Folk Designs From India

Dr Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke take us on three entertaining and revealing cultural city breaks.

The deep sonority of the Contrabass Panduri perfectly complements the twangy drones of the Tanbur. Though the two instruments come from neighboring regions, the Contrabass Panduri is so rare that this excellent pairing has perhaps never occurred. Until now.

The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting and in orchestras or concerts. Its most common form is triangular in shape and made of wood. Some have multiple rows of strings and pedal attachments.
Ancient depictions of harps were recorded in current day Iraq (Mesopotamia), Iran (Persia) and Egypt and later in India and China. By medieval times harps had spread across Europe. Harps were found across the Americas where it was a popular folk tradition in some areas. Distinct designs also emerged from the African continent. Harps have symbolic political traditions and are often used in logos, including in Ireland.