JEWS HARP

A much bent and incomplete post-medieval (c.1500-1800) copper alloy Jews (or Jew's) harp, missing its iron tongue. It is lozenge-shaped in cross-section. It is very much bent out of shape. Originally, the mouth end would have been circular or oval in shape, with the arms of the object extending straight downwards and tapering to two blunt points. Both arms are now bent upwards and outwards, and to one side. There is a rectangular notch on one edge of the outer curve for the missing tongue, retaining a small amount of iron corrosion.

The Jew's harp, or trump, is an ancient folk instrument with a wide geographical distribution. It is indigenous to South-east Asia, and was certainly introduced to Europe by the time of the Crusades. The European Jew's harp, familiar today, is made of metal, usually iron, and the tongue is a separate component hammered into a rabbet in the thickest part of the frame. At its other end the tongue is bent into a prong, but this rarely survives in archaeological contexts. In play, the instrument is held in one hand and the frame is lightly supported between the player's teeth, while the metal tongue is plucked with the fingers on the other hand. The mouth cavity acts as a resonator and the pitch is modified by the position of the lips, tongue and cheeks (Egan, G. 1998."The Medieval Household Daily Living c. 1150 - c. 1450", p.284). Jew's harps were current from the medieval period right up until the 18th century (and are still used in specialist folk music circles today), but medieval examples are rare.