From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It is the Triple Harp which lays claim to the prime place in the history of the harp in Wales. This harp has three rows of strings: the two outer rows are tuned to the diatonic scale and the semitones are in the central row. This harp originated in Italy in the sixteenth century as a low headed instrument. Soon, towards the end of 1600s, it arrived in Wales where it developed a high head and was larger in size, and soon became known as the Welsh or Triple Harp. The Triple Harp is sometimes used as a backing instrument to poets or storytellers to further the mood or inflections of the speaker. Triple Harp players are very rare and are often of virtuosic ability. The Triple Harp's name in Welsh is Y Delyn Deires.
