View source for Jew's harp

{{Short description|Lamellophone instrument}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{cleanup lang|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox Instrument
| name           = Jew's harp
| image          = Jew's harp.jpg
| image_capt     = A novelty Jew’s harp sold in the U.S.
| names          = Jew's harp, jaw harp, mouth harp, Ozark harp, juice harp, murchunga, guimbarde, mungiga, vargan, trompe, isitolotolo
| classification = * [[Lamellophone]]
| range          = 
| hornbostel_sachs = 121.22
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Heteroglot guimbarde (the lamella is attached to the frame)
| related        = * [[đàn môi]]
* [[kubing]]
* [[kouxian]]
* [[morsing]]
| sound sample   = {{Listen|filename=Munniharppu ääninäyte.ogg|title=Munniharppu, Finnish instrument|format=[[Ogg]]}}{{Listen|filename=Kamus.ogg|title=Kamus, instrument of the Altai people|format=[[Ogg]]}}
}}
{{Multiple images
|header=
|image1=Kamuz.jpg
|caption1=[[Altai people|Altai]] ''khomus''/''kamus''
|width1=150
|image2=গগণা.JPG
|caption2=Gogona
|width2=150
|image3=Słowacka drumla.jpg
|caption3=Slovak "drumbľa"
|width3=70
}}
The '''Jew's harp''', also known as '''jaw harp''', '''juice harp''', or '''mouth harp''',{{Refn|Other names for the instrument include  '''{{lang|tr|ağız kopuzu}}''' (Turkey), '''{{translit|km|angkuoch}}''' (Cambodia), '''{{lang|cs|brumle}}''' (Czech), '''{{translit|sd|changu}}''' ([[Sindh]]), '''{{lang|vi|[[đàn môi]]}}''' (Vietnam), '''{{lang|hu|doromb}}''' (Hungary), '''{{lang|pl|drumla}}''' (Poland), '''{{translit|uk|drymba}}''' (Ukraine), '''{{lang|fr|gewgaw}}''', '''{{lang|fr|guimbard}}''' (France), '''{{lang|ca|guimbarda}}''' ([[Catalonia|Catalan]]), '''[[gogona]]''' (Assam), '''{{lang|su|[[karinding]]}}''' (Sundanese, Indonesia), '''khomus''' (Siberia), '''{{translit|cmn|[[kouxian|kǒuxián]]}}''' (China), '''[[kubing]]''' (Philippines), '''marranzano''' ([[Sicily]], Italy), '''{{lang|de|Maultrommel}}''' (Austria and Germany), '''mondharp/munnharpe''' (Norway), '''morchang''' ([[Rajasthan]]), '''[[morsing]]''' (South India), '''{{translit|ja|[[mukkuri]]}}''' (Japan), '''{{lang|sv|mungiga}}''' (Sweden), '''murchunga'''/'''binayo''' (Nepal), '''Ozark harp''' (United States), '''{{lang|et|parmupill}}''' (Estonia), '''trump''' (Scotland), '''{{lang|pt|berimbau de boca}}''' (Portuguese),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sandroni |first1=Carlos |title=Review of Portugal e o mundo: o encontro de culturas na música / Portugal and the World: The Encounter of Cultures in Music |journal=The World of Music |date=2001 |volume=43 |issue=2/3 |page=214 |jstor=41699378 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41699378 |issn=0043-8774}}</ref> and '''{{translit|ru|vargan}}''' (Russia).{{cn|date=July 2024}}|group=nb}} is a [[lamellophone]] instrument, consisting of a flexible [[metal]] or [[bamboo]] tongue or [[Reed (mouthpiece)|reed]] attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in [[China]], with the earliest known Jew's harps dating back 4,000 years ago from [[Shaanxi|Shaanxi province]].<ref name="y998" /><ref name=":0" /> It has no relation to the [[Jewish people]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Brigit|last=Katz|date=23 January 2018|title=This Recently Discovered 1,700-Year-Old Mouth Harp Can Still Hold a Tune|magazine=Smithsonian Magazine|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-found-1700-year-old-mouth-harp-180967832/|access-date=18 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705021024/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-found-1700-year-old-mouth-harp-180967832/|archive-date=5 July 2023|url-status=live|language=en-US}}</ref>

Jew's harps may be categorized as idioglot or heteroglot (whether or not the frame and the tine are one piece); by the shape of the frame (rod or plaque); by the number of tines, and whether the tines are plucked, joint-tapped, or string-pulled.

==Characteristics==
The frame is held firmly against the performer's parted teeth or lips (depending on the type), using the mouth (plus the throat and lungs when breathing freely) as a [[Resonator#Acoustic|resonator]], greatly increasing the volume of the instrument. The teeth must be parted sufficiently for the reed to vibrate freely, and the fleshy parts of the mouth should not come into contact with the reed to prevent damping of the vibrations and possible pain. The note or tone thus produced is constant in [[pitch (music)|pitch]], though by changing the shape of the mouth, and the amount of air contained in it (and in some traditions closing the [[glottis]]), the performer can cause different [[overtone]]s to sound and thus create [[melody|melodies]].

According to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition]], "The vibrations of the steel tongue produce a compound sound composed of a [[fundamental frequency|fundamental]] and its [[harmonic series (music)|harmonics]]. By using the cavity of the mouth as a [[acoustic resonance|resonator]], each harmonic in succession can be isolated and reinforced, giving the instrument the compass shown."
[[File:Britannica Jew's harp Range.png|300px|center|thumb|The range of a tenor Jew's harp {{audio|Britannica Jew's harp Range.mid|Play range as string harmonics}}]]
"The lower harmonics of the series cannot be obtained, owing to the limited capacity of the resonating cavity. The black notes on the stave show the scale which may be produced by using two harps, one tuned a fourth above the other. The player on the Jew's harp, in order to isolate the harmonics, frames their mouth as though intending to pronounce the various vowels."{{sfn|Schlesinger|1911}} See [[Bugle scale]].

==History==
[[File:陶寺文化口弦琴, 2022-07-09.jpg|thumb|Jew's harp (''kouxian'') from the [[Taosi]] site in [[Shanxi]], [[China]], dated to around 2000 BCE]]
[[File:Angel playing jaws harp Minstrels' Gallery, Exeter Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 5489634.jpg|thumb|upright|Angel playing a Jew's harp at the Minstrels' Gallery at [[Exeter Cathedral]], 13th/14th century]]
[[File:Young Man with Jew's Harp by Dirck van Baburen Centraal Museum 11188.jpg|thumb|upright|''Young Man with joodse harp'' by [[Dirck van Baburen]], 1621]]
The oldest Jew's harps were discovered in [[Shaanxi, China]], dating back about 4,000 years ago. They were from the [[Neolithic]] site of [[Shimao]], an important political and religious center during the [[Longshan culture]].<ref name="y998">{{cite web | title=Ancient musical instruments unearthed in NW China | website=Xinhua | date=2018-05-21 | url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/21/c_137195056.htm}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-19 |title=Mysterious carvings and evidence of human sacrifice uncovered in Shimao |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mysterious-carvings-evidence-human-sacrifice-uncovered-ancient-city-china |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807020340/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/08/mysterious-carvings-evidence-human-sacrifice-uncovered-ancient-city-china/ |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=History |language=en}}</ref> The earliest depiction of somebody playing what seems to be a Jew's harp is a Chinese drawing from the 3rd century BCE.<ref name="NationalGeographic">{{cite web|surname=Larmer|given=Brook|title=Mysterious carvings and evidence of human sacrifice uncovered in ancient city|year=2020|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/08/mysterious-carvings-evidence-human-sacrifice-uncovered-ancient-city-china/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807020340/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/08/mysterious-carvings-evidence-human-sacrifice-uncovered-ancient-city-china/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 7, 2020|publisher=National Geographic}}</ref> Archaeological finds of surviving examples in Europe have been claimed to be almost as old, but those dates have been challenged both on the grounds of excavation techniques, and the lack of contemporary writing or pictures mentioning the instrument.

{{blockquote|Although this instrument is used by lackeys and people of the lower class, this does not mean it is not worthy of consideration by better minds ... The trump is grasped while its extremity is placed between the teeth in order to play it and make it sound ... Now one may strike the tongue with the index finger in two ways, i.e., by lifting it or lowering it: but it is easier to strike it by raising it, which is why the extremity, C, is slightly curved, so that the finger is not injured ... Many people play this instrument. When the tongue is made to vibrate, a buzzing is heard which imitates that of bees, wasps, and flies ... [if one uses] several Jew's harps of various sizes, a curious harmony is produced.|[[Marin Mersenne]], ''Harmonie Universelle'' (1636)<ref>Fox (1988), p.45-8.</ref>}}

==Etymology==
There are many theories for the origin of the name ''jew's harp''. The apparent reference to Jewish people is especially misleading since it "has nothing to do with the Jewish people; neither does it look like a harp in its structure and appearance".<ref name="jews-harps.com">{{Cite web|url=https://jews-harps.com/name-origin-history/|title = Jew's harp origin history &#124; Glazyrin's jew's harps|website=Jews-harps.com|date = 18 April 2019}}</ref> In Sicilian it is translated as {{Lang|scn|marranzanu}} or {{Lang|scn|mariolu}}; both of which are derogatory terms for Jewish people also found in Italian<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etimo.it/?term=marrano| title=Etimologia : Marrano|website=Etimo.it}}</ref> and Spanish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elalmanaque.com/lexico/marrano.htm|title=LÉXICO - ETIMOLOGIAS - ORIGEN DE LAS PALABRAS - MARRANO|website=Elalmanaque.com}}</ref> In German, it is known as {{Lang|de|Maultrommel}}, which translates directly to 'mouth drum'.<ref name="jews-harps.com"/> The name "Jew's Harp" first appears in 1481 in a customs account book under the name "Jue harpes".<ref>{{Cite book |last=WRIGHT |first=MICHAEL |title=JEWS-HARP IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND. |date=2020 |publisher=ROUTLEDGE |isbn=978-0-367-59749-8 |location=[S.l.] |oclc=1156990682}}</ref> The "jaw" variant is attested at least as early as 1774<ref>Miscellaneous and Fugitive pieces, vol. 3, Johnson et al. 1774</ref> and 1809,<ref>Pegge's ''Anonymiana'', 1818, p. 33</ref> the "juice" variant appearing only in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

It has also been suggested that the name derives from the French {{Lang|fr|jeu-trompe}} meaning 'toy trumpet'.<ref>{{cite book |title=Things Not Generally Known: Popular Errors Explained & Illustrated |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_oNIDAAAAQAAJ |first=John |last=Timbs |year=1858 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_oNIDAAAAQAAJ/page/n72 61]}}</ref> The current French word for the instrument is {{Lang|fr|guimbarde}}.  English etymologist [[Hensleigh Wedgwood]] wrote in 1855 that the derivation from {{Lang|fr|jeu harpe}} opposes the French idiom, where "if two substantives are joined together, the qualifying noun is invariably the last".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wedgwood|first=Hensleigh|author-link=Hensleigh Wedgwood|title=On False Etymologies|journal=Transactions of the Philological Society|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3924121;view=1up;seq=73|year=1855|issue=6|pages=63}}</ref> He refers to the {{Lang|fr|jeu harpe}} derivation, but not to the {{Lang|fr|jeu tromp}} derivation.

Both theories—that the name is a corruption of ''jaws'' or {{Lang|fr|jeu}}—are described by the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' as "lacking any supporting evidence."<ref name="Université Laval - Déconnexion">{{Cite web|url=https://www-oed-com.acces.bibl.ulaval.ca/view/Entry/101242?|title = Université Laval - Déconnexion|website=Oed-com.acces.bibl.ulaval.ca}}</ref> The OED says that, "more or less satisfactory reasons may be conjectured: e.g., that the instrument was actually made, sold, or imported to England by Jewish people, or purported to be so; or that it was attributed to Jewish people, suggesting the trumps and harps mentioned in the Bible, and hence considered a good commercial name."<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=1989|title=Jews' trump, Jew's-trump|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> Although the OED states that "the association of the instrument with Jewish people occurs, so far as is known, only in English",<ref name="Université Laval - Déconnexion"/> the term {{lang|da|jødeharpe}} is also used in Danish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ordnet.dk/ddo/ordbog?query=j%C3%B8deharpe|title=jødeharpe — Den Danske Ordbog|website=Ordnet.dk}}</ref>

== Manufacture ==
=== Manufacture of Indian morchang ===
Indian [[morsing|morchang]]s are made in many metals but mainly in brass, iron, copper and silver. Different types of construction art are used for the construction of morchang in each metal.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}
[[File:Herstellungsschritte beim Bau von Rahmen und Zunge der Maultrommel.tif|thumb|Production of Mollner jew's harps. Work steps: (A) Bending the square metal wire, (B) cutting, hammering and hardening the vibrating tongue, (C) hammering the parts together with the dengel hammer, (D) assembling the jew's harps according to pitch]]

==== Brass ====
[[File:Brass jews harp.jpg|thumb|Brass murchangs]]
Brass murchangs are manufactured<ref>{{Cite web|via=[[YouTube]] |title=Ancient building style of jews harp {{!}} morchang {{!}} morsing {{!}} best jews harp {{!}} best morchang |date=26 May 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7p1IHrN2H4 |language=en |access-date=2023-01-27}}</ref> from ancient Indian manufacturing style brass metal casting. Brass molding is a process of shaping brass, into desired shapes using a mold. The brass is heated to a molten state and then poured or forced into the mold, where it cools and solidifies into the desired shape. Brass molding is often used to create intricate or complex shapes.

==Use==
[[File:Pražský jarmark 365.jpg|thumb|Man playing the Slovak {{Lang|sk|drumbľa}}]]	
[[File:Jews+Harp+-+480.jpg|thumb|Woman playing the Rajasthani ''morchang'']]

===Cambodian music===
The [[angkuoch]] (Khmer: {{Lang|km|អង្គួច}}) is a Cambodian Jew's harp.<ref name=jewsharp>{{cite web|url= https://mouthmusic.com/trumps.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19990908054109/http://www.mouthmusic.com/trumps.htm|url-status= dead|archive-date= September 8, 1999|title= Cambodian Bamboo Jew's Harps|last= Poss|first= M.D.|website=Mouthmusic.com|access-date= 27 October 2018|quote= ... these bamboo Jew's harps are easy to hold and may be longer lasting due to being made of thicker material than many other similar instruments. Held against the lips, they are easy to play and offer the same full, percussive sound as the "Kubings."}}</ref> It is a folk instrument made of bamboo and carved into a long, flat shape with a hole in the center and the tongue across the hole.<ref name=unesco>{{cite book |last1= Khean|first1=Yun |last2= Dorivan|first2= Keo|last3= Lina |first3= Y|last4= Lenna|first4= Mao|title= Traditional Musical Instruments of Cambodia|url= http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001352/135257mb.pdf|location= Kingdom of Cambodia|publisher= United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|pages= 146–147 }}</ref> There is also a metal variety, more round or tree-leaf shaped.<ref name=unesco/> It may also have metal bells attached.<ref name=unesco/> The instrument is both a wind instrument and percussion instrument.<ref name=jewsharp/><ref name=unesco/> As a wind instrument, it is placed against the mouth, which acts as a resonator and tool to alter the sound.<ref name=unesco/> Although mainly a folk instrument, better-made examples exist.<ref name=unesco/> While the instrument was thought to be the invention of children herding cattle, it is sometimes used in public performance, to accompany the [[Mahori]] music in public dancing.<ref name=unesco/>

===Indian music===
The instrument is used as part of the rhythm section in various styles of Indian folk and classical music. Most notably the [[Morsing]] in the [[Carnatic music]] of South India,<ref>(1999). South Asia : The Indian Subcontinent. Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 5. Publisher: Routledge; Har/Com. {{isbn|978-0-82404946-1}}.</ref> or the ''Morchang'' in the folk music of [[Rajasthan]].

===Russian music===
In Russia, the instrument has its own brand called ''vargan''.<ref name="t301">{{cite book | last1=Abrashev | first1=B. | last2=Radevsky | first2=A. | last3=Gadjev | first3=V. | title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments: From All Eras and Regions of the World | publisher=Könemann | year=2000 | isbn=978-3-8290-6079-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Yw7AQAAIAAJ | page=136}}</ref> A Jew's harp was excavated in a 9th-century burial mound in Idelbayev, [[Bashkortostan]].<ref>[https://musark.no/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Thesis-intro.pdf Jew's Harps in European Archaeology]</ref>
The Jew's harp was banned in the USSR during the regime of [[Joseph Stalin]] due to its closeness to [[Shamanism]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://russia-ic.com/culture_art/music/939/#.WHCF67GZOHs | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620150926/http://russia-ic.com/culture_art/music/939/#.WHCF67GZOHs | archive-date=20 June 2015 | title=Vargan, the Russian Jew's-harp :: Music :: Culture & Arts :: Russia-InfoCentre }}</ref>

===Nepali tradition===
====Murchunga====
[[Image:Murchunga.jpg|right|thumb|Brass {{Transliteration|ne|murchunga}}, unknown maker. Length: {{convert|11|cm|in|abbr=in|frac=4}}]]
In Nepal, one type of Jew's harp is named the {{Transliteration|ne|murchunga}} ({{Langx|ne|मुर्चुङ्गा}}).<ref name=museum>{{cite web |publisher=Nepali Folk Musical Instrument Museum |place=Kathmandu |title=Photo Gallery |url= http://musicmuseumnepal.org/gallery-9/}}</ref> It is very similar to an Indian ''morsing'' or ''morchang'' in that the tongue (or twanger) extends beyond the frame, thus giving the instrument more sustain.<ref name=Konemann>{{cite book |editor1-last=Nikolova |editor1-first=Ivanka |editor2-last=Davey |editor2-first= Laura |editor3-last= Dean |editor3-first= Geoffrey |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments | publisher= Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH|place= Cologne |date= 2000 |pages= 94–101 }}</ref>

====Binayo====
The {{Transliteration|ne|binayo}} ({{Langx|ne|बिनायो बाजा}}) is a bamboo Jew's harp, in the [[Kiranti]] musical tradition from Malingo. It is popular in the Eastern Himalayan region of [[Nepal]], [[Sikkim]], [[Darjeeling]], and [[Bhutan]]. It is a wind instrument played by blowing the air without tuning the node with fingers. The {{Transliteration|ne|binayo}} is six inches long and one inch in width.<ref name="MyUser_Schoolgk.com_April_27_2016c">{{cite web |url=http://schoolgk.com/articles/folk-musical-instruments-of-nepal.html |title=Folk musical Instruments Of Nepal |newspaper=Schoolgk.com |access-date= April 27, 2016}}</ref>

===Turkic traditional music===
{{See also|Music in the Tuva Republic|Music in the Sakha Republic|Wooden jaw harp}}

====Kyrgyz music====
The ''[[temir komuz]]'' is made of iron, usually with a length of 100–200&nbsp;mm and with a width of approximately 2–7&nbsp;mm. The range of the instrument varies with the size of the instrument but generally hovers around an [[octave]] span. The [[Kyrgyz people]] are exceptionally proficient on the instrument and it is quite popular among children, although some adults continue to play the instrument.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} ''Temir komuz'' pieces were notated by [[Aleksandr Zatayevich|Aleksandr Zataevich]] in two or three parts. An [[octave]] [[Drone (music)|drone]] is possible, or even an [[ostinato]] alternating the [[Fifth step (musical scale)|fifth]] step of a [[Musical scale|scale]] with an octave.<ref>{{cite book |last=Slobin |first=Mark |title=Kirgiz Instrumental Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uIRnaq0_Il8C&pg=PA20 |access-date=February 23, 2014 |year=1969 |publisher=Theodore Front Music |isbn=978-0-614-16459-6 |page=20}}</ref>

==== Turkish music ====
In Turkish, the Jew's harp is called as ağız kopuzu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hopeful Sound of the Wind: Mouth Harp |url=https://en.turktoyu.com/hopeful-sound-of-the-wind-mouth-harp |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=En.turktoyu.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ayci̇l |first1=Serkan |last2=Çubukcu |first2=Gökçin |date=2022-03-30 |title=TÜRK MÛSİKÎ ÇALGILARININ VE ROMAN KÜLTÜRÜNDEKİ ÇALGI GELENEĞİNİN POSTA PULLARI ÜZERİNDEN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ataunigsfd/issue/69229/982309 |journal=Sanat Dergisi |language=tr |issue=39 |pages=44–57 |doi=10.54614/AI.2022.982309 |issn=1302-2938|doi-access=free }}</ref> The Jew's harp traditionally used in Turkish folk songs from Anatolia has fallen out of use with time.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Apel |first=Willi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=02rFSecPhEsC&dq=jews%27+harp+turkish+music&pg=PA429 |title=The Harvard Dictionary of Music: Fourth Edition |date=2003-11-28 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-01163-2 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ağız Kopuzu Sanatı |url=https://aksaray.ktb.gov.tr/TR-232501/agiz-kopuzu-sanati.html |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Aksaray.ktb.gov.tr}}</ref> Modern renditions of Turkish folk songs with the Jew's harp have been done by artists such as [[:tr:Senem Diyici|Senem Diyici]] in the song 'Dolama Dolamayı' and Ravan Yuzkhan.[[File:Demir-Xomus.jpg|thumb|''Demir-khomus'' from [[Tuva]]]]

===Sindhi music===
In [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] music, the Jew's harp is called {{Transliteration|sd|changu}} ({{Lang|sd|چنگُ}}). In Sindhi music, it can be an accompaniment or the main instrument. One of the most famous players is [[Amir Bux Ruunjho (Musician)|Amir Bux Ruunjho]].<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kki4J7gX2O8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211111/Kki4J7gX2O8| archive-date=2021-11-11 | url-status=live|title=sindhi alghozo|date=9 July 2009|work=YouTube|access-date=20 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Sicilian music===
In [[Sicilian language|Sicily]], the Jew's harp is commonly known as marranzanu. Other names for the instrument include angalarruni, calarruni, gangalarruni, ganghilarruni, mariolu, mariolu di fera, marranzana, and ngannalarruni.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dieli.net/SicilyPage/SicilianLanguage/VocabEtoL.html |title=Sicilian Vocabulary |last=Dieli |first=Art |date=May 29, 2011 |website=Dieli.net |access-date=December 26, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Siciliamo">{{cite web|title=Sicilian Item of the day:Marranzano|publisher=Siciliamo (blog)|date=2007-08-10|url=http://siciliamo.blogspot.com/2007/08/sicilian-item-of-day-marranzano.html|access-date=2008-02-20 }}</ref>

===Austrian Jew's harp playing===
Austrian Jew's harp music uses typical Western [[harmony]]. The [[UNESCO]] has included Austrian Jew's harp playing in its [[Intangible Cultural Heritage]] list.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151003223728/http://immaterielleskulturerbe.unesco.at/cgi-bin/unesco/element.pl?eid=84&lang=en Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria: Jew's Harp Playing in Austria] (archived version at the Internet Archive from October 3, 2015)</ref>

In Austria, the instrument is known as {{Lang|de|Maultrommel}} (the literal translation is 'mouth drum').

===Western classical music===
Early representations of Jew's harps have appeared in Western churches since the fourteenth century.<ref>{{cite web|title=For example, there is a carving of a centaur playing a jaw harp in the Basel Münster. Musiconis Database. Université Paris-Sorbonne|url=http://musiconis.huma-num.fr/fiche/120/Hybride+jouant+de+la+guimbarde|website=Musiconis.huma-num.fr|access-date=January 5, 2018|archive-date=November 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112101542/http://musiconis.huma-num.fr/fiche/120/Hybride%20jouant%20de%20la%20guimbarde|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Austrian composer [[Albrechtsberger|Johann Albrechtsberger]]—chiefly known today as a teacher of [[Beethoven]]—wrote seven concerti for Jew's harp, [[mandora]], and orchestra between 1769 and 1771. Four of them have survived, in the keys of F major, E-flat major, E major, and D major.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Albrechtsberger-Concerto-Jews-Johann-Georg/dp/B000005975 Albrechtsberger: Concerto for Jew's Harp], Amazon CD Listing (Munich Chamber Orchestra, December 19, 1992)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fondationlaborie.com/images/stories/notesdeprogramme/lc08_en.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-01-08 |archive-date=2022-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507130655/http://www.fondationlaborie.com/images/stories/notesdeprogramme/lc08_en.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are based on the special use of the Jew's harp in Austrian folk music.

{{blockquote|In the experimental period at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century there were very virtuoso instrumentalists on the mouth harp. Thus, for example, [[Johann Heinrich Scheibler]] was able to mount up to ten mouth harps on a support disc. He called the instrument "Aura". Each mouth harp was tuned to different basic tones, which made even [[diatonic and chromatic|chromatic]] sequences possible.|Walter Maurer, translated from German<ref>Maurer, Walter (1983). ''Accordion: Handbuch eines Instruments, seiner historischen Entwicklung un seiner Literature'', p.19. Vienna: Edition Harmonia.</ref>}}

Well-known performer [[Franz Koch (musician)|Franz Koch]] (1761–1831), discovered by [[Frederick the Great]], could play two Jew's harps at once, while the also well-known performer [[Karl Eulenstein]] (1802–1890) "invented a system of playing four at once, connecting them by silken strings in such a way that he could clasp all four with the lips, and strike all the four springs at the same time".<ref>Burnley, James (1886). ''The Romance of Invention: Vignettes from the Annals of Industry and Science'', p.335. Cassell. {{pre-ISBN}}.</ref>

The American composer [[Charles Ives]] wrote a part for Jew's harp in the ''Washington's Birthday'' movement of ''[[A Symphony: New England Holidays]].''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=Leonard |title=The Jew's Harp: A Comprehensive Anthology |date=1988 |publisher=Associated University Presses, Inc. |pages=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75NF_xIpENgC&q=charles+ives+jews+harp&pg=PA33 |access-date=12 May 2015 |isbn=9780838751169}}</ref>

===Western popular music===
[[File:Klangdemonstration Mollner Maultrommel - Wechselspieltechnik auf den Tönen c, d, g mit Spektrum (Spieler Roland Bades in Molln - Oberösterreich) DrTrumpet 2024-07-26.webm|thumb|Sound demonstration and spectrum of the Mollner Jew's harp (Austria) – alternating technique on the notes C, D, G]]
The Jew's harp has been used occasionally in rock and country music. For example:
* [[Canned Heat]]'s multi-part piece "Parthenogenesis", from their 1968 studio album, ''[[Living the Blues]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Graves|first=Tom|author-link=Tom Graves (writer)|title=Louise Brooks, Frank Zappa, & Other Charmers & Dreamers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NyNeDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT155|access-date=1 November 2018|date=30 April 2015|publisher=BookBaby|isbn=978-1-942531-07-4|page=155}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Winters|first=Rebecca Davis|title=Blind Owl Blues|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbNCIDz9jQQC&pg=PA159|access-date=1 November 2018|year=2007|publisher=Blind Owl Blues|isbn=978-0-615-14617-1|page=159}}</ref>
* [[Black Sabbath]] – "Sleeping Village"<ref>Wells, David (2009). "Black Sabbath (1970)". Black Sabbath (CD Booklet). Black Sabbath. Sanctuary Records Group.</ref>
* [[The Who]] – "[[Join Together (The Who song)|Join Together]]"<ref>{{cite web |title=Join Together by The Who |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-who/join-together |website=Songfacts |access-date=23 November 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Jew's harp music]]
*[[Music of Central Asia]]
*[[Music of Sicily#Traditional music|Traditional music of Sicily]]
*[[Berimbau]]
*[[Đàn môi]], another kind of Jew's harp from [[Vietnam]]
*[[Gogona]], a similar instrument played by [[Assamese people]] (especially women) while singing and dancing [[Bihu]]
*[[Karinding]], a Sundanese traditional musical instrument from [[Indonesia]]
*[[Kouxian]], the Chinese version
*[[Kubing]], a bamboo Jew's harp from the [[Philippines]]
*[[Morsing]], Carnatic Jew's harp
*[[Mukkuri]], a traditional bamboo instrument of the [[Ainu people|Ainu]] of Japan, similar to a Jew's harp
*[[Musical bow]], a one-string harp that is played with mouth resonance
*[[Piperheugh]], a village in which trumps were once made
*[[Isitolotolo]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== General and cited references ===
{{Lacking ISBN|section|date=February 2014}}
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* Alekseev, Ivan, and E. I. [i.e. Egor Innokent'evich] Okoneshnikov (1988). ''Iskusstvo igry na iakutskom khomuse''. IAkutsk: Akademiia nauk SSSR, Sibirskoe otd-nie, IAkutskii filial, In-t iazyka, lit-ry i istorii.
* Bakx, Phons (1992). ''De gedachtenverdrijver: de historie van de mondharp''. Hadewijch wereldmuziek. Antwerpen: Hadewijch; {{ISBN|90-5240-163-2}}.
* Boone, Hubert, and René de Maeyer (1986). ''De Mondtrom''. Volksmuziekinstrumenten in Belgie en in Nederland. Brussel: La Renaissance du Livre.
* Crane, Frederick (1982). "Jew's (jaw's? jeu? jeugd? gewgaw? juice?) harp." In: ''Vierundzwanzigsteljahrschrift der Internationalen Maultrommelvirtuosengenossenschaft'', vol. 1 (1982). With: "The Jew's Harp in Colonial America," by Brian L. Mihura.
* Crane, Frederick (2003). ''A History of the Trump in Pictures: Europe and America''. A special supplement to ''Vierundzwanzigsteljahrsschrift der Internationalen Maultrommelvirtuosengenossenschaft''. Mount Pleasant, Iowa: [Frederick Crane].
* Dournon-Taurelle, Geneviève, and John Wright (1978). ''Les Guimbardes du Musée de l'homme''. Preface by Gilbert Rouget. Published by the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle and l'Institut d'ethnologie.
* Emsheimer, Ernst (1941). "Über das Vorkommen und die Anwendungsart der Maultrommel in Sibirien und Zentralasien". In: ''Ethnos'' (Stockholm), nos 3–4 (1941).
* Emsheimer, Ernst (1964). "Maultrommeln in Sibirien und Zentralasien." In: ''Studia ethnomusicologica eurasiatica'' (Stockholm: Musikhistoriska museet, pp.&nbsp;13–27).
* Fox, Leonard (1984). ''The Jew's Harp: A Comprehensive Anthology''. Selected, edited, and translated by Leonard Fox. Charleston, South Carolina: L. Fox.
* Fox, Leonard (1988). ''The Jew's Harp: A Comprehensive Anthology''. Selected, edited, and translated by Leonard Fox. Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press; London: Associated University Presses; {{ISBN|0-8387-5116-4}}.
* Gallmann, Matthew S. (1977). ''The Jews Harp: A Select List of References With Library of Congress Call Numbers''. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, Archive of Folk Song.
* Gotovtsev, Innokenty. ''New Technologies for Yakut Khomus''. Yakutsk.
* Kolltveit, Gjermund (2006). ''Jew's Harps in European Archaeology''. BAR International series, 1500. Oxford: Archaeopress; {{ISBN|1-84171-931-5}}.
* Mercurio, Paolo (1998). ''Sa Trumba. Armomia tra telarzu e limbeddhu''. Solinas Edition, Nuoro (IT).
* Plate, Regina (1992). ''Kulturgeschichte der Maultrommel''. Orpheus-Schriftenreihe zu Grundfragen der Musik, Bd. 64. Bonn: Verlag für Systematische Musikwissenschaft; {{ISBN|3-922626-64-5}}.
* Mercurio, Paolo (2013). ''Gli Scacciapensieri Strumenti Musicali dell'Armonia Internazionali, Interculturali, Interdisciplinari''. Milano; {{ISBN|978-88-6885-391-4}}.
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Jew's Harp|volume=15|page=411|first=Kathleen|last=Schlesinger|author-link=Kathleen Schlesinger}}
* Shishigin, S. S. (1994). ''Igraite na khomuse''. Mezhdunarodnyi tsentr khomusnoi (vargannoi) muzyki. Pokrovsk: S.S. Shishigin/Ministerstvo kul'tury Respubliki Sakha (IAkutiia). {{ISBN|5-85157-012-1}}.
* Shishigin, Spiridon. ''Kulakovsky and Khomus''. Yakutia.
* Smeck, Roy (1974). ''Mel Bay's Fun With the Jaws Harp''. {{ISBN|9780871664495}}
* Wright, Michael (2008). "The Jew's Harp in the Law, 1590–1825". ''Folk Music Journal'' 9.3 pp.&nbsp;349–371; ISSN 0531-9684. {{JSTOR|25654126}}.
* Wright, Michael (2015). ''The Jew's Harp in Britain and Ireland''. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate; {{ISBN|978-1-4724-1413-7}}.
* Yuan, Bingchang, and Jizeng Mao (1986). ''Zhongguo Shao Shu Min Zu Yue Qi Zhi''. Beijing: Xin Shi Jie Chu Ban She: Xin Hua Shu Dian Beijing Fa Xing Suo Fa Xing; {{ISBN|7-80005-017-3}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Jaw harps}}
*[http://www.jewsharpguild.org/history.html The Jew's Harp Guild]
*[http://varganist.ru/indexe.html How to play and make jew's harp]
*[http://www.rvandre.de/jewsharp.html How to play the jew's harp] (instructions with sound examples and remarks on the functioning of Jew's harps)
*[https://www.patmissin.com/history/guimbardes.html A page on guimbardes] from Pat Missin's free reed instrument website
*[http://www.alashensemble.com/instruments_xomus.htm Demir-xomus (Tuvan Jew's Harp)] Demos, photos, folktale, and text

{{Medieval music}}
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{{Lamellophones}}
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[[Category:Early musical instruments]]
[[Category:Heteroglot guimbardes and jaw harps]]
[[Category:Culture of Appalachia]]
[[Category:Chinese musical instruments]]
[[Category:Turkic culture]]