Gothic harp

musical instrument

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

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The Gothic harp, which emerged in Europe around 1400, is a type of frame harp. Frame harps are characterized by a neck and soundbox joined by a column or forepillar that supports the tension of the strings. The Gothic harp featured a slender, straighter neck, a thin, shallow soundbox, and a nearly straight forepillar. By approximately 1500, it was typically strung with gut strings, distinguishing it from earlier wire-strung medieval harps. This European diatonic harp evolved into the modern harp and can still be found in the folk harps of Latin America.12

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frame harp
…was superseded by the so-called Gothic harp, having a taller, shallow soundbox; a short, less deeply curved neck; and a more slender, almost straight forepillar. By the 16th century this instrument normally had gut strings. The earlier form gave rise to the medieval Irish harp, or clairseach, the second to…
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…was superseded by the so-called Gothic harp, having a taller, shallow soundbox; a short, less deeply curved neck; and a more slender, almost straight forepillar. By the 16th century this instrument normally had gut strings. The earlier form gave rise to the medieval Irish harp, or clairseach, the second to…
Read More