> >
> >
> > I'm not sure about this part; I did a study of harp iconography (the
> > depiction of the harp in paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, etc.). Most
> > of the depictions were in sacred rather than secular art.
> Phyllis
I have seen some references to harp iconography and can picture
the king david carving. I suspect that secular art wasn't funded before
the Renaissance, and that >most< art that has survived is sacred. It has
been suggested that artists used the triangular harp in their art because
they were unfamiliar with the lyre.
> Phyllis mentions evidence of the Church
accepting the "pagan" harp?
> If so, how is it different for harp than for other instruments of the
> day? My imperfect understanding is that only certain very few instruments
> were accepted in liturigical settings early on, but that didn't mean that
> other instruments were considered pagan.
>
> Becky Root
> rroot@uswest.com
>
Very interesting point! Perhaps what is remerkable about the harp is not
that it was once secular, but that it was accepted by the medieval church
at all!
Joan.Margret