What is "aeolian harp"

Harp \Harp\ (h[aum]rp), n. [OE. harpe, AS. hearpe; akin to D. harp, G. harfe, OHG. harpha, Dan. harpe, Icel. & Sw. harpa.]

1. A musical instrument consisting of a triangular frame furnished with strings and sometimes with pedals, held upright, and played with the fingers.

2. (Astron.) A constellation; Lyra, or the Lyre.

3. A grain sieve. [Scot.]

   [AE]olian harp. See under [AE]olian.

   Harp seal (Zo["o]l.), an arctic seal ( Phoca Gr[oe]nlandica). The adult males have a light-colored body, with a harp-shaped mark of black on each side, and the face and throat black. Called also saddler, and saddleback. The immature ones are called bluesides; their fur is white, and they are killed and skinned to harvest the fur.

   Harp shell (Zo["o]l.), a beautiful marine gastropod shell of the genus Harpa, of several species, found in tropical seas. See Harpa.

AEolian \[AE]*o"li*an\, a. [L. Aeolius, Gr. ?.]

1. Of or pertaining to [AE]olia or [AE]olis, in Asia Minor, colonized by the Greeks, or to its inhabitants; [ae]olic; as, the [AE]olian dialect.

2. Pertaining to [AE]olus, the mythic god of the winds; a["e]rial.

   Viewless forms the [ae]olian organ play.
   --Campbell.

3. relating to or caused by wind.

   [AE]olian attachment, a contrivance often attached to a pianoforte, which prolongs the vibrations, increases the volume of sound, etc., by forcing a stream of air upon the strings.
   --Moore.

   [AE]olian harp, [AE]olian lyre, a musical instrument consisting of a box, on or in which are stretched strings, on which the wind acts to produce the notes; -- usually placed at an open window.
   --Moore.

   [AE]olian mode (Mus.), one of the ancient Greek and early ecclesiastical modes.

alt. An open box over which strings are stretched that sound when the wind passes over them n. An open box over which strings are stretched that sound when the wind passes over them

n. a harp having strings tuned in unison; they sound when wind passes over them [syn: aeolian lyre, wind harp]

An Aeolian harp (also wind harp) is a musical instrument that is played by the wind. Named for Aeolus, the ancient Greek god of the wind, the traditional Aeolian harp is essentially a wooden box including a sounding board, with strings stretched lengthwise across two bridges. It is often placed in a slightly opened window where the wind can blow across the strings to produce sounds. The strings can be made of different materials (or thicknesses) and all be tuned to the same pitch, or identical strings can be tuned to different pitches. Besides being the only strung instrument played solely by the wind, the Aeolian harp is the only stringed instrument that plays solely harmonic frequencies.

The Aeolian harp – already known in the ancient world – was first described by Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680) in his book Phonurgia nova (1673). It became popular as a household instrument during the Romantic era, and Aeolian harps are still hand-crafted today. Some are now made in the form of monumental metal sound sculptures located on the roof of a building or a windy hilltop.

The quality of sound depends on many factors, including the lengths, gauges, and types of strings, the character of the wind, and the material of the resonating body. Metal-framed instruments with no sound board produce a music very different from that produced by wind harps with wooden sound boxes and sound boards. There is no percussive aspect to the sound like that produced by a wind chime; rather crescendos and decrescendos of harmonic frequencies are played in rhythm to the winds. Their vibrant timbres produce an ethereal, almost mystical, music that many people find alludes to higher realms.