Harp Identification – Pilgrim Clarsach, made from Afromosia wood, made on 27/1/1998, serial number C6093A5. Dimensions: height 42″, width 27″, depth 12″. Imperfections – 3 visible scratches which were present when I originally bought the harp, they do not affect the functionality of the harp (a harp technician assessed these for me). I have included a picture of all of these. Comes with – Tuning key holder and tuning key, and navy pilgrim clarsach harp cover/carrier with handles. Other information – harp has been fully serviced and fully restrung by trained harp technician last month. Proof of receipt of this can be shown to potential buyer.
The Clarsach Society is delighted to launch our new Shetland branch ensuring we really do have the whole country covered. There had been an active group of clarsach players in Shetland in the 1990s. but many of the harp students and adult players had moved and the group was dormant for almost twenty years. Fortunately, well-known harpist Sunita Staneslow recently moved to Shetland and found that several harpists were eager to reconnect as a group, play tunes together and encourage new players to become members. Sunita will be the primary tutor and will lead monthly sessions. The group is actively seeking funds to build an inventory of rental harps and invite tutors beyond Shetland to lead workshops and perform.
The group will meet for the first time in August and we wish them all the best.
Selling my beloved Teifi Boncath harp – similar to the popular Teifi Siff Saff student harp, the Boncath is made of solid wood as opposed to laminate wood, so will have a longer lifespan and carries a richer sound! Teifi stopped making the Boncath harp in around 2017 so it is rare to find one now! I am selling this very sentimental harp as I am moving abroad and it is simply to expensive to ship it. I hope to sell it to a loving home who can play it regularly!
Make: Teifi Harps
Model: Boncath
Harp Type: Lever
Age: 8 years
Finish: Beech
Number of strings: 34 (1st A – 6th C)
String type: Gut
Included with the harp: Tuning Key, 4 legs and padded canvas carry case
Condition: Excellent
Weight: 15kg
Height without legs: 110cm
Height with legs: 130cm
£2600 – collection from Newport or Cardiff.
Email enquiries only: Kate Ingarfield – k.ingarfield@hotmail.co.uk
I am selling my Camac Telenn 34 string fully levered harp, in a beautiful Walnut finish. It’s a lovely instrument, being only 18 months old, is like new. Comes with detachable legs to adjust the playing height, dust cover and Tunning key
Due to health conditions, I am unable to carry this harp and must, therefore, reluctantly put it up for sale.
Height: 57″ (146 cm)
Weight: 26 lbs (12 kg)
3 years left on Warrenty
Selling for £2100, including delivery within the United Kingdom.
Black (Ash-grained) lacquered pillar, neck, soundbody and a light, natural soundboard birch
Soundboard: Birch laminate
Back and sides: Birch laminate with vinyl veneer
Neck and pillar: Ash
Comfortable staveback design
full set of Loveland sharping levers
weight without stand = 21 lbs (9.5kg)
height without stand = 49” (124.5cm)
‘The distinctive Dusty Strings sound in a stylish, affordable 34 string harp.’
Extras:
Leather luggage tag (Dusty Strings brand)
Ravenna Stand 34 (5” tall) – fully detachable and comes apart for storage/carriage in case
Deluxe carry case = CD34 case (with detachable shoulder strap)
All original instructions and documents
T-handle tuning wrench (wooden handled)
Couple of spare strings (Dusty Strings brand)
The CD34 case makes this harp easy to take in the car or carry on the subway. It has thick foam padding and a water-resistant exterior, with a comfortable shoulder strap and numerous pockets for a stand, legs, music and other accessories.
Price: £2,500 o.n.o (currently retails for £3,200)
Its innovative design and construction techniques allow Dusty Strings to incorporate more features than are usually found in harps in this price range. These features include a stave-back soundbox for greater playing comfort. Together with Dusty Strings’ characteristic bright treble and warm, strong bass sound; tuning stability; even string tension and spacing and meticulous craftsmanship, these unique features make the Ravenna 34 a great value harp.
Rosewood body. Soundboard is C1992 ( I can’t remember the name of the person who replaced the board, but he was well known for making instruments for Covent Garden Operas and he followed the Erard dimensions with precision) . With rear doors in good condition and pedal mechanism working.
Good pedal mechanism and all moving parts in very good condition. Very sweet and even sound.
Complete with padded dust cover and a 1930’s Wurlitzer flight box if wanted.
I can bring it to the International Harp Festival in Edinburgh.
The Clarsach Society and the Edinburgh International Harp Festival are proud to announce that the 2023 winner of the Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award is Donnchadh Mac Aodha.
Harp player Donnchadh Mac Aodha is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Dundalk Co.Louth, Ireland.
Currently studying composition under the direction of John Godfrey as part of his BMus degree at University College Cork, Donnchadh is both a traditional Irish and classical musician and finds himself most at home with these genre allowing his bi-musical upbringing to influence his works. In particular, he is drawn to the Irish language and deals with ideas of belonging and identity in his music.
Already a prize winning composer, having taken away honours from the New Ross Piano Festival and the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival Composition Competition, The Clarsach Society are thrilled to award him The Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award.
We look forward to hearing the premiere of his award-winning composition Ambaist at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival in April.
The judging panel were very impressed with the exceptionally high standard of entries and would like to congratulate all of the participants.
As with the past year, most of our activities took place online, including monthly workshops and a multi-session course, as well as an in-person playing session.
We held eight monthly online workshops between September 2022 a June 2023, along with a playing session in Edinburgh in December 2022. We offered classes for both elementary and intermediate players, and we looked at quite a variety of historical and traditional tunes. These included a modern air, 17th-century coronation tunes, a Renaissance dance tune, a Medieval Danish song, and two ancient Gaelic airs.
Wire Branch members from across the world joined our fourth annual online courses in playing music from the Robert ap Huw manuscript, containing the oldest harp music from anywhere in Europe. The courses, split for elementary and intermediate players, took place in six sessions between January and May 2023, with the two groups playing contrasting pieces directly from the original tablature.
We have had a busy year with workshops, with Nia Jenkins in November, and Robin Huw Bowen in March. Bill Taylor came down to give a concert in June, which several of our members attended, and then we had a workshop with him on the Sunday. In August we had Elinor Evans.
We meet in between workshops to revise the music they teach us.
In June a few of us played at the Botanic Gardens with Shelley Fairplay, that is always a lot of fun.
We are working together to incorporate different styles of music to suit everybody’s taste. There are a few tutors on the list for the future, and we are hoping to go and play more in public again.
