BattleHarp.com
David de Michael, Maker of Battle Harps
Since 1982

History
What became known as the Battle Harp and Battle Lyre was believed to have come to Ireland by about the 5th century BC and then to America by the 17th century.  The Battle Lyre is thought to have originated in the Sumerian civilization and was carried away by Abraham from Ur to become the primary instrument of Israel.  Then it became the Battle Lyre of the Trojans, the Celts and finally it is found among the mountain warriors of America.

Battle Lyres were used by the Hebrews at the Battle of Jericho when the Ephrati Prince Joshua commanded the army of Israel with the musicians leading in the war against the walled city of Jericho.  The story continues, as the priests and army of Israel sang and played, the great walls of the city shook and then fell down. 

There is also compelling evidence that the Ephrati Hebrews escaped Egypt during the final period of the 18th dynasty pharaohs and founded the city of Troy.  The Trojans where noted as warring against various giants and beasts and they too used music and battle harps and Battle Lyres to overcome their enemies. 

The Trojans now called the Danaan Celts then migrated to Ireland from Troy by about the 6th century BC and intermarried with the ruling kings of Ireland.  From Ireland, the Battle Lyre migrated to Scotland by 300 AD and then to America with the arrival of the Scotts-Irish in the 1600's.  It has reappeared from time to time in Appalachia and the Ozarks in the playing of 'hillbilly' music, Blue Grass and the original Hebrew-Celtic ballads. 

The early Battle Lyres were designed and made to be carried easily into battle.    In time as folk music developed in America the Battle Lyre became an instrument in its own right and is now reproduced exclusively by the BattleHarp.com company. 

The Maker
I am David Michael the harp maker and owner of BattleHarp.com.  I apprenticed in the 70's as a cabinet maker and then under George Gilmore who was the favored student of celebrated Andre' Segovia in performance and instrument making.  I am also a Glentivar Mountainman and you cn lern more about us at http://glentivar.org

My  focus in Colorado is to build Battle Lyre models that are low-cost so as to get as many Battle Lyres into public hands as possible.  When playing the Battle Lyre, young and old alike have demonstrated the ease of learning to read music, learning to compose their own original music and then moving on to performance.   I am a certified music teacher (DoDDS Teaching Certificate, K-12) and offer workshops in schools and other organizations to teach playing the Battle Lyre, the writing of music and performance.

Materials
The materials I use are common to the area where I make the Battle Lyres.  For the frame, oak, cherry, beech and  walnut have been preferred woods.  For the sound board I normally use hand selected quarter-sawn Western Red Cedar which provides a very mellow tone.  This combination of woods and design makes the Battle Lyres very light and easy for warriors, adults and  children to hold and carry.  The dimensions of the Battle Lyre that is sold here is about 6" wide, 28" long  and 1.5" thick so it can be easily stored or carried over the shoulder.

I can also make a special order performance quality Battle Harps with exotic hard woods, inlays and other specialty requests.  

How it Sounds
The Battle Lyres are stung with nylon strings in the Key of 'A' major and sounds like a cross between a classical guitar and a celtic lap harp.    Many that hear the Battle Lyre for the first time comment saying, "Oh what a beautiful tone!"  Such a tone produced in such a small sound box has taken years of testing of woods and design to get it just right  - perfect for Battle Lyre  music.  

Strings and Tuning
The Battle Lyre has 10 strings just like the harps of King David in the Bible called the Kinnor.  The strings are strung in a classical guitar width spacing (1 cm apart) so they can be easily picked with the finger tips or finger nails.  This is an easy to play one-handed instrument although you could also use your other hand from the back.  The Battle Harps are tuned to the diatonic scale of 'A' Major (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do) so it can play most folk tunes. The tuning is like the white keys on the piano if starting on C but actully starts with the 'A' so it is a great instrument for kids and adults to learn to read and play music.  If you already pick a guitar, you likely will adapt to the Battle Harps with only a few hours of practice.

Ornamentation
Each Battle Harp is hand made and finished with a hand-rubbed poly finish.  There is the option of commissioning an embossed 'wood burned' design to any harp.   No two harps have the same design as no patterns  are ever reused.  Each design is first drawn free-hand lightly in pencil and then the wood burning is applied for detail and shading.   The embossed effect is as if it was carved with the cuts stained to enhance the picture.   Even if you are not a musician, the harps are works of art that can be hung in a room and admired as a conversation piece.

Cost
When you order a Battle Lyre, you get the handmade great quality harp with nylon strings and a tuning key.  The cost of the harps are located to the right with the descriptive text for each harp that is available for sale.  If you find a harp with the ornamentation design that you like, don't wait to too long to since Battle Harps are sold to first-come, first-serve basis  to those that actually make payment. 

Harp Making Workshops
In addition to making Battle Harps, I also conduct workshops on how to make the harps (class pict to right) and provide all the necessary materials to make them.  The cost is $95 for the class per person (3 students  minimum) although with a class of 8 persons or more, we can reduce the cost down to $75 a person.

How to Order
To get your own Battle Lyre, just click on the PayPal button and it will lead you to a page that provides all of the purchase information.   Overseas shipments of Battle Lyres will have an added change.  The lyres I sent to Japan cost about $40 to ship to Tokyo.

Thanks.  

David

BTW.....I travel on the road a lot so send me an email if you have any questions.

David Michael
BattleHarp.com
info@battleharp.com
cell: 719 235 7551
Concert Kinnor Harp
Back by Popular Demand!

The  Concert Kinnor Harp is now selling for $700 plus shipping.   Current materials are Beech wood for the frame, back and sides and either Beech or Cedar for the sound board.   Case for $150.  Delivery once order made is minimum of 2 weeks by USPS Parcel Post insured. 

Contact David de Michael directly to get on the waiting list to order this wonderful Concert Kinnor  harp.
 info@battleharp.com
Troubdour Kinnor Harp
Hear what the harp sounds like! 
Sorry for the bad recording - will have a better recording up soon!
http://battleharp.com/battleharp3.wav



Basic Troubdour Lyre
The Basic Troubdour Harp is a back packers sized harp or practice harp made of various hard woods.   Although the basic harp is not ornamented with engraved wood-burning, this can be done by request.  Picture represents Lyres sold and there will be some difference in the grain of the woods for each lyre.  To any Basic Battle Lyre, I can add a personalized wood-burned engraving  starting at an additional $30 to the discounted online price of $130 which is 24% off from the normal retail price of $170.  Add $20 for shipping and handling for destinations in the US. Arrival of Troubadour Harp takes 10-15 days due to current order volume.
 
Front of the basic Battle Lyle
Back of the Basic Battle Lyre
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Engraved Battle Harps FOR SALE!

 Battle Harp No. 2009-016
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Battle Harp No. 2009-017
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Battle Harp No. 2009-018
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Battle Harp No. 2009-019
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Battle Harp No. 2009-020
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Battle Harp No. 2009-021
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Battle Harp No. 2009-022