angular harp

angular harp, musical instrument in which the neck forms a clear angle with the resonator, or belly; it is one of the principal varieties of the harp. The earliest-known depictions of angular harps are from Mesopotamia about 2000 bc. In Egypt, especially, and in Mesopotamia, this harp was played vertically, held with the neck at the lower end, and plucked with the fingers of both hands (see photograph). In Mesopotamia it was sometimes also placed horizontally across the player’s lap, strings toward him, the strings swept with a plectrum as the left hand damped unnecessary strings.

The pre-Islāmic Persian reliefs at Ṭāq-e Bostān (c. ad 600) contain both the latest-known depiction of a horizontal angular harp and the earliest representation of the medieval angular harp of Persia (chang) and Arabic-speaking countries (junk). Placed with the neck near the floor and played by a kneeling musician, the medieval angular harp survived until the 16th century in Egypt, the 17th century in Turkey, and the 19th century in Persia.