Ther hopped Hawkyn Ther daunced Dawkyn Ther trumped Tymkyn; And all were trewe drinkers
The Turnament of Totenham – anon
1450c
(Considered the first likely reference given rustic nature – debatable)
The rote, and the recordour, the ribut, the rist, The trump, and the taburn, the tympane, but tray
The Houlate (The Owl) – Sir Richard Holland
1450c
(debateable)
Iues trounks the gross iijs. Iiijd.
Rates of Customs – anon
1545
First definite description of a Jew’s harp. `trounks’ – thought to come from the French`trompe’.
... the first hed ane drone bag pipe, the nyxt hed ane pipe maid of ane bleddir and ane reid, the thrid playit on ane trump, the feyrd on ane corne pipe…
The Complaynt of Scotland – Robert Wedderburn?
1549
vi. 65 – List of instruments played by shepherds.
That ever I saw a sorte, in such a plyght As here within this house appereth to my sight, There is
howlynge and scowlyng, all cast in a dumpe, With whewling and pewling, as though they had lost a trump Syhing and sobbing, they weeps and they wayle I marvell in my mynd, what the devill they ayle…
Gammer Gurtons Nedle – Mr. S. Mr. of Art
1553
Rustic farce. Description by Diccon the Bedlam (fool?)
Iewes trumps the groce xs.
Rates of Customs – anon
1583
O sweete concent betweene a crowde and a Iewes harp
Campaspe – John Lyly Act 2, scene 1
1584
First use of the term “Jew’s harp”. Play. Comment to audience by Psyllus on the disagreements between Diogenes the Cynic and his servant Manes.
Cymbalum .. others think the word crembalon refers to that instrument made of steel, commonly used by boys, which, held by the lips, gives a musical sound when the bent tongue that passes through the middle, put in motion by the finger, makes a sound. A Jewes trumpe or harpe
The Nomenclator, or Rememberbrancer of Adrianus Iunius – Ralph Newberie & Henrie Denham
1585
First linking of the names ‘Jewes trumpe’ and Jewes Harpe’. First description, translation of Latin p. 350
Geillis Duncan… did goe before them playing this reill or daunce uppon a small trompe called a Jewes trump, until they entred into the Kirk of the North Barrick… the king… sent for the saide Geillis Duncan, who upon the trump did play the saide daunce before the kinges majestie
News from Scotland (Roxborough) – anon
1591
First linking of the words ‘trompe’, ‘trump. And Jewes trump’.
There is another Iugler, that beeing well skild in the Iewes Trumpe, takes vpon him to bee a dealer in Musicke: especiall good at mending Instruments: ...
Kind-Hart’s Dreame – Henry Chettle
1592
Satire on current abuses.
... yet if they would bring him hatchets, kniues, and Iewes harps, he bid then assure me, he had a Mine of gold, and could refine it, & would trade with me: for token whereof, he sent me 3. or 4. Croissants or halfe moones of gold weighing a noble a piece or more, and two bracelets of silver. [Also he told them of another rich nation, that “sprinkled their bodies with the poulder of golde, and seemed to be guilt, and farre beyond them a great towne called El Dorado, with many other things”]
Hakluyts Voyages, Quote – Robert Duddeley Earl of Leicester or Captain George Popham?
1595
Voy III, 576 p. 208/9- Early description of “harp’ as opposed to “trump” [interesting following sentence in brackets]
Wee should send them Iewes harpes: for they would giue for euery one two Hennes.
Hakluyts Voyages, vol. III: Quote – Sir Walter Raleigh
1596
Voy III, 665
Trompe de Paris, a Iewes harpe
A Dictionary in Spanish and English – John Minsheu
1599
Very base-viall men most of ‘em: besides whole swarmes of welsh harpes, Irish bag-pipes, Iewes trompes, and french kitts. All these made I together play: But their dambd catter-wralling, frighted me away
If This Be Not a Good Play, the Diuell is in It – Thomas Dekker Act 2, scene
1612
List of instruments associated with different languages. Kitts – dancing master fiddle
Knives, deads, jews trumps and such toys as well contented [S. American Indians]
Voyage to Guiana (in Harl. Misc.) – R Harcourt
1613
III. 178
Those sixe horses, friend, I’le have-...And the three Iewes trumps; and halfe a dozen o’ Birds, and that Drum…
Bartholomew Fayre – Ben Johnson. Act 3, scene 1
1614
Coverstation between Bartholomew Coks and Jewish pedlar
Court held at Salem, 29 Sepember 1653: list of goods stolen from a house – seventeen dussen of Jewes Harps, 3li. 8s., and also twelve dossen of bell, 1li. 4s. These things were prized as they were sould to the Indians
Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts
1653
Jews Harps in Irish Archaeology – Ann Buckley, ICTM Conference / Puritans and Music in england and New England,
Presently comes Creed, and he and I by water to Fox Hall and there walked in Spring-garden… but to hear the nightingale and other birds, and here fiddles and there a harp, and here a jews trump, and here laughing, and there fine people walking, is mighty divertising
The Diary of Samuel Pepys – ed Robert Latham & William Matthews
1667
Trompe, a Trump, or Trumpet / Trump, or Jewes Trump, a Musical Instrument, Trompe, trompette
A New DICTIONARY French and English With Another English and French – Guy Miege
1677
...and that he met them still on ilk Sabaths night and that he playd on trumps to them quhen they danced…
Publications of the Scottish History Society Second Series Volume 20 Highland Papers Volume 3 – ed JRN MacPhail, 1920
1677
27 October & 17 November, 1677 & VIM 9, page 9
There are some of both sexes who have a Genius for poetry, and are great admirers of Music. The Trump or Jewish Harp is all the Musical Instrument they have, which disposes them to dance mightily.
A Late voyage to St Kilda, the remotest of all the Hebrides or Western Isles of Scotland &c., M. Martin
1698
page 73
Agnes Daniel depos’d,... that she had known the Prisoner for some Time to be an idle Fellow, going about to Alehouses with two Jows Harps, which he used to play upon;... William Graham depos’d,..that he had an excellent Hand at playing upon 2 Jews Harps at once, which involv’d him in bad Company and exposed him to keep ill Hours, that the Day before this Murder was discovered,he had a Wedding at his House, and the Prisoner was there, and said till 12 at Night, and further, told a long Tale, or compound of Mirth and Madness, as their throwing the Stocking, drinking, dancing, and playing upon the Jews Harps, which he said, the Prisoner had pawn’d for 3 d. and he lent him Money to fetch them, and that the Prisoner got drunk and carried the Bridegroom’s Wig home,...
Peter Kelly , alias Owen, alias Nisbitt, killing: murder – The Proceedings of the Old Bailey Ref: t17290226-9
1729
26 Feb 1729
(1) Jews-trump – Trompadh
The English Irish National Dictionary
1732
(1) ‘dh’ is silent [R A McCartney]
O Love, what monstrous tricks dost thou play with thy votaries of both sexes! ...Again, when thou pleasest, thou canst make a mole-hill appear as a mountain; a Jew’s harp sound like a trumpet; and a daisy smell like a violet.
The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews – Fielding
1742
Book 1 Chapter VII – Philosophical commentary
Preface …The Judaic, or (as commonly called) Jews Harp, ...speaks its origin in its appellation; and I cannot help thinking that this was the harp which David used, as the sound of the Hebrew language seems particularly adapted to this instrument… RECITATIVE Strike, strike the soft Judaic harp, Soft and sharp, By teeth ciercive in form durance kept, And lightly by the volant finger swept. AIR Buzzing, twangs the iron lyre Shrilly thrilling, Trembling, trilling, Whizzing with the wav’ring wire The salt-box with clattering shall sound, The iron lyre, Buzzing twang with wav’ring wire With heavy hum The sober hurdy-gurdy thrum, And the merry merry marrow-bones ring round.
An Ode on St. Caecilia’s Day, Adapted to the Ancient British musick: the Saltbox, the Jew’s Harp, the Marrow Bones and Cleavers, the Hum Strum of Hurdy-Gurdy – Bonnell Thornton (Fustian Sackbut)
1749
Title – First of a series of popular burlesque entertainments. The instrument often played as a “Declamatory Piece”
At present my chief study is West Indian History. You would not think me very ill-natured if you knew all I feel at the cruelty and villainy of European settlers: but this very morning I found that part of the purchase of Maryland from the savage proprietors (for we do not massacre, we are such good Christians as only to cheat) was a quantity of vermillion and a parcel of Jew’s Harps
Letter to Richard Bentley – Horace Walpole
1755
Jew’s harps as barter goods.
I have often wondered, Boswell, that a man of your taste in music, cannot play upon the Jews harp; there are some of us that touch it very melancholy, I can tell you. Corelli’s solo of Maggie Louder, and Pergolesi’s sonata of The Carle he came o’er the Craft, are excellently adapted to that instrument; let me advise you to learn it. The first cost is but three halfpence, and they last a long time.
Letter to James Boswell – Andrew Erskine
1761
From Music and Society in Lowland Scotland in the Eighteenth Century , by David Johnson – VIM 9 page 54
Hurdi-gurdical, Marrow-bonical. Jaws-harpical and Salt-boxical, Intelligence extraordinary – ...We must lament, that poor Ten-toothy, who shewed such comical Execution on the Jaws-harp, has received such a Cold in the Eye-tooth.
St. James’s Chronicle – Thornton
1763
Description of a one of a series of popular burlesque entertainments.
I’ll stake my Cremona to a Jew’s trump, which is the greatest musical odds that ever were laid…
Tristram Shandy – Laurence Sterne
1767
Cremona = violin
Probably, as an ingenious friend suggests, this should be read, the Jaws-harp
A Tour in Scotland – Thomas Pennant
1771
First use of the term “Jaws harp”.
The Jews-trump, or, as it is more generally pronounced, the Jew-trump, seems to take its name from the nation of the Jews, and is vulgarly believed to be one of their instruments of music. Dr. Littleton renders Jews-trump, by Sistrum Judaicum. But, upon enquiry, you will not find any such musical instrument as this described by the authors that treat of the Jewish musick. In short, this instrument is a mere boy’s play-thing, and incapable in itself of being joined either with a voice or any other instrument, and I conceive the present orthography to be a corruption of the French Jeu-trump, a trump to play with that in the Belgick, or Low-Dutch, from whence come many of our toys, a tromp is a rattle for children. Sometimes they will call it Jews-harp; and another etymon given of it is Jaws-harp, because the place where it is played is between the jaws. It is an instrument used in St Kilda. Martin. P.73.
Anonymiana or, Ten Centuries of Observations on Various Authors and Subjects – Samuel Pegge
1778 (1809)
lxxxii, page 48
Aaron had a sprightly girl for a sister, whose name was Miriam; this girl had some knowledge of music and played on a timbrell: another girl accompanied her with that sublime instrument called a “Jew’s-harp” (note: Our very boys and negroes pretend to understand the original; and they all agree that this word is wrongly translated; for they say it should be renderes thus, juice harp; because, if they play it any considereable time, it makes their mouth water.)
The Porcupine, Alias the Hedge Hog: or, Fox Turned Preacher – William Billings of Boston
1784
Satirical work attributed to America’s first important composer.
GEWGAW; a Jew’s harp
The Rural Economy of Yorkshire – Mr. Marshall
1788
Vol II, page 331
Joesharpes, penny wissels, brass kanelsticks, frying pans, and other moozikal hinstrumints hat grately redooced figers.
Broadsheet – Roger Giles, Surgin, Parish Clark & skulemaster, groser & Hundertaker
1790c
Travelling peddler extolling his wares
One bag of “1/2 doz. Jews harps” to be given “to young men,” and one bag of gifts for “foreign Nations: that is those beyond the mandanes.. 6 Dos. Jews harps.” ...They (Yankton Sioux) put all the presents that they got together, and divided them among their whole party equally. The Indians after the goods were divided, was very merry; they play’d on the Jews harps & danced for us for beads that we gave them.
Lewis-Clark expedition – Joseph Whitehouse
1804
The Jews-harp-house & the Green Man; ... [About 1745 JEW’S HARP HOUSE was a London farmhouse converted to a Resort/tavern with tea gardens, a pond and tropball, tennis, skittles. In 1811 it moved location and still operated as a tavern until at least 1827 This building was destroyed in World War II.]
The Field from Islington to Marybone – William Blake
1804 – 1820
The Jew’s Harp house was a tavern located in Marylebone Park
LIST OF PRICES OF JEWS HARPS, Manufactured by John Barnsley, Netherton, near Dudley, Worcestershire – Iron Harps; Tin’d Harps; Brass Harps; New Scotch Pattern; Glasgow Pattern; Aberdeen Pattern; Irish Pattern
List of prices of Jews harps – John Barnsley
1814
Manufacturer Aug 20, “Orders thankfully received as above, and at Mr. TWIST’s, the White Hart Inn, Paradise Street, BIRMINGHAM”
JEWS HARP CLUB The first meeting of this Society will be holden at the Essex Coffee House This Evening at 8 o’clock for the purpose of electing Officers and organising the Society
Salem newspaper advertisement – anon
1815
FROM Puritans and Music in England and New England, Scholes
JEWS-HARP, or Trompe de Bearn. The form, size and character of this insignificant instrument are so well known, that it would not have been introduced into this dictionary, but for the opportunity of observing that, contemptible as it may seem to those who are acquainted with more superior instruments, it is the only one practised by the ingenious and simple inhabitants of St. Kilda, and forms the constant accompaniment to the performance of their lyric poetry.
A Dictionary of Music – Thomas Busby
1817
St. Kilda is is group of three small islands off the west coast of Scotland
It’s very like may be, for he is the tongue of the trump to the whole squad of them, said the Provost
Redgauntlet – Sir Walter Scott
1824
Tongue used as an analogy for who makes the decision from proverb (1721)
On the law experimentally established in the proceeding paragraph depends the explanation of the production of sounds by the guimbarde or Jew’s harp. This simple instrument consists of an elastic steel tongue rivetted at one end to a frame of brass or iron…
On the Resonances, or Riciprocated Vibrations of Columns of Air – Sir Charles Wheatstone
1828
The Quarterly Journal of Science, Literature and Art, page 180-183
...an instrument (Jew’s harp) composed of iron, with a steel tongue, and about two inches long, by an inch and a half at its greatest breadth. This may be said to be now the only musical instrument of the Irish peasant, and exemplifies in a striking manner the degradation of this country.
Ireland Picturesque and Romantic – Leitch Ritchie
1837
Heath’s picturesque Annual for 1837: Ireland, Page 65 (North Munster Antiquarian Journal, Volume XXV, 1983)
Jews-harp is, probably, a corruption ofJaw’s-harp, from it being placed between the jaws when played. It is also called Jews’-trump, a corruption of jue-trompe, a play-thing, or play-trump.
Popular Errors explained and illustrated, by John Timbs
1841
(1) Woman is said to be like a Jew’s Harp because she is nothing without a tongue and must be pressed to the lips. (2) Then she is music for the soul
(1) Hawks Eye, Burlington, Iowa and (2) Quarterly Visitor of Washington, Iowa – both anon
1844
Quotes
For even a Jew’s harp may be so played as to awaken all the fairies that are in us, and make them dance in our souls, as on a moonlit sward of violets; But what subtle power is this, residing I but a bit of steel, which might have made a penny nail, that so enters, without knocking, into our inmost beings, and shows us all hidden things?
Redburn, his first voyage – Herman Melville
1846
Page ???
The music’s a’ `ranged by Frederick Jimmy Apollo Lumphead for nine gugaws.
Allen’s Tyneside Songs – Allen
1862
Stage-struck Keelman – Tune “Bob and Joan”
Jew-trump, the Jew’s-harp. Child “What an ugly noise that thing makes, Sarah!” Nurse “ O Master Edward, you should not say so; don’t you know it’s a jew-trump like what King David played his Psalms with?”
A Glossary of Words Used in the Wapentakes of Manley and Corringham, Lincolnshire- Edward Peacock
1877
Dubious explanation
“I ain’ got nuffn but a coase comb en a piece o’ paper, en a juice-harp; but I reck’n dey wouldn’ take no stock in a juice-harp.” (Jim) “Yes they would. THEY don’t care what kind of music ‘tis. A jews-harp’s plenty good enough for a rat. All animals like music — in a prison they dote on it. Specially, painful music; and you can’t get no other kind out of a jews-harp. It always interests them; they come out to see what’s the matter with you. (Tom Sawyer)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
1884
Chapter XXXVIII
Here, however, I offer a specimen, one of many commonplace manners in which the term may possibly have had origin. The instrument, we know, is of reasonable antiquity, for Sir T. Browne (`Urn Burial’) tells us of one found in a Norwegian conerary urn, and we know the caprices of fashion to which all such toys are subject. Suppose now that the “trump” had been known in England and Scotland, that it had fallen into oblivion, and was suddenly brought back into vogue by the enterprise of some Jew pedlar selling it around the country – what more likely, in such a case, than that it should be called the Jew’s trump or harp?
>Notes and Queries – C B Mount
1897
[8th S. XII. Oct. 23, ’92] (page 322/3)
“Because I recognise their sentinal when I glanced out of the window. He is a harmless enough fellow, Parker by name, a garrotter by trade, and a remarkable performer upon the jew’s harp…”
The Adventure of the Empty House – Arthur Conan Doyle
1903
Sherlock Holmes’ description of a villain. page 572, in The complete Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
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