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Sharpsichord

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Musical instrument
Sharpsichord
String instrument
Classification Chordophone
Inventor(s)Henry Dagg
Developed21st century
Musicians
Björk

The Sharpsichord is a musical instrument created by Henry Dagg in Faversham, Kent. It is a pin-barrel harp that plays music using a system of pegs, like a music box. The pegs slot into a grid of 11,520 holes to program songs onto a 46-string harp using a chromatic scale. The harp is then amplified by a pair of large horns. The instrument can also be played more traditionally using a keyboard. The Sharpsichord is solar-powered and can play 90 seconds of music at a time. It is made of stainless steel and weighs 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) altogether. Dagg has stated that the Sharpsichord is intended as a tribute to Cecil Sharp, a collector of folk music.

It took around four years for Dagg to create the Sharpsichord after he was enabled to do so following a commission from the English Folk Dance and Song Society in 2006. The society asked Dagg to create a trio of instruments to use in a "sound garden" following a grant from the Big Lottery Fund. Dagg only produced one instrument: the Sharpsichord. Due to the Sharpsichord being perishable it was not able to be used in the garden and Dagg later had to refund the money. The instrument took a total of £90,000 to build. The Sharpsichord was used by Björk on her Biophilia tour for the song Sacrifice.

References

  1. ^ "Inventor unveils 'sharpsichord'". BBC News. 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  2. "Sharpsichord". Classic FM. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  3. ^ "Pin barrel harp needs new home". www.telegraph.co.uk. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  4. ^ "The Sharpsichord - Created By Henry Dagg". Clash Magazine. 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  5. ^ "HENRY DAGG - FOCUS ON SOUND SCULPTURE". The Faversham Eye. 2020-12-18. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  6. ^ "9 bizarre, unique instruments – from the gameleste to the pikasso guitar". Red Bull. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  7. ^ "What the Hell is a Sharpsichord?". www.vice.com. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  8. Peluchetti, Ami (2016-12-22). Ecotronica. Ami Peluchetti.
  9. "A Guide To Björk's Custom Biophilia Instruments". www.vice.com. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  10. "Pin barrel harp". Kent Online. 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  11. KOS Media (2010-02-03). Your Swale, Issue 123, February 3, 2010.
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