How the jaw harp became a commodity in Great Britain and Ireland: Michael Wright’s book about the jaw harp | The DAN MOI Jaw Harp Blog ♫

How the jaw harp became a commodity in Great Britain and Ireland: Michael Wright’s book about the jaw harp

“The Scottish and Irish integrated the jaw harp into their music culture, the English did not,” writes Michael Wright in his book about jaw harps in Great Britain and Ireland, which was published in 2015. Even though the English didn’t play the jaw harp that very often, since the 18th century at the latest England was one of the largest jaw harp manufacturers and exporters. In his detailed book about the British and the Irish “jews-harp” the jaw harp expert Michael Wright contributes important information about the economic and cultural history of the widespread instrument. On what trade routes did the jaw harp get to England and who bought it? Why became Birmingham the center of jaw harp manufacturing? Who built the instruments? Why is the jaw harp in English called jews-harp? The book is recommended for jaw harp lovers and beginners, but also for experts. It provides the basics of the instrument, uncovers several correlations in the European history of the jaw harp and invites to look into the numerous references from archives about the culture of the instrument and its depiction in the fine arts, architecture and press.

more :: how-the-jaw-harp-became-a-commodity-in-great-britain-and-ireland-michael-wrights-book-about-the-jaw-harp/

The DAN MOI Jaw Harp Blog ♫

John Wright - The Frost is all over by Le Rêve de l'Aborigène on SoundCloud

 
John Wright - The Frost is all over by Le Rêve de l'Aborigène | Free Listening on SoundCloud

John Wright is one of the acknowledged world masters of the instrument most commonly known as a Jew's harp. The small metal or wood instrument… [] …has variations throughout the world, and much of Wright's career since establishing himself has been spent not only studying these instruments, but collaborating with various international players. Wright did not become interested in his native folk music until attending the College of Art in Wolverhampton. At first he tried singing, but became interested in the Jew's harp after hearing BBC archive broadcasts of earlier players such as Angus Lawrie and Patric Devane. Eventually he would make the acquaintance of Lawrie, who would teach him quite a few tricks on the instrument... 

more: allmusic.com/artist/john-wright

John Wright obituary

18 Sept. 2013 | The Guardian

My brother John Wright, who has died aged 74, was recognised as one of the world's finest virtuosos on that most underrated of musical instruments, the jew's harp (or jaw harp, though John never liked that name). An internationally admired musician, and a great shanty singer and fiddle player, he also played a key role in the reconstruction of working medieval musical instruments.

John was born in Leicester to Len, a butcher, and his wife, Millie. After attending Wyggeston Grammar school for boys, he went on to Wolverhampton College of Art and had a brief career in teaching before becoming a professional musician. In the 1960s he began a lifelong passion for the jew's harp and tracked down early recordings of the instrument at Cecil Sharp House, London, the headquarters of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, seeking out traditional players in the British Isles...

read more