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. Even though it has a name that might suggest otherwise, the Jew's harp most likely came from China. The oldest known examples are from Shaanxi and are about 4,000 years old. 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 tongue 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 tongues, and how they are played—by plucking the tongue, tapping it with a joint, or pulling a string.

Characteristics

The frame is held firmly against the performer's open teeth or lips (depending on the type), using the mouth, throat, and lungs as a resonator to increase the instrument's volume. The teeth must be opened enough to allow the reed to vibrate freely, and the soft parts of the mouth should not touch the reed to avoid stopping the vibrations and causing discomfort. The note produced remains the same in pitch, but by changing the shape of the mouth and the amount of air inside it (and in some traditions, closing the vocal cords), the performer can make different overtones sound, creating melodies.

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, "The vibrations of the steel tongue create a mix of sounds made up of a fundamental tone and its harmonics. By using the mouth as a resonator, each harmonic can be separated and strengthened, allowing the instrument to reach the range shown."

"The lower harmonics cannot be produced because the mouth's size limits the resonating space. 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 performer shapes their mouth as if saying 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 instruments were discovered at the Neolithic site of Shimao, which was an important place for government and religious activities during the Longshan culture. The earliest known image of someone playing what appears to be a Jew's harp comes from a Chinese drawing created around 300 BCE. Some discoveries in Europe claim to show similar instruments of the same age, but these claims have been questioned because of how the items were uncovered and the lack of written or visual records from that time.

— Marin Mersenne, Harmonie Universelle (1636)

Etymology

There are many ideas about where the name "Jew's Harp" came from. The name seems to mention Jewish people, but this is not correct. The instrument has no connection to Jewish people, and it does not look like a harp. 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 customs account book as "Jue harpes." The "jaw" version was used as early as 1774 and 1809, while the "juice" version was used only in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Some people think the name comes from the French phrase "jeu-trompe," which means "toy trumpet." The French word for the instrument today is "guimbarde." In 1855, an English language expert named Hensleigh Wedgwood wrote that the idea of "jeu harpe" does not fit French grammar rules. He discussed "jeu harpe" but not "jeu trompe."

Both theories—that the name comes from "jaws" or "jeu"—are described by the Oxford English Dictionary as having no proof. The dictionary suggests possible reasons, such as the instrument being made, sold, or brought to England by Jewish people, or being linked to Jewish people because of references to trumpets and harps in the Bible. The dictionary notes that the connection to Jewish people appears only in English, but the term "jødeharpe" is also used in Danish.

Use

The angkuoch (Khmer: អង្គួច) is a musical instrument from Cambodia. It is made of bamboo and shaped like a long, flat piece with a hole in the middle and a thin part across the hole. Some angkuoch are made of metal and have a round or leaf-like shape. These may also have small metal bells attached. The instrument can be used as both a wind and a percussion instrument. When used as a wind instrument, it is held against the mouth, which helps make the sound louder and change it. While it is mostly used in traditional music, some higher quality versions are made. It was once believed that children who herded cattle invented the instrument, but it is now sometimes played in public performances to accompany the Mahori music during dances.

The instrument is also used in Indian folk and classical music. It appears in the Morsing of South Indian Carnatic music and the Morchang of Rajasthan folk music. Indian morchangs are made from metals like brass, iron, copper, and silver. Brass morchangs are created using an old method where molten brass is poured into molds to shape it. This process allows for detailed and complex designs.

In Russia, the instrument is called a vargan. A Jew's harp was found in a burial site from the 9th century in Bashkortostan. During the time of Joseph Stalin, the instrument was banned in the USSR 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 thin part (called the 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, Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Bhutan. It is six inches long and one inch wide. It is played by blowing air through it without using fingers to adjust the sound.

The temir komuz is made of iron and is usually 100–200 mm long and 2–7 mm wide. The instrument's range depends on its size but generally covers about an octave. The Kyrgyz people are skilled at playing it, and it is popular among children and some adults. Music written for the temir komuz includes parts with 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 traditional Anatolian folk songs but is now less common. 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 a main instrument or to support other instruments. One famous player is Amir Bux Ruunjho.

The Jew's harp in South Tyrol is similar to the Austrian version. In Friulan, it is called "Scacciapensieri" and uses Western-style harmony. It is sometimes used in Veneto folk music in the northern part of the region.

In Sicily, the instrument is called marranzanu. It is also known by other names like angalarruni, calarruni, and marranzana.

In Austria, the instrument is called Maultrommel, which means "mouth drum." Austrian music using the instrument follows Western harmony and was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Early examples of the Jew's harp appeared in Western churches in the 14th century. The 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 and are in the keys of F major, E-flat major, E major, and D major.

Franz Koch, a famous performer from the 1700s, could play two Jew's harps at once. Karl Eulenstein, another performer, created a system to play four Jew's harps at the same time by connecting them with strings.

The American composer Charles Ives included a part for the Jew's harp in his symphony "A Symphony: New England Holidays." The instrument has also been used in rock and country music, such as in songs by Canned Heat, Black Sabbath, The Who, and George Harrison.