Aeolian harp

Artist Henry David Thoreau 1817 - 1862

Date1850-1860

Terms

Aeolian Harps
Rose
Concord (Massachusetts)

Dimensions72.97 × 11.42 × 3.81 cm (28 3/4 × 4 1/2 × 1 1/2 in.)

MarkingsLabel: "Aeolian harp said to have been made by Henry D. Thoreau."

Credit LineAeolian Harp, Henry David Thoreau, Concord, MA, 1850-1860. Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Mrs. Leon Foss; Th68.

Object numberTh68

DescriptionRosewood. Sounding board and a set of strings stretched between two bridges; sound is generated by wind (through an open window) blowing over the strings. Two thin (just under 3/16) planks are held 1/2 apart by blocks at the ends, forming the resonating board which amplifies the vibrations of the string produced by the tiny eddies of air that form along its length as the wind flows past. Two bridges mounted on one face 24 apart establish the interval of the three strings, which were tied to round-headed brass nails driven in at an angle at one end. The strings ran through holes drilled in the opposite end cap and around tensioning keys that were friction-fit into conical holes.

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