The Jew's harp, also called the jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a type of musical instrument. It has a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or reed attached to a frame. Although the name "Jew's harp" is commonly used, the instrument most likely came from China. The oldest known examples of this instrument are more than 4,000 years old and were found in Shaanxi. It has no connection to the Jewish people.
Jew's harps can be grouped in different ways. They may be classified as idioglot or heteroglot, depending on whether the frame and the tine are made as one piece or separate. They can also be sorted by the shape of the frame (rod-shaped or plaque-shaped), the number of tines, and how the tines are played—by plucking, tapping together, or pulling strings.
Characteristics
The frame is held firmly against the performer's open teeth or lips (depending on the type), using the mouth (along with the throat and lungs when breathing) as a resonator, which makes the instrument's sound much louder. The teeth must be slightly open to allow the reed to vibrate freely, and the soft parts of the mouth should not touch the reed. This prevents the vibrations from being stopped and avoids causing discomfort. The note produced is always the same in pitch, but by changing the shape of the mouth and the amount of air inside it (and in some traditions, by closing the glottis), the performer can make different overtones sound, allowing melodies to be created.
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, "The vibrations of the steel tongue create a sound made up of a main note and its harmonics. By using the mouth's cavity as a resonator, each harmonic can be separated and made louder, allowing the instrument to produce the range of notes shown."
"The lower harmonics in the series cannot be played because the mouth's cavity is too small to hold them. The black notes on the musical staff show the scale that can be played using two harps, one tuned a fourth higher than the other. To isolate the harmonics, the player shapes their mouth as if trying to say different vowel sounds." See Bugle scale.
History
The oldest known Jew's harps were found in Shaanxi, China, and are about 4,000 years old. These items were discovered at the Neolithic site of Shimao, which was a significant place for politics and religion during the Longshan culture. The earliest known picture of someone playing what appears to be a Jew's harp comes from a Chinese drawing made around 300 BCE. Some European discoveries claim similar ages for similar instruments, but these dates are questioned because of how the items were found and the lack of old writings or pictures that mention the instrument.
— Marin Mersenne, Harmonie Universelle (1636)
Etymology
There are many ideas about how the instrument called the "Jew's Harp" got its name. The name might seem to refer to Jewish people, but it has no connection to them. The instrument also does not look like a harp in shape or design. In Sicilian, it is called marranzanu or mariolu, which are disrespectful terms for Jewish people also used in Italian and Spanish. In German, it is called Maultrommel, which means "mouth drum." The name "Jew's Harp" first appeared in 1481 in a record book as "Jue harpes." The version "jaw" was used as early as 1774 and 1809, while "juice" was used only in the late 1800s and 1900s.
Some people think the name comes from the French phrase jeu-trompe, meaning "toy trumpet." The French word for the instrument today is guimbarde. In 1855, an English word expert named Hensleigh Wedgwood wrote that the idea of the name coming from jeu harpe does not match French grammar rules. He discussed the jeu harpe theory but not the jeu trompe one.
Both theories—that the name comes from "jaws" or "jeu"—are described by the Oxford English Dictionary as having no proof. The dictionary suggests some guesses, such as the instrument being made or sold by Jewish people in England, or being linked to Jewish people because of references to "trumps and harps" in the Bible. The dictionary notes that the connection to Jewish people is mainly found in English, though the term jødeharpe is also used in Danish.
Use
The angkuoch (Khmer: អង្គួច) is a traditional instrument from Cambodia. It is made of bamboo and shaped into a long, flat piece with a hole in the middle and a tongue that crosses the hole. Some versions are made of metal and have a round or leaf-like shape. These may also have small metal bells attached. The angkuoch can function as both a wind instrument and a percussion instrument. When used as a wind instrument, it is held against the mouth, which helps create sound and change its tone. Though often used in folk music, some angkuochs are made with higher quality materials. While it was once thought to be created by children who herded cattle, it is sometimes played in public performances to accompany the Mahori music used in traditional dances.
The instrument is also used in rhythm sections of Indian folk and classical music. It appears in the Morsing of South India’s Carnatic music and the Morchang of Rajasthan’s folk music. Indian morchangs are made from various metals, including brass, iron, copper, and silver. Brass murchangs are created using an ancient method where molten brass is poured into a mold to shape it. This process allows for the creation of detailed designs.
In Russia, the instrument is called vargan. A Jew’s harp was found in a 9th-century burial site in Bashkortostan. During Joseph Stalin’s rule in the USSR, the instrument was banned because it was linked to Shamanism.
In Nepal, a type of Jew’s harp is called the murchunga (Nepali: मुर्चुङ्गा). It is similar to the Indian morsing or morchang because its tongue extends beyond the frame, allowing the sound to last longer.
The binayo (Nepali: बिनायो बाजा) is a bamboo Jew’s harp used in the Kiranti musical tradition of Nepal’s Malingo region. It is popular in parts of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Bhutan. The binayo is six inches long and one inch wide. It is played by blowing air through it without adjusting the sound with fingers.
The temir komuz is made of iron and measures 100–200 mm in length and 2–7 mm in width. Its range depends on its size but generally covers an octave. The Kyrgyz people are skilled at playing it, and it is popular among children and some adults. Pieces for the temir komuz were written by Aleksandr Zataevich in two or three parts. It can produce an octave drone or a repeating pattern that alternates between a scale’s fifth note and an octave.
In Turkey, the instrument is called ağız kopuzu. It was once used in folk songs from Anatolia but is now rarely played. Modern artists like Senem Diyici and Ravan Yuzkhan have included it in their performances.
In Sindhi music, the instrument is called changu (Sindhi: چنگُ). It can be used as an accompaniment or the main instrument. A famous player is Amir Bux Ruunjho.
The South Tyrolean Jew’s harp is similar to the Austrian version. The Friulan Jew’s harp is called "Scacciapensieri." Its music uses Western harmony and is sometimes used in Veneto’s folk music in the region’s northern areas.
In Sicily, the instrument is known as marranzanu. Other names include angalarruni, calarruni, gangalarruni, ganghilarruni, mariolu, mariolu di fera, marranzana, and ngannalarruni.
The Austrian Jew’s harp is called Maultrommel, which means "mouth drum" in German. Austrian music using the instrument follows Western harmony and was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Early examples of Jew’s harps appeared in Western churches in the 14th century. Austrian composer Johann Albrechtsberger, who taught Beethoven, wrote seven concertos for the Jew’s harp, mandora, and orchestra between 1769 and 1771. Four of these pieces remain, in the keys of F major, E-flat major, E major, and D major. They reflect the instrument’s role in Austrian folk music.
Franz Koch (1761–1831), discovered by Frederick the Great, could play two Jew’s harps at once. Karl Eulenstein (1802–1890) developed a system to play four Jew’s harps simultaneously by connecting them with silk strings and striking them all at once.
The American composer Charles Ives included a part for the Jew’s harp in his work A Symphony: New England Holidays. The instrument has also been used in rock and country music, such as in Canned Heat’s "Parthenogenesis," Black Sabbath’s "Sleeping Village," The Who’s "Join Together," and George Harrison’s "I Don’t Care Anymore."