Armstrong: Musical Instruments

Hempson, The Harper of Magilligan, County of L'Derry

Photograph of Denis Hempson, one of the ten harpers of the 1798 Belfast Harp Festival, and the only one who used his fingernails to play the harp in the old way. Image taken from the first part of Armstrong's Musical Instruments.

Hempson, The Harper of Magilligan, County of L'Derry

Hempson, The Harper of Magilligan, County of L'Derry

Photograph of Denis Hempson, one of the ten harpers of the 1798 Belfast Harp Festival, and the only one who used his fingernails to play the harp in the old way. Image taken from the first part of Armstrong's Musical Instruments.

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Robert Bruce Armstrong (d. 1914) was a Scottish historian, artist and musician. A fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, he donated copies of his musical work to the Royal Irish Academy.

Musical Instruments: Part 1, The Irish and the Highland Harps was published in 1904. The volume, as well as being an excellent source for its description of ancient harps, is particularly notable for Armstrong’s own detailed drawings of the instruments. These illustrations are accompanied by a number of contemporary photographs of important harps. The volume also offers a careful account of the history and nature of both Irish and Scottish harp traditions.

Part 2, English and Irish Instruments, was published in 1908. This volume provides details on a broader range of instruments including the English guitar, the harp-guitar and the harp-lute. As with the first volume, descriptions are accompanied by illustrations and contemporary photographs.