The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-10
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

am glad that MT Angelo Cortese, the noted Italian harpist, is to be here at the Jefferson on Monday evening, April 12 for it gives Birmingham a chance to hear really great artist
 But as much as it p1eases me to know that such virtuoso is to be in our midst, the fact that the harp is the instrument on which he will play adds much to my joy in his coming, for among the sweetest memories of my boyhood cluster around the music of what is probably the oldest of the stringed instruments
 It may not be the thing to drag in here the story of how there used to come to Eufaula, my home town, from Columbus, Ga, a little band of three pieces, harp, violin and a flute, to play for the local dances. None of the trio were artists in the sense of that much abused word, but to me at the time they were the greatest musicians in all the world.
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 | I have heard Sarasate, one of the greatest of the violinists, and now I am to be privileged to listen to cortese, the master harpist. I never read about a harp or hear one played without think of moonlight nights, tripping feet, flashing eyes, merry laughter. sparkling talk, as I live over again the happy days of my youth when life was good and love very sweet
 
 I also associate the harp with my early thoughts of Birmingham, for in the old days when the Caldwell hotel was the center of the social life, as is the Tutwiler today, there came here to live MT. and Mrs. Oliver Chalifoux, both of them talented musicians, the former ter brilliant harpist. Their musicales were among the feature events of the season. I was delighted to read Dolly Dalrymple's appreciation of Mrs. Chal- ifoux.
 1 I said that the harp is one of the old I est of stringed instruments, as is the I lyre the two being mentioned in the Old Testament, both being of wood and both being used as accomplishments l of song. The Tyre is mentioned forty ' four times, while the harp is spoken of only twenty-seven times. The harp seems, however, to have been used as much for secular as for sacred pur- poses, but it must be kept in mind that the Hebrews drew no hard -and-fast line between secular and sacred, for na- tiona1 affairs were under the sanction of religion.
 The harp had wide use in the or dinary, religious and national life of the Hebrews. It was used in festivities, as it was also used in mourning. It was used in worship, as it was also used when the new walls of Jericho were dedicated. It was used in na- tiona1 jubilees, a case in point being after the triumph over Goliath; as it was over the armies of Ammon and Moab.
 It was also used to soothe the trou- bled soul of Saul We read Seek out harp and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God which is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand. and thou shalt be we'll And Saul said unto his servants. Provide me now man that can play well, and bring him to me-" It's a beautiful story of how David, the son of Jesse, being sent for, came to Saul and stood before him; And he loved him greatly; and he be- came his armorbearer," and how he had the power to drive away the evil spirit by the magic of his harping.
 
 We read in the early chapters of Genesis that Jubal twas the father of all such as handle the harp" and there is something comforting in the thought that man. after being driven out of Paradise, yet found in music an oppos- tunity to find solace from his sorrows. It is also noteworthy that in Johns apocalyptic vision in Revelation he bears witness: And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harp CTS harping with their harps."
 The modern harp has been evolved from types found among the Egyptians. Assyrians and Hebrews, and various Celtic nations. Harps have come down portrayed on the Assyrian bas-reliefs, and on the Egyptian wall paintings. I lave seen reproductions of one from a painting at Thebes. The modern dou- ble action harp, however was perfect ed in 1s1O by Sebastian Eraard, who had previously, in l794, taken out a patent for a harp with seven pedals, the three-string and ten-string harps of the Old Testament giving way to enc with forty-three strings, tuned ac- cording to the diatonic scale, every eighth string being replicate in am other ocatave of the one counted from. Many Improvements have been added until now it's Spossible for virtuoso like Cortese to make it an instrument once heard never to be forgotten.
 The harp during the past few years has become very popular both in solo uorl and ansa1nhla I.iftla Amariean l