Jew's-harp

Jew's-harp, or JEW'S-TRUMP, a simple musical instrument, which consists of a flat elastic vibrating steel tongue, running between two parallel ribs of metal, and fastened at one end to the farther side of the circle into which the ribs expand; the free end is narrowed to a thin wire and prolonged at right angles to the vibrating piece. The instrument is held between the teeth or lips, kept apart by the rib-frame, and the free projecting end of the vibrating tongue is struck with the finger. The instrument is used from the Highlands of Scotland to Tibet. The first to attain any notable degree of skill as a performer was a soldier of Frederick the Great's army. But his fame was eclipsed by a Württemberger named Eulenstein, who played sixteen Jew's-harps, tuned to different keys; he performed in London in 1828 (died 1890). The derivation of the word seems to be doubtful. It is suggested that 'Jew's' is a corruption of 'jaws' and of 'jeu,' the French word for 'play;' more probably the instrument was called Jew's-harp in derision.