Ann Heymann

A master in the performance and traditions of the Gaelic harp, Ann Heymann continues to spearhead the instrument's revival. From the start she chose to play in the traditional manner: resting the harp on her left shoulder so the right hand plays the bass and the left hand plays the treble, striking the brass strings with her fingernails, and damping with the fingerpads. Known for her symbiotic relationship with her instrument and her ability to wed performance practice with the recorded literary tradition, Ann is the first modern harper

A master in the performance and traditions of the Gaelic harp, Ann Heymann continues to spearhead the instrument's revival. From the start she chose to play in the traditional manner: resting the harp on her left shoulder so the right hand plays the bass and the left hand plays the treble, striking the brass strings with her fingernails, and damping with the fingerpads. Known for her symbiotic relationship with her instrument and her ability to wed performance practice with the recorded literary tradition, Ann is the first modern harper * to interpret fingernail and damping techniques detailed in the Welsh Robert ap Huw harp manuscript; * to adapt piobaireachd's highly ornamented variations to the clairseach; * to interpret and perform repertoire of Denis O'Hampsey from the original Bunting manuscripts in Belfast (also using a replica of O'Hampsey's instrument and O'Hampsey's tuning); * to interpret and perform the compositions of Cormac MacDermott, an Irish harper at the Elizabethan court; * to use monofilament gold as well as silver strings; * to establish a plausible role for the clairseach in the performance of Gaelic poetry. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL..