Jew's harp

Jew's harp
A novelty Jew’s harp sold in the U.S.
Other namesJew's harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, juice harp, murchunga, guimbarde, mungiga, vargan, trompe, isitolotolo
Classification
  • Lamellophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification121.22
(Heteroglot guimbarde (the lamella is attached to the frame))
Related instruments
  • đàn môi
  • kubing
  • kouxian
  • morsing
Sound sample
Altai khomus/kamus
Gogona
Slovak "drumbľa"

The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp,[nb 1] is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in China, with the earliest known Jew's harps dating back 4,000 years ago from Shaanxi province.[2][3] It has no relation to the Jewish people.[4]

Jew's harps may be categorized as idioglot or heteroglot (whether or not the frame and the tine are one piece); by the shape of the frame (rod or plaque); by the number of tines, and whether the tines are plucked, joint-tapped, or string-pulled.

  1. ^ Sandroni, Carlos (2001). "Review of Portugal e o mundo: o encontro de culturas na música / Portugal and the World: The Encounter of Cultures in Music". The World of Music. 43 (2/3): 214. ISSN 0043-8774. JSTOR 41699378.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference y998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Katz, Brigit (23 January 2018). "This Recently Discovered 1,700-Year-Old Mouth Harp Can Still Hold a Tune". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.


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