African harp

Azande harper, 1877-80

African harps, particularly arched or "bow" harps, are found in several Sub-Saharan African music traditions, particularly in the north-east. Used from early times in Africa, they resemble the form of harps in ancient Egypt with a vaulted body of wood, parchment faced, and a neck, perpendicular to the resonant face, on which the strings are wound.

Enanga

AN arched harp from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The ennanga, nanga or enanga is a type of arched harp played by the Ganda people of Uganda. The sound box is made of a single piece of wood and roughly hemispherical. The top of the box is a stretched resonant membrane made of antelope skin, tied to a piece of hide at the bottom of the box. The neck is attached to the inside of the box, exits through a small round opening on the membrane, and curves upward for about 60 to 70 cm. Seven or eight strings are attached to a piece of wood inside the box, and extend through the skin to tuning pegs inserted along the neck. Sometimes small metallic rattling pieces are attached to the pegs, to color the sound. It is usually used to accompany men's singing.

Kundi

Ancient Egyptian harp in the British Museum

The kundi is the five-string harp of the Azande and related people of Central Africa. It is an instrument traditionally played by young men and boys.^[1] A similar type of harp played by the Nzakara people. The instruments are well-known for their ornately-carved heads. The instrument has generally fallen from popularity, though in 1993 some older players were recorded on the album Music from the Bandia Courts.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Bring n Braai". http://www.icommons.org/bringnbraai/. Retrieved 25 April 2009. 
2. ^ Gérard Assayag; Hans G. Feichtinger; José-Francisco Rodrigues; European Mathematical Society (2002). Mathematics and music: a Diderot Mathematical Forum. Springer. p. 170. ISBN 9783540437277. http://books.google.com/books?id=bjsD8ClsFKEC. 

See also

• African music
• Kafir harp
• Kora
• Gravikord

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.