CERYS HAFANA (GREAT BRITAIN)
THE MOST DISTINCTIVE EXPERIMENTER OF THE TRIPLE HARP'S SONIC POSSIBILITIES
MELANCHOLIC WELSH HARP POP
An Englishwoman who, after moving to Wales in her youth, did perhaps the most quintessentially Welsh thing one could do: she learned to play the triple harp—the musical symbol of Wales.
Now 24 years old, Cerys Hafana plays it in a modern way, bravely resisting the trap of tradition. She’s considered the leading experimentalist exploring the sonic potential of the triple harp. By singing in an unconventional style, reworking traditional repertoire, composing original music, and subtly incorporating electronics, she’s also seen as the instrument’s future. And she’s on a mission: to destroy all the sonic beauty of the triple harp.
Unlike the classical harp, the triple harp has not one but three parallel rows of strings, allowing players to change pitch without using pedals. It’s said to be devilishly complex—a 16th-century Italian invention brought to London, where for some reason, it became especially beloved among the Welsh during the Baroque era, who then took it back home.
And while elsewhere this acoustically fascinating harp has faded into obscurity, in Wales, it’s still revered as sacred.
Photo: Heledd Wyn
