The harp is a musical instrument whose origins go back at least as far as 3,000 BC. The instrument is defined as an open frame over which is stretched a series of graduated strings, set in vibration by plucking with the fingers.
The harp was one of the most important instruments of the Middle Ages; in particular the type of harp known as a Welsh Harp or "telyn". In Scotland, the small harp used as a solo instrument or to accompany singing was known as a "clàrsach". The harp remained almost exclusively a musical feature of the British Isles before it was exported to the Continent sometime before the ninth century.