The following first appeared in HarpDream, Vol 3, Winter 1997.
Thank you, Flippy, for letting us reprint it!
Harper or Harpist?
by Deirdre White
You will see both of these words used to describe a person who plays
the harp. Some people use the word harper to describe someone who
plays a lever harp. They use the word harpist to describe someone who
plays the harp with pedals. Many people call the big 46 or 47 string
harp you see in the orchestra a pedal or concert harp. On the
Internet, you may see the term "harperist" to
describe the person who plays either kind of harp or both harps. A
few people call men or boys harpers, and girls or women, harpists.
What word do you like to describe you and the kind of harp you play?
One person said, "I'd like to be called a musician!"
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