The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-11
HOW THE JEWs-HARP GREW.

HOW THE JEWS HARP GREW.
A Jews-harp is not harp at all. IL be-
longs to that class of musical instruments
which play by means of reed; the sim
plest form penny trumpet or a har.
laonicoD; the grandest a church orgsn.
Neither has the Jews-harp referred tc,
anything to do with Jews. Probably
the correct name is jaws harp, since
you hold it against the jaws or teeth in
playing. Many years ago, however, it
was called in England Jew's-trump, and
in France jeu-trompe, plsy-trumpet. 1t is
not improbable that the English may
have mistaken the French jeu for Jew,
and 30 called it first Jew's-trump and
afterward Jew's-harp. The Hindoos play
very similar instrument called muir
chang, and you may also see this style In
Burmah, Thibet and Southern China.
The only difference between the Asiatic
harp and the European, is that the former
is longer and affords sort of handle for
the left hand.
1t has come to be the opinion of edu.
Gated people that things grow up very
much as we do; and they speak OF the in
fancy, youth, maturity and decay of arts,
machines, customs, fashions, or nations
as though they were trees or men. They
are right about this, and we shall never
understand the Jew's-harp for instance,
M III a. 10
tree" Probably the wind invented the
first Jew's-harp, blowing blade Of grass
or some thin vegetable substance rapid
ly backward and forward through some
crevice. The savage man was not slow
to hear and observe this, and making
slit of his mouth was able to repeat the
sound.
Many improvements were made is this
rude, nature-taught harp before must
clans reached the lowest grade in our
pictured stairway, on the lowest step of
which stands specimen from New
Guines, made OF hard wood or bamboo.
The negroes of our Southern States make
similar one OF corn stalk. The Amos
OF Japan make their Jew's-harp Of strip
of bamboo, cutting out the tongue in the
shape of cricket bat. A email hole is
bored near the base of the tongue; into
which q slender thread OF sinew is knot
ted. To play this curious harp you hold
it against the lips and teeth, breathe
through the slit and tighten or loosen
your sinew to produce different notes.
The writer cannot play on one, although
he has often tried. but has heard a gentle
man perform operatic pieces with great
effect. The Malays play the prettiest and
softest Jew's.harp known. is made of
hard bamboo, and the odd thing about it
is that the sides vibrate and the tongue
stands still. Suppose you were to make
the sides of one of our harps very thin,
and continue them outward and join their
ends, then should cut of the bent up
part OF the tongue, in this case you
would have something like the Ma
lay harp. The instrument on the third
step very we'll represents the object. The
5UuuQ lS Us luuCu SoHbloI buhu bIlhb VI bu
iron one, as the music of the wooden Ky.
lophone is more pleasing than the metal
lie ring of the anvil.
The French have named this instru-
ment the play trump; but there have
been distinguished musicians who played
on this toy. There was soldier in Magde-
burg in 1885, who had a national repu-
tation for his feats on Jew's-harp. He
would depict funeral procession, with
the tollrng of bells, Introducing a popu-
lar dirge; at first heard from long dis
lance, and then initiating singing choir
as they approached and passed by. One
Scheibler of Crefeld fixed twenty Jews
harps of different pitch on dice with
the round ends toward the center so that
the tongues stuck out like rays. This he
called the aura, and produced magical
effects upon his audiences by playing
upon the harps alternately. = Wide
Aacake.