My ‘Wagner’ harp

[carl-swanson]

Ok, I’ve mentioned before my ‘Wagner’ Lyon & Healy and again, some of you wanted pictures, so I just took some and here they are.

[David Ice]

Hi Carl,

Again, another WONDERFUL harp!

[unknown-user]

A lovely harp, thank you for sharing photos, I never seem to get tired of looking at such lovely instruments.

What has been really interesting

[carl-swanson]

Thanks David and Karin- It is interesting that some of the motifs that later found their way onto the style 22 and 23 were already in place on this instrument. The feet(front and back), the shape of the baseboard, the whole bottom part of the column, as well as some of the top. I don’t know when that originated or who came up with it, but it’s lasted a long time.

As for Wagner being on the column, I have no idea who thought that one up. I’m also unaware if any other composers ever found their way onto the column.

[Evangeline Williams]

Out of curiosity, about how much does it weigh?

[carl-swanson]

I’m guessing that it weight around 70 to 72 pounds. it’s a small instrument, about 68 inches tall, but I love playing that size instrument. A lot of the pieces I do have difficult technical work right up into the first octave, and on a concert grand, that puts the first octave above and behind your head. On this instrument its lower and further forward.

[Evangeline Williams]

But it’s got the extended soundboard.

[carl-swanson]

Many years ago I was playing a job someplace when a man came up to me and introduced himself as Jim Buckwell. He was a decendant of the Buckwell of Browne and Buckwell and he had some records and other stuff from that business. He sent me photocopies of what he had and I’ve got it someplace here in the house. It’s been years since I looked at any of it, but I’ll see if I can find it and see what exactly is in there.

[unknown-user]

That reminds me, I used to rent a 22, number 299, from Frances Miller when I was

[carl-swanson]

Then there must have been 2 number 299’s, because I bought one from an estate sale, also a Wagner, and later sold it.

[barbara-low]

Nice harp, Carl. How fortunate you are to have harps for the different repertoire you perform.

I was able to see a “Wagner” harp close up once. It hadn’t been tuned in quite a while and had some broken strings, so I didn’t get a chance to play it, but I did enjoy looking at it. It had a crown carved of wood and gilded, and the back of the wings (of the extended board) were gilded along the outer edge. I’d never seen that before.

[steven-todd-miller]

Carl, you are the man! Who else can find such amazing harps AND RESTORE THEM THEMSELVES??? Your house must be like a harp museum! Was the soundboard extended or did you add that?

[Evangeline Williams]

I saw this and thought of you, Carl.

[carl-swanson]

Steven- What a nice compliment. Thank you. When I bought this harp many years ago, it was a decrepit wreck. When I got it home and started working on it, the first thing I did was to take off the base. I unscrewed all the bolts but it wouldn’t budge. It took me several minutes to realize that some well meaning but misguided woodworker, in an attempt to prevent the baseassembly from pulling apart, had glued the pedestal onto the body and baseboard! That was why there was a long crack in the body shell on one side. I repaired the crack and it has never moved in over 20 years, but you can still see it there to this day.

This harp had an extended soundboard, but when I rebuilt it, I felt it prudent to replace the wing substructure. This harp had a wooden crown which was in terrible condition. When I rebuilt the harp 20 or so years ago I bought a new crown from L & H, which was made of solid brass. It was so heavy(3 pounds) that I could feel the difference when I played and moved it. So I took it off and have just left it that way.

[Evangeline Williams]

Was L&H still dealing in other instruments at the point of the fire?

[Author]

Posts