Vintage Harp Guitar Music

CDs

Pasquale Taraffo:
Una Leggenda della Chitarra
(A Legend of the Guitar)

2-CD set, booklets in English and Italian

In Stock

Harp Guitar Music is extremely proud to be the exclusive U.S. source for the ultimate Taraffo compilation!

Many years in the making, this new DOUBLE CD set features all the currently known 78 rpm recordings of Taraffo (including some never released), collected and preserved by Genovese expert Franco Ghisalberti.

A special 16-page English booklet created specifically for Harp Guitar Music is included, along with an 8-page Italian booklet.

Includes solos, duets and trios with other musicians - featuring classic Italian light opera and popular songs, and many of Taraffo's own compositions.

Arguably the most historically important authentic harp guitar music of all time, this amazing collection of rare 78 recordings will astound anyone who thinks they play the harp guitar. A true virtuoso, on a harp guitar with 8 chromatic sub-basses, Taraffo's style and technique has never been duplicated! More>>>

$29.95

Luigi Mozzani: Life and Works

In Stock

This CD full of rare gems is included free in the new book of the same name. Part 1 includes 6 rare sides recorded by Luigi Mozzani on a 9-string chitarra lyra (yes, the basses are played), 2 by Mario Maccaferri, 2 by Carmen Lenzi Mozzani and 2 each by Luigi Mariotti and Simona Boni (no basses). (Note: Quality of the original 78 records is very inconsistent) Part 2 features new recordings (predominantly Mozzani compositions) played on original Mozzani instruments: guitar, harp guitar, mandolins and mandola. More>>>

Included free in book!

See Also: HISTORICAL HARP GUITAR CDS

Original 78 rpm Recordings

I am often asked the question “What kind of music was played on these instruments?”. Specifically, the public is curious about music played on the hollow-arm or other American harp guitars of the 1900s through 1920s. These records are one example, and the answer, while historically interesting, isn’t all that exciting. While the music may be charming and an important part of America’s legacy, the harp guitar’s role is often a token one - with the notable exception of the Ossman-Dudley Trio recordings (every which one displays George Dudley's sub-bass playing to some extent). While the floating sub-bass strings were designed to be played, in practice they were not always utilized. Many professional guitarists from the turn of the century through the 1920s recording era were simply looking for the loudest stage instruments they could find – and harp guitars were a good choice (and it didn’t hurt that they were eye-catching as well). Discounting the extra bass strings, harp guitars were often larger and louder than typical 6-strings, and the extra sympathetic resonance of those vibrating bass strings was thought to help beef up the sound a little further. And so, while historians and the record label itself may accurately note the use of a “harp-guitar” on the recording, we only hear 6-strings being played. We just have to imagine those extra strings vibrating “behind the scenes.” Luckily, we have many historical photos of these more visually arresting performers to impart a better sense of the harp guitar’s role and impact a century ago.

More info & audio samples

Sam Moore-Horace Davis (Octo-Chorda and Harp-Guitar): Laughing Rag

Sam Moore's 1921 "Laughing Rag" is one of those records that astonishes: a pioneering blend of Southern folk, Hawaiian, and ragtime influences unlike anything recorded to that point. But his guitar work was only a part of the picture. Sam Moore also championed unconventional instruments ranging from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous, and for a time he made even jaded New Yorkers sit up and listen. - Mainspring Press More>>>

~~$24.95~~ SOLD

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Sam Moore-Horace Davis (Octo-Chorda and Harp-Guitar): My Old Hawaiian Home / Isle of Sweethearts

This double-sided Victor recording features two selections by Moore and Davis. Moore again plays the Octo-chorda, an 8-string Hawaiian guitar subsequently made more famous by Roy Smeck. More>>>

~~$34.95~~ SOLD

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Moore & Davis (Handsaw and Harp-Guitar Duet): The Last Rose of Summer / Old Black Joe

Sam Moore became well known for his usual instrument choices (like balloon). He was a virtuoso saw player, as heard on these 2 sides for Columbia in 1922. More>>>

~~$39.95~~ SOLD

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Ossman-Dudley Trio (Banjo, Mandolin, Harp-Guitar): St. Louis Tickle

Recorded in New York City, January 24, 1906. 5-string banjo player Vess L. Ossman had several groups, including a trio consisting of Audley Dudley on mandolin and George F. Dudley on harp-guitar. Dudley did in fact use his sub-basses on every recording. More>>>

$24.95

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Samuel Siegel (Mandolin) with R. H. Butin (Harp-Guitar): Sugar Plum

1909 recording of the popular American mandolinist.

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$24.95

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Samuel Siegel (Mandolin) with R. H. Butin (Harp-Guitar): Sugar Plum

The same recording on United, a different format 78.

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~~$19.95~~ SOLD

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