Re: [Harp-L] New subject: Why is a harmonica called a harp?

[Pierre <slavio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Elisabeth said:
So who on earth (and why)  originally designated a harmonica a "harp" in
> the first place?

Elizabeth, here is the story as told to me by my grandfather when I was just 
a wee lad...

Once upon a time in Boston at the turn of the century, there was this famous 
harp virtuoso by the name of Augustus Filisko. He was so talented that he 
could play behind his back and even with his teeth. Anyways the violinists 
and flustist in his orchestra were jealous of his great talent and would 
always make fun of him because he had to lug his huge harp everywhere he 
went. Poor guy, he was only 5 foot 2 and weighed 110 pounds all wet in his 
winter clothes. As time went on, Augustus came to hate the great harp with a 
passion.

So anyway, one day Augustus was in a music shop and in this shop, there was 
this young brat who was blowing up and down the harmonica glissando fashion 
and from far away it kind of sounded like, well like his big harp. Suddenly 
the musician had an idea, he traded in his big heavy harp for a ten hole 
Hohner 1891 harmonica and he learned to play it in a week (yes, he was 
really gifted). Anyway he quit his job with the Boston Pops and moved to New 
Orleans and started to play with some of the best jazz bands down there. 
Took him a while to learn the jazz idioms but he soon got the hang of it and 
there was no going back to playing sheet music; no sir - no going back. In 
time he got really good at playing his harmonica, he even figured out how to 
play it chromatically, took him 7 years of constant playing and harp 
tweaking.

One day the Boston Pops came through town on a tour and he got wind of it so 
he invited his old mates to come see him play with his band in the french 
quarter. So a few nights later they came to see him and boy did they get a 
show, he had done it once again, he was once again a virtusoso. After the 
show his old bands mates went to see him and one of them said to him, my 
god.... how do you do that on a diatonic instrument, that is unbelievable; 
you must be an alien? So Augustus thought about it for a few seconds and he 
said... "well no,  I just play it like I used to play my big harp" and from 
that day on he started referring to his harmonica as his harp and the term 
stuck to this day.

Now the sad thing is, Augustus passed away a few years later (there were 
rumours that he had sold his soul to the devil), he left behind a young 
pregnant wife by the name of Mary, who was well taken care of.  But Augustus 
never had any regrets as he had such great luck in life.

Still we honor him each time we use the term harp.

;-)

Pierre.