welsh harp
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The musical instrument of the ancient Welsh bards; a large harp with three rows of strings, two tuned diatonically in unison, the third supplying the chromatic sharps and flats.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “welsh harp” mean?
The musical instrument of the ancient Welsh bards; a large harp with three rows of strings, two tuned diatonically in unison, the third supplying the chromatic sharps and flats.
Is “welsh harp” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.