Kinnellan Clarsach
Sound file of Kinnellan (courtesy of Cynthia Cathcart)
The Kinnellan is a large renaissance wire-strung clarsach, based on the image in Praetorius's
Syntagma Musicum of 1619, labelled "Irish harp with brass strings". It shows an undecorated large low-headed harp with brass cheek bands on a thick string arm, a huge soundbox with three pairs of sound holes and a reinforced pillar. The Kinnellan is made of Sycamore, likewise having brass cheek bands, a hollowed-out soundbox, an exterior integral string band, brass string shoes and a pillar reinforced with a T-section. The back is made of Oak. The range of thirty strings is taken from the string scheme published by Edward Bunting in 1840, having just over four octaves running from bass C up to treble d'''. Six silver strings provide a rich bass, supporting the remaining brass strings. The Kinnellan in this picture has a Georgian finish. See 'Choosing a Finish' page.
The Kinnellan is named after a loch near Strathpeffer containing a crannog - an ancient artificial island used as a defensive dwelling.
Strings: 6 silver + 24 brass
Range: C-d'''
Width (across soundbox) 36 cm; depth (from end of string arm to back of soundbox) 59 cm; length (from end of string arm to base of pillar) 102 cm
Weight: 7.1 kg
Price - £3760