Imbabura Harp.
Construction
The shape of the harp closely resembles that of the more
commonly seen western harps. The main difference that can be see is the
addition of the sound box with three sound holes. The Imbabura harp is closely
related 16th and 17th century harps. The harp has
remained unchanged in its original construction for the past 200 years. The
strings that are used consist of steel strings for the upper register and gut
strings for the middle and lower range. Gut strings are the intestinal fibers
of animals twisted dried and stretched to create strings for the harp.
History.
The idea of the harp was originally brought from Europe with
the explorations of the Jesuit Missionaries conquistadors and other explorers. Because
the harp has been in Latin America for over 400 years, it is considered by the
Quechua to be a “native” instrument. The harp is still used today and is
commonly used for cultural ceremonies and dances.
Imbabura Harp - The sound of the harp can be head here being played in a market area.
Imbabura Harp - This video is longer and features a harp player talking about his instrument. What can also be seen is the common occurrence of two people playing the harp. One person plays the strings while the other drums on the sound box.
Hi Kyle, I'm looking for information on ways in which harps like these were of may have been used in court/chamber and church music in Latin America from the 16th through the 18th centuries (that is, as part of the basso-continuo section, or otherwise). I am a baroque harpsichordist researching a collaborative project with local Peruvian/Andean musicians in my area.
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