DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

328 HARPER HARPSICHORD
Light appears to have invented this form of
stringed instrument about the year 1798. The
harp-lute had originally twelve catgut strings
but this notation was a major sixth higlier in
pitch than the actual sounds. In 1816 tlie same
Edward Light took out a patent for an improve-
ment in this instrument, which he now denominated
' The British harp-lute. ' The patent was
for the application of certain pieces of mechanism
called 'ditals' or ' thumb-kej'S, ' in distinction
from 'pedals' or 'foot-keys'; each dital producing
by piressure the depression of a stop -ring
or eye to draw the string down upon a fret and
thus shorten its effective length, and render the
pitch more acute. The most completeinstrument
of this construction he named the ' Dital harp.
In this each string, as will be seen in the wood-
cut, has a ' dital ' to raise it a semitone at
pleasure. A. j. h.
HARPER, Thomas, an early London musicprinter,
who worked between 1631 (at least)
and 1653. He printed Ravenscroft's ' Psalms '
1633, and several of the earliest publications
issued by John Playford, including the first
edition of The English Dancing Master, 1650-
1651, and H. Lawes's Ayres and Dialogues,
1653. r. K.
HARPER, Thomas, son of Richard Harper,
of the parish of St. Nicholas, Worcester, was
born at Worcester, May 3, 1787 ; when about
ten years of age came to London and learnt the
horn and trumpet under Eley, then master of
the East India Brigade Band. He soon afterwards
became a member of the band and a great
proficient on the trumpet. He continued in
the band till its dispersion in 1814 ; during
the first years of this office, he also performed
in the orchestras of some of the minor theatres.
About 1806 he was appointed principal trumpet
at Drury Lane, and the English Opera House,
Lyceum. He was a member of the Royal
Society of Musicians in 1814. In 1820 he was
engaged as principal trumpeter at the Birmingham
Musical Festival, and in the following year
succeeded the elder Hyde at the Concert of
Ancient Music, the Italian Opera, and all the
principal concerts and festivals, a position which
he retained for upwards of a quarter of a century.
The East India Company nominated him inspector
of the musical instruments supplied to
their bands, an appointment which he held
until his death. Harper played on the slide
trumpet, and produced a pure, brilliant, and
even tone, with a command of execution which
enabled him to surmount the greatest difficulties
on his most difficult instrument. He was
stricken with mortal sickness at a rehearsal in
Exeter Hall for a concert of the Harmonic
Union, and died a few hours afterwards, on
Jan. 20, 1853. He was author of an Instruction
Book for the Trumpet. Harper left three sons,
the eldest of whom, Thomas John, born in
London, Oct. 4, 1816, succeeded his father in
all his appointments as principal trumpet, a
position he held for many years ; he retired in
1885, and died August 27, 1898 ; the second,
Chakles Abkahah, long filled the place of
principal horn in the best orchestras ; he died
Jan. 5, 1893 ; and the youngest, Edmund, also
a horn player, settled at Hillsborough, Ireland,
as pianist and organist, and died there. May
18, 1869. w. h. h.
HARPSICHORD (Fr. Clavecin ; Ital. Clavicembalo,
Gramceiiihalo, not unfrequently Cenibalo
only, also Arpicordo ; Germ. Clavicymhel, K'ielfliigel,
Fliigel). The most important of the group
of keyed instruments that preceded the pianoforte,
holding during the 16th, 17th, and 18th
centuries a position analogous to that now
accorded to the grand pianoforte. It had a place
in the orchestra as an accompanying instrument
when the first opera and the first oratorio were
performed (Florence and Rome, aboutA.D. 1600),
and during the time of Handel and Bach was
the constant support to the recitativo secco, its
weak bass notes being reinforced by large lutes
and viols, and ultimately by Woloncellos and
double basses. Towards the end of the 18th
century the instrument was withdrawn,^ and
the big fiddles were left by themselves to accompany
the ordinary recitative in a fashion more
peculiar than satisfactory.
The name harpsichord is the English variant
of the original arpicordo, which, like clavicembalo,
clavicordo, spinetta, and pianoforte, betrays
its Italian origin. The spinetta was a table-
shaped, five-cornered arpicordo. rectangular, like
the German clavichord, but otherwise (juite dif-
ferent from that instrument, which was made to
sound by 'tangents,' or simple brass uprights
from the keys. All instruments of the harpsichord,
clavicembalo, or spinet family were on
the plectrum principle, and therefore were incapable
of dynamic modification of tone by
difference of touch. The strings were set in
vibration by points of quill or hard leather,
elevated on wooden uprights, known as jacks, and
twitching or plucking them as the depression
of the keys caused the points to pass upwards.
[Jack.] The Correr upright spinet or clavicythenium,
which was in the Music Loan Collection
of 1885, and was presented liy Mr. (now Sir G.)
Donaldson to the Royal College of Music, is
perhaps the oldest instrument of this kind in
existence. It preserves traces of brass plectra,
not leather. Leather points were proliably used
before quills, since we learn from Scaliger, who
lived 1484-1550 {Poetices, lib. i. cap. 48), that
crowquills were introduced in keyed instruments
subsequent to his boyhood, and he informs us
' The King's Birthday Orie was accompanijd by the harpsichnrd
until June 4. 1795. when a grand piano was substituted, a harpsichord
having been used at the rehearsal.