Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-01-14
rHR SMALL Boys pELloHr.
Something About the Jawsharp and Ito Ma.
nipulators.


Something About the Jawsharp and Ito Ma
nipulators
II suppose that tho majority OF peo-
pie do not consider jewsharp as
worthy of beng classified as musical
instrument. But then experience has
probably been limited, and the only
jewsharps they have ever heard are
the penny jewsharps that tho boys on
the street corners twans for their
amusement"
The speaker. says TIE New York
Mail and Express, was n gentleman
who has little shop over on the West
side, and is engaged exclusively in the
manufacture of jcwsharps.
II only make harps OF the best quail.
ity," he continued, land have been
engaged in tho business for over forty
years. thirty five OF which have spent
in this country. My father and BROTH
err were in the business before me, and
are now ut work at the old trade in
Belfast, Ireland. make everyone of
my instruments by hand, and never
have an ass slant, because the art is
one of which only very fow possess
the secret As know of only one
other manufacturer in this city who
makes the same kind of harps, you
will SEQ the demand for them is not
enormous. do most OF my work on
orders from music and toy stores down
town. and these keep mo busy most of
the time.
Well, that's rather hard question to
answer, for Inever keep track of them,
but just work along till get an order
finished and then tackle the next ono.
suppose | could finish on an average
six or eight first class instruments IN q
day, and perhaps twice or three times
rs many of the less expensive ones.
The lowest price which charge for q
harp is 10 cents and the highest 80.
The latter are ma 10 with German sill
yer frames. and the tongue is of finer
steel. The frame, however. does not
have anything to do with tho musical
tone OF the Instrument, and it Is usu-
ally made of iron, which is afterward
'tinned. have all my frames cast
and timed at the foundry and then
finish them up here"
Then it is not so easy to mako
uho-tOuCu JcWSDdTp!
Certainly not, II requires a great
deal of experience TO be able to make
a harp that will produce true must
cal tone. The making and fitting Of
the tongue are the hardest work.
have my little profitable forge here,
and manufacture the steel tongues
here myself. The edge of the tongue
must be made perfectly straight and
filed in aparticular manner, so us to
produce the smoothest vibrat ons. and
then the inner edge Of the franc must
be made to correspond with the edges
OF the tongue. The closer tho frame
is mado to fit the tongue without COM
ing in contract with it the better will
DO the quality of tone that will be pro-
duced. With one of the best harps
any melody can be reproduced accur-
atel Y by the performer, and n skillful
player can get more music out of one
of these little instruments than you
would imagine. l cannot play well
myself or / would show you some of
the effects which might be produced. :"
"Are the harps tuned to any partic.
ular pitch. SO as 10 be used with other
Instruments
mo, / do not take the trouble to
pitch them unless they arc ordered
that way. 1t is easy enough, howev-
or, to do this by shortening or length
ening the stem at the end of the
tongue until the tone corresponds with
the note required. Some people can
play two harps at the same time, and
when a pair is ordered Tor that pur-
pose l always have to give them the
same pitch. Most of the instruments
Of finer quality are made to order, and
of course have to make them to suit
my customers. A very fine instru-
meDt is made with polished iron
frame. n little heavier than the cheap
grades, which are usually only sold for
toys. The additional we,ghG of the
frames gives more solidity to it's tones
The penny harps are made BY unskill-
ed workmen, and are of very little val
ne rs musical instruments.
Most of the harps are made for out.
of-town trade, and large number are
sent west every year. For the last
two years business has been very dull,
and it seems as if jewsharp playing
was waning in popularity. In Ireland
and Scotland the instrument is very
popular, especially among the Scotch
who take about two-t thirds of the Jews
harps made in Belfast. The finer class
of goods are usually made with silver
tipped stems, but this does not make
any difference with the tone, the rich
ness and volume of which depended
entirely on the workmanship and the
delicacy with which the tongue is adj
justed to the frame. The only troub-
lie about a jewsharp is that it is not a
very durable instrument, for after q
years use the tone usually becomes
dull and loses the clearness of its vi
brations. 1t can be easily retained,
however, by retitting the tongue, and
large number of instruments are re-
ceived every year to be repaired.