest, then I was cut down by the ax. In death, I sweetly sing”. I believe it is written in Latin maybe? It’s a beautiful sentiment and matches the style and elegance of his antique harp. It was featured in our chapter’s newsletter.

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