Musical Offerings, Fall 2019

94 Hutton ⦁ The Basel Museum of Music While this method is no longer utilized in today’s further improved harps, it was an important element of experimentation as the development of the harp progressed. The exquisite example of harp construction and the history of the man largely responsible for much of this change is a remarkably valuable aspect of the Basel Museum of Music. While the harp is certainly a key element of the musical recognition obtainable at the museum, it is by no means the only permanent string collection on display: the Museum of Music boasts an astonishing assortment of historical plucked and bowed instruments. Another unique and special endowment to musical history in the museum’s possession is the striking yet curiously elegant harp-guitar (Figure 2). This unusual hybrid instrument is a fairly modern musical contribution, dating back to the early 1700s. 2 The instrument had six stopped strings on a guitar neck and six unstopped strings with pitch-changing levers extending laterally on the neck of a harp attached to the same body, which is hollow like a traditional guitar. Free strings and a curved neck are not the only harp components related to this instrument: the first records of this evolution on the European troubadour tradition can be traced back to François-Joseph Naderman, one of the most influential harpists of the eighteenth century. 3 Unequivocally renowned as a performer, composer, teacher, and harp-maker, Naderman’s influence continues to permeate the classical harp world today. While his interest in harp-hybrids is a lesser known aspect of his career—indeed, the instrument itself is not widespread in public knowledge or performance—Naderman certainly played a significant role in shaping musical traditions of more than one plucked string instrument. Yet another fascinating stringed instrument restored by curators at the Basel Museum of Music is the nyckelharpa (Figure 3). While the body of this bowed instrument is similar in shape to a violin, it is much thicker, and the neck and body are made of one single piece. The origin and use of this instrument can be reasonably traced to medieval times, although 2 Tim Brookes, “The Harp Guitar’s Floating Strings,” NPR Music blog, August, 2007, https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId= 13924188 . 3 Robert Hartman, “History of the Harp Guitar, a Synopsis,” Larson Brothers Creations, 2003. http://www.larsonscreations.com/History.htm .