Have you ever wondered where my DYK ideas come from? The answer is simple. Everywhere. This week’s DYK is a perfect example.
The Idea
Last weekend I made another quick trip to Texas with a truckload of items I “decluttered” from my house in preparation for putting it on the market. I passed the time on the road listening both to audiobooks and music. The Judd’s song, Turn It Loose, caught my attention. Rather, one line in the chorus—I love the moan of an old blues harp—caught my attention. I knew “old blues harp” referred to the harmonica but didn’t know why. A bit of research later, and this week’s DYK was born.
The History
Did you know harps are one of the oldest instruments, dating back to 15,000 BC? To play the harp, both hands are used to pluck the strings. So it makes sense the name comes from Old German, Old Norse, and Anglo Saxon words “to pluck.”
Harmonicas, on the other hand, are relatively new. They were invented in Europe in the early19th century, during the Romantic Era. At this time, many people also had Aeolian harps in their gardens. The wind played the harp by making the strings vibrate. So they named this harp after the god of wind, Aeolus. Although it’s a person’s breath, rather than the wind, that creates the harmonica’s sound, harmonica makers took poetic license and called their instrument an “Aeolian harp,” too. German-speaking countries used “mouth-harp.” Others used “mouth harmonica,” a twist on the glass harmonica.
In the 1830s, Americans already referred to the harmonica as a harp, but what sealed the deal was the introduction in the 1880s of the harmonica model called the “French” Harp. It became popular, especially in the American South, during the early 20th century with the emergence of the blues. Over the ensuing years, harmonicas in the U.S. were called French Harps, mouth harps, or just harps.
The Business
From almost the very beginning, the harmonica has been a success. They became big business in the late 1800s with mass production. Both the 20th and 21st centuries have seen new designs developed. Although Germany is no longer the center of the harmonica business, they still have the dominant world manufacturer. Other large harmonica-making countries include Japan, China, and Brazil.
Harmonicas: Did You Know…
- In the American South, the use of the term “French” referred to Europe and implied sophistication. It didn’t matter that most harmonicas were made in Germany and Austria, they still became known as French Harps.
- President Abraham Lincoln carried a harmonica in his pocket.
- Both Union and Confederate soldiers carried harmonicas. The instrument provided comfort during the long war.
- Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid played the harmonica.
- A 1925 New-York based radio program taught listeners how to play the harmonica.
- The 1925 White House Christmas tree was decorated with fifty harmonicas.
- During World War II, harmonicas were in short supply. This was due to both a lack of manufacturing materials and the fact the primary harmonica manufacturers were in Germany and Japan.
- During World War II, the War Department allotted some supplies to a US factory to produce harmonicas for the Red Cross to distribute to American troops overseas.
- Harmonicas are also known as French fiddle (Ireland), lip harp (Finland), ruins the lips (French-speaking Canada), small music (Romania), and Mississippi saxophone, Louisiana saxophone, and harpoon (in some parts of the U.S.).
- Many pulmonary rehabilitation programs include playing the harmonica. It’s because it develops a strong diaphragm and deep breathing, using the entire lung volume. (Doctors found it resembles the kind of exercise required to rehabilitate COPD patients.)