Dital harp.

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Instrument

Dital harp

Instrument Family

Strings

Maker

Light

Place Made

Europe ; England ; London ; United Kingdom

Date Made

Early 19th centurySerial number: 343.

Description

Technical description: The lower section of the body (in plan view) is rounded, with straight sides from bridge level to the neck and column joints. The lower section is almost 90º to the soundboard. Three ribs, the two outer ribs curved, the central rib flat. Two oblong holes, the upper 75 × 18, the lower 79 × 18. Three soundbars, two above the bridge, one below. Substantial bridge with supporting piece below the soundboard, attached by three dowels and glue. Raised ebony (?) fingerboard. Square-headed tuning-pins. Fluted column on the bass side, with tuned ornaments at the top and the bottom. Pine soundboard. Ditals can hook to hold them in the raised semitone position. The nut is angled from treble to bass. Strings 1 has a single nut, plus five frets. Strings 2 - 6 have two places for the string to go (at different frets) so that they can play at one semitone or the other. The top string has access to seven frets above the highest open string position. Strings 7 - 19 each have semitone ditals. The string goes over a fret and passes through the dital (brass) which has a button behind which, if pressed, acts on a lever causing the dital to go down, pushing the string down onto the higher fret. Note names are painted in gold on the back from E (lowest string) - C (highest dital string) in tone steps. Frets of ivory or bone. Gilded wooden pedestal at the bottom with felt glued on for placing the instrument upright on the floor. Serial number: 343. Overall size: 885. Body length: 385. Body width: 370 (widest) - 300 (join). Body depth: 144 (deepest) - 86 (join). String length: full string lengths from lowest to highest, 705, 662, 625, 589, 554, 520, 488, 455, 425, 398, 369, 342, 316, 293/274, 268/252, 246/229, 223/206, 202/186, 181. Inscribed "E. Light, Patent / Dital Harp, / Gt Marylebone Street, / London No 343". Decorative features: Gilded pedestal base, gold painted decoration with bands on ribs, bunch of flowers on outer edge. Painted imitation sound hole with 8 pointed star and rosette. Leaves and flowers painted below the bridge. The back part of the bridge is gilded. Leaves and bunches of grapes around the soundboard edge. Gilded in the flutes and imitation foliage on the column at the top and bottom. The whole instrument has been painted in imitation of rosewood with the gilded decoration applied over the top of it. Playing accessories: Over 30 different gut strings formerly belonging to the instrument (now in case), some of them unused in original packaging. Green lined wooden coffin shaped case, formerly with a handle (now missing). Illustration references: Vol. 1 p.49.

Notes

D.P. Martin, 1996-1997.

Measurements

885.

Collection

Macaulay Collection ; MIMEd

Accession Number

1581

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