User:CrocusN/Nora Joan Clark

Nora Joan Clark, (1923 - 2009) of Edmonds, Washington, learned to play the harp as a teenage when her mother, a native of Ireland and accomplished musician, purchased an antique harp for their home in Tacoma, Wa in the 1930s. From years of playing the large pedal harp to the discovery of the small Irish harp, the author has done extensive study on what has come to be known as the Celtic or Folk harp.

For many years, Mrs. Clark taught harp to young people, with a focus on the small harps which children could more easily manage. In the 1960's, Mrs. Clark taught a demonstration harp project in the Seattle Schools, using small harps made by Lyon & Healy. Nora Joan Clark obtained her degree in music from the University of Washington in 1975, producing a thesis about the small harp without pedals her mother had told her about long ago, the Irish harp.

Mrs. Clark has traveled to Ireland on several occasions in pursuit of her subject, and has made the acquaintance of numerous harpists, harpers, harp-makers and harp historians. She encouraged the making of hand crafted harps in the Pacific Northwest, with her support for harp makers, gathering together a collection of small harps, and influencing her many harp students in the same direction. For many years, long before computers and email, Mrs. Clark wrote and distributed a regular newletter titled Harps West, detailing harp events and news in the Seattle and surrounding areas.

In 2003, North Creek Press published Joan Clark's full-length book, The Story of the Irish Harp, Its History and Influence.

The Story of the Irish Harp is an elegant book with fifty-two illustrations, covering the history of the small harp of Ireland: its Celtic origins, its position in the bardic tradition, as well as its near disappearance and later resurgence. This carefully researched book includes a detailed look at the Irish harp in ancient and medieval times, its use and various forms in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, as well as its influence in the present day. Dedicated to the memory of Derek Bell, famous Irish harper with The Chieftains, this book is an important contribution to the study of Irish music. From early Celtic times to the present day in Ireland and around the world, the Irish harp has captivated musicians and audiences alike. The development of the popular Folk and Celtic harps of today has its roots in this ancient instrument, the beauty of which has been noted throughout the centuries. The cover of the book contains an image of the Trinity College Harp, an ancient treasure still used as a symbol of the Irish Republic on Irish coins to this day.