Got Harp? Go Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Harp Festival

Edinburgh really is the city of festivals – but it’s not all about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. Coming up in April is another unexpected delight: the Edinburgh Harp Festival.

Harps in Scottish Culture

Before getting into the festival, it’s probably worth talking about harps in traditional Scottish first.  While the harp is a well recognised symbol of the Gaelic heritage in Ireland, it’s less so apparent here in Scotland.  But the classic triangle-shaped harp was seen in Pictish stone carvings as early as the 9th century.  The oldest surviving harps we have today are from the 15th century.

Harp itself is a Anglo-Saxon, Old German, and Old Norse word that means “to pluck” – but this word only came into use in the 13th century onwards.  The traditional Gaelic word was a cruit and in Scotland the harp was also referred to as a clarsach.

This is where the Irish culture diverges from those Gaelic sects in Wales and Scotland.  In Ireland, the bard and poet storytellers established a strong cultural identity and hierarchy of roles, from a bard to apprentices.  In Scotland, this was less the case, though there is strong evidence of poets and harpists throughout the development of Scotland.

The museum in Edinburgh best suited for further exploration of Scottish harp history is the National Museum of Scotland.  That’s because this museum is the successor of the National Museum of Antiquities, which held many of the nations oldest harps and other related paraphernalia.   One of the highlights on exhibit is their Queen Mary Harp, which has some lovely embellishments and it’s a great example how harps were strung back then and how small they were!

What To Do at the Harp Festival

Let’s face it:  the Harp festival is kind of for harp geeks.  But if that’s you, then welcome to harp heaven!  A glimpse into some of the activities going on:

• Courses:  From beginners to advanced,  you can join a course either to learn how to play the harp or to learn a new genre for your repertoire.   Topics include jazz harping, Scottish/Irish/Welsh songs, and other fun classes such as the “imagination station” and “storytelling.”
• Workshops: Probably a touch more technical, the workshop sessions include how to care for your harp, history discussions, and some deep dives into the music behind the instrument.

If you don’t fancy any of the more technical workshops, there’s always the concerts – at least one a day, in fact, throughout the entire six day festival, including a tea concert and a family concert.

The Essentials: Find out More

Essential information on the 2010 Edinburgh Harp Festival:

• Dates: 9-14th April 2010
• Location: Merchiston Castle High School (Lothian Buses 10 & 45)
• Website: www.harpfestival.co.uk

Tickets and event schedule available from the official website.

Justin Brockie