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The Harp is a large musical instrument, but still quite easy to move around thanks to a small trolley, which lifts the harp from the ground and makes the transportation possible even on stairs. The harp model played by Giuliano Mattioli, called "Diana", is manufactured by Salvi Harps, it is made of maple wood and its height is 1.88 m. and width is 1 m. It's 55 cm. large and weighs 45 kilos.
Below is a small description of the parts composing the harp:
The Soundboard, is hand–painted by a gold leaf decoration, is made by a special wood called Fiemme Valley red spruce which gives the maximum resonance;
The strings pass through the soundboard which is connected to the Sound box, the hollow cavity which can be found at the back of the harp. These two parts are the body and soul of the instrument;
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| The Column, highly decorated by a hand-carved motif, is composed by a pillar and a crown, at the top. The column raises from the Base, the lower part of the harp, in which are placed the 7 Pedals that can be seen from the back of the instrument;
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The Neck is the upper part of the harp to which the strings are attached by winding them onto the pins, it is inside the neck that the Mechanism is hidden. It is formed by several steel braces connected to 7 steel rods inside the column which leads to the 7 pedals. At the front of the neck it is possible to see several discs, 2 for each string, which are studded with two pegs that pinch the strings as they turn, shortening the vibrating length of the string.
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As every Grand Concert model harp, this model has 47 Strings, the C strings are red as the F strings are black, all the other strings are white. Most of the strings are made of gut, while the 8 upper ones are made of nylon the 12 lower are wire strings.
The 7 pedals, each affecting the tuning of all strings of one letter-name, so that when a pedal is moved with the foot, the discs at the top of the harp rotate. Each pedal has three positions. In the top position no pegs are in contact with the string and all notes are flat; thus the harp's native tuning is to the scale of C-flat major. In the middle position the top wheel pinches the string, resulting in a natural, giving the scale of C major if all pedals are set in the middle position. In the bottom position another wheel is turned, shortening the string again to create a sharp, giving the scale of C-sharp major if all pedals are set in the bottom position.
In order to play the harp one must place it upon the right shoulder, as the sound box rests on the right knee of the player who is seated behind the instrument. The possibility to switch the weight of the harp from the shoulder to the knee allows the player to move the feet to reach the pedals.
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The position described is uncomfortable for singing while playing the harp, although not impossible as it is widely documented by ancient Greek harp players who used to accompany their chants with plucked instruments and ancient celtic Bards, who lived throughout Great Britain singing poems and songs with their small harps.
The tradition of playing and singing at the harp is nearly lost, and Giuliano Mattioli represents the only male harpist in Italy who still practices it.
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