1926 Newspaper Articles
At 91, Henry David Haarnack was the oldest working member of his craft in the world. I have reproduced in full the three news items from 1926
so that you can read find out exactly what
he told the reporters at the time.
1) The Sunday News March 7th 1926
MAKING HARPS FOR 80 YEARS: Veteran's memories of past glories
To be 91 and still working hard for a living as a maker of harps
is the boast of Mr Henry Haarnack. He is the oldest working
member of his craft in the world. A representative of
"The Sunday News" found him in his premises near the maze
of ateliers off the Tottenham Court Road. The small room
in which he and his brother, who is over 70, work together
is filled with ghosts of the past. The greatest harpists of
the Victorian age, almost without exception, have come into
this tiny workshop, and their photos or prints, with autographs,
are hung up on the discoloured walls. These quaint figures of
a bygone day once came to give their instructions to old Henry
Haarnack Among the celebrated harpists in the gallery are Professor
Cheshire and Lady Bishop.
"I have been working since I was 11 years old,
so that I have been making harps for 80 years" said Mr, Haarnack "and
I suppose I shall go on until I die. There have been four generations
at the trade in our family, and in 1808 my grandfather was head machinist
at Erard's. We have been in this workshop for 60 years.
We used to use
flint and tinder in this shop and I found a piece of it the other day.
The street lamps outside I remember were only lit with coconut oil,
but Oxford Street and Regent Street could boast of being lit by gaslight.
The harp trade is not what it was. Years ago, when the gentry had their
big town houses they used to have a harpist to play to the company after
dining at night. But the great blow was when the post of Royal Harpist
was done away with by King Edward, and the popularity of the
instrument diminished. We still send harps to many parts of the world.
A few go to Ireland, said to be the land of the harp, but I have made
some for Canada and Australia recently. American society patronises
the harp to some extent, but there are not a large number of
English players. The great masters are all dead."
2) South Wales News Thursday March 11th 1926
A MAKER OF HARPS: Veteran of 91. A WONDERFUL OLD MAN
Romance still clings to some of the old streets in London,
and just behind Tottenham Court Road, in the dingy quarter
of Charlotte Street where Rossetti and his confreres spent
many happy hours, there is a queer old-fashioned shop where harps
of all descriptions are sold and very often repaired and restrung.
Mr Henry David Haarnack who owns this establishment has been pursuing
his trade now for over 80 years and is still full of enthusiasm
for the work although he has reached the good old age of 91. A wonderful old man with benevolent blue eyes and white hair., he recounted to me yesterday with a good deal of pride how the greatest harpists of the day would visit his shop to have their instruments repaired and talk with its owner. "they have all gone now " he said sadly, pointing to the photos of these bygone celebrities that were hanging on the wall of the shop and I have survived them all.
ROYAL HARPIST
Amongst the photos were those of John Thomas (Pencardd Gwalia),
John Roberts, Mr T. Davies and others: "I knew John Thomas very well
indeed" Mr Haarnack told me "Many a time he has been into he shop.
He was a fine musician" he said reminiscently "He and Charles Oberthir
were the finest artistes I ever knew". In one corner of his
store there is an old-fashioned engraving of David playing before King Saul.
"Perhaps, who knows" concluded Mr. Haarnack with a touch of whimsical humour "all these noted professors of the harp who have gone before me are now
playing to King David"
TO ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD
Mr Haarnack says he sends harps to distant parts of
the world, but the popularity of the instrument
decreased after King Edward abolished the
position of Royal Harpist. America, however,
patronised the harp to a certain degree and
Australia and Canada were countries to which
Mr. Haarnack has lately sent harps. Mr.
Haarnack told me he had been working since
he was eleven and he and his brother,
who is past 70, work together at the
premises. No fewer than four generations
of their family have been in the harp making trade and they have been present workshop for over sixty years.
3) The Sunday Province. Vancouver, British
Columbia. October 3rd, 1926.
A Page for Lovers of Music and Dramatic
Art.
Devotes eighty years to harp-making
In a little shop in London, England, H.D.
Haarnack who will be 93 in December still
carries on his the business of making harps with his brother who is 75 years old. He has plied his trade for 80 years and is, in fact, the oldest working member of his craft in the world. His grandfather was also engaged in the harp industry and the old man still has the ledger used by him. The photo shows Mr Haarnack (left) with his brother, G. C. Haarnack at work in their little shop.
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Research and copyright by Moira Bonnington.
First published on 2nd January 2001 and last updated on 10th February 2003.