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562:(Italy), is a modern monument Aeolian harp more than six metres high. It is a sound monument designed by the Italian architect Giuseppe Ferlenga which was inaugurated in November 2015 from the Sports and Cultural Group of Mazzano. The acoustic part of this tool is composed of a frame that contains a copper harmonic case. The Aeolian Harp of Negrar has six strings of different lengths and materials. If there is wind, this monumental harp produces audible sounds up to a distance of about four metres.
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123:. More modern Aeolian harps can more closely resemble lawn ornaments than any traditional string instrument. The unifying characteristic between all Aeolian harps, regardless of appearance, is their source of sound, the strings, and the fact they are played by the wind. This distinguishes Aeolian harps from other instruments played by the wind, such as wind chimes.
65:, or identical strings can be tuned to different pitches. Besides being the only string instrument played solely by the wind, the Aeolian harp is also the only string instrument that plays solely harmonic frequencies. They are recognizable by the sound which is a result of this property, which has been described as eerie and ethereal.
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The
Aeolian harp has a long history of being associated with the numinous, perhaps for its vibrant timbres that produce an ethereal sound. Homer relates that Hermes invented the lyre from dried sinews stretched over a tortoise shell. It was able to be played by the wind. The same is said of the lyre
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The quality of sound depends on many factors, including the lengths, gauges, and types of strings, the character of the wind, and the material of the resonating body. Metal-framed instruments with no sound board produce a music very different from that produced by wind harps with wooden sound boxes
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is similar in appearance to a standard harp with 45 strings tuned to the C minor pentatonic scale and a central bearing originally being from a semi-truck. It was built by Bob
Griesing and Bill Neely in June and July 2000, and at the time was mistakenly declared the "World's Largest Aeolian Harp".
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The largest
Aeolian harp in the world dwarfs even Sydney's. In South San Francisco stands the Lucia and Aristides Demetrios Wind Harp, which stands at 28 metres tall. This Aeolian harp is located a little over 74 metres above sea level, which means it always receives a suitable breeze and that it
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to direct more airflow over the strings. In one case, large metal dishes have even been used as amplification devices. For a building material, metal is generally preferred to wood at this scale due to how metal can withstand the environment for longer, needs less maintenance, and is stabler and
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There are more challenges with designing a larger
Aeolian harp. For one, a sound chamber at such sizes takes much more material to make. Instead of making a large sound chamber, designers of Aeolian harps approaching seven meters in height use different mechanisms to increase the volume of their
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In Sydney, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton is an even larger 18-metre-tall, 10 ton steel
Aeolian harp which doubles as the world's largest fiddle. It was erected to honour the fiddling traditions and folk music of the region's Celtic population. This fiddle, unveiled in 2005, is titled
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Aside from famous
Aeolian harp monuments, many can be found along isolated expanses of the European coast in countries such as Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, where they are played by strong ocean winds. Recently, they have become more popular as lawn and window ornaments.
581:, a museum in San Francisco. This harp was built in 1976 by Douglas Hollis, a local artist. Its volume is amplified by two metal disks placed on one side of it. In addition, a natural wind tunnel ensures enough wind is passing over the harp's seven high-pitched strings.
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intended to imitate the sound and timbre of the
Aeolian harp. German builders were the first to include such a stop from the 1820s. The organ stop labeled ‘aeolian harp’ is not a harp – it does not use a vibrating string – it is simply a rank of low air pressure
184:. On some Aeolian harps, all the strings are tuned to the same frequency, as the wind will already influence the pitch by yielding different overtones depending on its intensity. Other Aeolian harps have differently tuned strings, which enable them to produce
61:, with strings stretched lengthwise across two bridges. It is often placed in a slightly opened window where the wind can blow across the strings to produce sounds. The strings can be made of different materials (or thicknesses) and all be tuned to the same
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in 1915. The effect can sometimes be observed in overhead utility lines, fast enough to be heard or slow enough to be seen. Similar taut wires like non-telescoping radio antennae, ships' anchor lines, and stiff rods also exhibit this phenomenon.
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The
Aeolian harp's sounds have also been sought after in more recent music. In 1972, Chuck Hancock and Harry Bee recorded a giant 30-foot-tall (9.1 m) Aeolian harp designed and built by 22-year-old Thomas Ward McCain on a hilltop in
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in addition to several overtones. When the string oscillates due to the wind, though, it always does so in fractions such as halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, and so on. This naturally produces overtones, most commonly the third,
330:, character Kornelius Isaksen takes his three sons to a little church where, in the tower, they sit listening to the "capriciously varying sounds of an Aeolian harp", which leads the boys into a lifelong passion for music.
425:, Op. 11, No. 9, written between 1897–1905, which is named by the author "Harpes éoliennes" (Aeolian harps). In this virtuoso piece, the tremolo accompaniment seems to imitate the sound of the instrument. In classical
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comes with a panoramic view of South San
Francisco and some of the Bay. Likewise, the instrument, in appearance resembling a set of steel beams connected by curved grates, is visible throughout much of the city.
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instruments. At these heights, they usually prefer upright designs, which allow the instrument to catch more wind for a louder sound. To this same end, Aeolian harps can be placed in the way of natural
100:; rather crescendos and decrescendos of harmonic frequencies are played in rhythm to the winds. As Aeolian harps are played without human intervention, the sounds they produce are an example of
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The ability of the wind to play string instruments has been known and referenced since ancient times. Aeolian harps have been found in China, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Indonesia, and
Melanesia.
496:"Created using an orchestra of eight aeolian harps played entirely by the wind. Recorded in La Manga and Sierra Nevada area, Spain, Winter/Spring 1989 and Bristol, England 1989." (Discogs)
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to improve how the instrument resonates. In terms of size, they are usually about one metre by 13 centimetres by 8 centimetres, with ten to twelve gut strings stretched over two
374:, voiced to imitate the sound of the real aeolian harp. It is, therefore, classified as a "string" stop. The ‘aeolian’ stops are among the softest found on pipe organs.
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Aeolian harps have been featured and mentioned in a number of poems. These include at least four Romantic-era poems: "The Eolian Harp" and "Dejection, an Ode", both by
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used as a background sound recordings of an Aeolian harp, designed and built by Sverre Larssen (1916–1983), that was situated at a Norwegian fjord. British producer
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An Aeolian harp can, in concept, be constructed from as little as a single taut string. Most household Aeolian harps are made of wood, featuring a sound board and
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In recent history, a number of Aeolian harps exceeding six metres in height have been constructed. Aeolian harps of this size are normally made from metal.
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There are many more Aeolian harps of this size and larger in North America. In the Mimbres Valley of New Mexico, there is an Aeolian Harp, titled
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in these scales are at least moderately consonant. This way, no matter how the wind strikes the strings, the resulting music will be euphonious.
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593:", "Ceilidh" roughly translating from Gaelic into "visit." This fiddle is so large it can be seen by ships coming into harbour on the island.
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effect. The motion of the wind across a string causes periodic vortices downstream, and this alternating vortex causes the string to vibrate.
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Pictures and measurements—plus example recordings of an electric variant of an Aeolian Harp which uses electric guitar humbucking pickups
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413:. The piece features a delicate, tender, and flowing melody in the fifth finger of the pianist's right hand, over a background of rapid
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Imitations of the Aeolian harp have been present in classical music since at least the early nineteenth century. Builders of
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as the free resonances of the pedal lifted strings flow air-like. A piece written to imitate the instrument's sounds is
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also wrote a poem called "Rumors from an Aeolian Harp", which he included in the "Monday" chapter of his first book,
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A number of classical pieces have been compared to the sounds of the Aeolian harp. One of the oldest has to be the
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Aside from varying in material, Aeolian harps come in many different shapes. Some resemble standard
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that included plucking and sweeping the pianist's hands directly across the strings of the piano.
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349:. It was originally published in 2011 by Fábulas de Albión. The novelette depicts the life of
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has created and recorded several very large-scale Aeolian harps, and Roger Winfield's album
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296:(1955), and Lawrence Durell's novel "Clea" (fourth book of the Alexandrian Quartet) (1960).
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Why You Hear what You Hear: An Experiential Approach to Sound, Music, and Psychoacoustics
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Unintentional Aeolian Harp effect resulting from modifications to the Golden Gate Bridge
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god of the wind, the traditional Aeolian harp is essentially a wooden box including a
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and sound boards. There is no percussive aspect to the sound like that produced by a
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An even larger Aeolian harp, measuring in at eight metres tall, can be found at the
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The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science
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The Aeolian harp – already known in the ancient world – was first described by
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255:. The former of these two appears alongside his essay "A Defence of Poetry".
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884:. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries. p. 174.
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first solved the mystery of the Aeolian harp in a paper published in the
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Aeolian harps have also been mentioned in several novels. These include
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In the spirit of this, in 2003 an Aeolian harp was constructed at the
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harmonic sounds of the contemporary wind harp in concert with nature
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188:. Aeolian harps lend themselves to being tuned to a major or minor
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Arpa eolia di Mazzano a Negrar, Italy, sito del Comune di Negrar
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had a short section "O, Harp Eolian!" in the Aeolus chapter of
84:(1673). It became popular as a household instrument during the
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The Aeolian harp is especially common in modern music being
306:(1922). More recently, an Aeolian harp was also featured in
916:"Aeolian Harps and the Romantics | British Literature Wiki"
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repertoire, an example of such imitation (mostly employing
515:' for its eerie, exotic, and unique sound. On his album
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of King David, which was played by a wind sent from God.
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located on the roofs of buildings and windy hilltops.
1033:"World's Largest Aeolian Harp, Budaghers New Mexico"
471:. An excerpt of this recording appears in the movie
449:(1923) was one of the first piano pieces to feature
1110:—an example piece of music made on an aeolian harp.
159:. Were the strings plucked, they would produce the
155:The effect results in Aeolian harps only producing
952:"Re:Joyce Episode 286 - Flossing & Fretting"
484:Australian artist, composer and sound sculptor
381:Thomas Ward McCain building an Aeolian harp in
880:Bonner, Stephen (2001). Sadie, Stanley (ed.).
857:"Aeolian Harp | Exploratorium Museum Exhibits"
999:"Tuesday, November 27th: Extraordinary Harps"
8:
939:. Houghton Mifflin and Company. p. 184.
671:. Princeton University Press. p. 403.
937:A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
529:also sampled an Aeolian harp on his album
262:A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
978:International Music Score Library Project
465:. United released their double LP titled
192:and octaves of the notes within, as all
49:that is played by the wind. Named after
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773:"Eerie Instruments Played by the Wind"
19:For the piece by Frédéric Chopin, see
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739:"Aeolian harp | musical instrument"
702:"Tempest Song, Our Second Windharp"
423:12 études d'exécution transcendante
1150:Wind-activated musical instruments
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468:The Wind Harp: Song from the Hill
316:to make a cave seem haunted. In
646:from the original on 2009-01-05
855:Hollis, Douglas (2018-04-05).
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935:Thoreau, Henry David (1906).
353:as a young student in Paris.
796:Lord Rayleigh (April 1915).
437:) is "La harpe éolienne" by
771:White, Chris (2014-08-22).
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139:The harp is driven by the
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16:Type of musical instrument
814:10.1080/14786440408635325
521:(1976), jazz saxophonist
310:'s 1964 children's novel
284:The Mayor of Casterbridge
278:(1871-2), Thomas Hardy's
72:(1602–1680) in his books
1057:"World's Largest Fiddle"
665:Heller, Eric J. (2013).
539:Monumental Aeolian harps
479:Hopkinton, New Hampshire
247:, and "Mutability" and "
141:von Kármán vortex street
135:von Kármán vortex street
1037:Worldslargestthings.com
743:Encyclopedia Britannica
587:FIDHAEL MHOR A' CEILIDH
547:Aeolian harp of Mazzano
313:Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang
245:Samuel Taylor Coleridge
230:In literature and music
828:"Make an Aeolian Harp"
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253:Percy Bysshe Shelley
249:Ode to the West Wind
209:stronger than wood.
75:Musurgia Universalis
630:"Wind Harp Physics"
451:extended techniques
257:Henry David Thoreau
1005:. 28 November 2018
637:Shop Smith Academy
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323:The Lost Musicians
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47:musical instrument
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345:written by
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298:James Joyce
282:(1880) and
275:Middlemarch
206:wind scoops
113:box zithers
78:(1650) and
1139:Categories
1090:2021-03-12
1066:2021-03-12
1042:2021-03-12
1009:2021-06-14
921:2021-04-21
866:2021-03-12
838:2021-03-12
782:2021-03-11
748:2021-03-11
711:2021-03-11
613:References
504:festival.
405:(1836) by
383:Burlington
235:Literature
221:Prevalence
178:sound hole
98:wind chime
900:ignored (
890:cite book
650:March 11,
490:Windsongs
486:Alan Lamb
441:. Later,
435:arpeggios
431:glissandi
343:novelette
320:'s novel
194:intervals
157:overtones
127:Operation
115:, others
111:, others
43:wind harp
992:and the
641:Archived
601:See also
535:(2010).
338:) is an
328:Tórshavn
286:(1886),
204:or have
1003:Youtube
706:Nfo.edu
639:. n.d.
591:Ceilidh
509:sampled
453:on the
387:Vermont
351:Berlioz
303:Ulysses
213:History
182:bridges
45:) is a
675:
560:Verona
556:Negrar
527:Bonobo
511:as a '
293:Lolita
186:chords
166:octave
121:fiddle
51:Aeolus
41:(also
644:(PDF)
633:(PDF)
492:was:
455:piano
403:piano
395:Etude
372:pipes
367:stops
357:Music
251:" by
117:lyres
109:harps
63:pitch
55:Greek
959:2021
902:help
673:ISBN
652:2021
481:.
433:and
427:harp
401:for
810:doi
554:In
518:Dis
445:'s
421:'s
290:'s
272:'s
37:An
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892:}}
888:{{
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800:.
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