Harnett, William (Michael) (b. Aug. 10, 1848, Clonakilty, Ire.—d. Oct. 29, 1892, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Irish-born U.S. still-life painter. Brought to Philadelphia as a child, he was trained as an engraver and soon developed outstanding skill in trompe l'oeil painting. While traveling in Europe he painted his best-known work, After the Hunt (1885). In 1886 he settled in New York City. His work, popular with the public, was gen¬ erally dismissed by critics. After a long period of disrepute, his works again were appreciated and sought after when mid-20th-century critics recognized Harnett’s outstanding skill at abstract composition.
Harold I known as Harold Harefoot (d. March 17, 1040, Oxford, Eng.) King of England (1035-40). The illegitimate son of Canute the Great, he served as regent of England for his half brother Hardecanute, king of Denmark. In 1036 he murdered the royal claimant, Alfred the Aetheling, and proclaimed himself king. He fended off Welsh and Scot¬ tish invaders and was succeeded by Hardecanute.
Harold II known as Harold Godwineson (b. c. 1020—d. Oct. 14, 1066, near Hastings, Sussex, Eng.) King of England (1066). The son of the politically powerful Godwine, earl of Wessex, he inherited his father’s earldom and power in 1053. When Edward the Confessor died in Janu¬ ary 1066, Harold’s supporters domi¬ nated the witan (king’s council) and chose him as king. He was opposed by King Harald III Sigurdsson of Nor¬ way, whom he defeated on Sept. 25,
1066, at Stamford Bridge near York.
He then marched south to meet Wil¬ liam, duke of Normandy, and was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
Harold III (Norway) See Harald III Sigurdsson
harp Plucked stringed instrument in which the resonator, or belly, is per¬ pendicular to the plane of the strings.
Harps are roughly triangular. In early harps and many folk harps, the strings are strung between the reso¬ nating “body” and the “neck.” Early harps and many folk harps lack the
forepillar or column—forming the Double-action pedal harp third side of the triangle—that char- courtesy of lyon-healy acterizes frame harps; the column
Harmonium by Jacob Alexandre, Paris, 19th century
BEHR PHOTOGRAPHY
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
harp seal ► Harriman I 841
permits high string tension and higher-pitched tuning. Small, primitive harps date back to at least 3000 bc in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East. In Europe they became particularly important in Celtic soci¬ eties. The large modern orchestral harp emerged in the 18th century. It has 47 strings and a range of almost seven octaves. It plays the entire chromatic (12-note) scale by means of seven pedals, each of which can alter the pitch of a note (in all octaves) by two semitones through tight¬ ening or relaxing the strings by turning a forklike projection against it; it is thus known as the double-action harp. Its massive resonator permits considerable volume of tone. See also Aeolian harp.
harp seal Migratory earless seal ( Pagophilus groenlandicus, sometimes Phoca groenlandica) of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The adult male is light grayish or yellowish, with brown or black on the head and a similarly coloured U-shaped marking on the back and sides. The female is less clearly marked. Adults are about 6 ft (1.8 m) long and 400 lb (180 kg). Strong swimmers, harp seals feed on fish and crustaceans and spend much of the year at sea. They breed near Newfoundland, Can., and in the Greenland and White seas. Until two weeks old, the pups bear a fluffy white coat highly valued by the fur trade; public indignation over hunt¬ ing methods (including clubbing) has led to increased regulation and supervision of sealing activities in the Newfoundland area.
Harper, Stephen in full Stephen Joseph Harper (b. April 30, 1959, Toronto, Ont., Can.) Canadian prime minister from 2006. Though originally from eastern Canada, he moved at an early age to Calgary,
Alta. Harper received an M.A. degree in economics from the University of Calgary in 1991, after which he directed his career toward politics and public-policy analysis. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1993 as a member of the western-based Reform Party, but he did not seek reelection in 1997. In 2002 he returned to the House of Commons and became leader of the opposition Canadian Alliance (the successor to the Reform Party), and in 2004 he was elected head of the Conservative Party of Canada, formed by the merger of the Progres¬ sive Conservative and Canadian Alli¬ ance parties. In 2006 he led the Conservative Party to victory and became prime minister.
Harper brothers U.S. printers and publishers. The two oldest broth¬ ers, James (1795-1869) and John (1797-1875) established J. & J. Harper in 1817; their siblings Joseph (1801-70) and Fletcher (1806-77) joined in 1823 and 1825. The firm took the name Harper & Brothers in 1833. The company began publishing periodicals in 1850 with Harper’s New Monthly Magazine (see Harper's Magazine), which was followed by Harp¬ er’s Weekly (1857) and Harper’s Bazaar (1867). In 1900 the business passed out of family hands. Two of the Harper magazines are still being published; the name Harper also survives in the international book¬ publishing firm HarperCollins.
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park National preserve, West Virginia, U.S., in the Blue Ridge at the point where West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland converge. Authorized as a national monument in 1944 and a historical park in 1963, it covers 1,909 acres (772 hectares). It is located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers and consists pri¬ marily of the town of Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (pop., 2000: 307). It is the site of the 1859 raid by abolitionist John Brown, an incident that precipitated the American Civil War, and of several battles during the war.
Harper's Magazine Monthly magazine published in New York, N.Y., U.S., one of the oldest and most prestigious literary and opinion journals in the U.S. Founded in 1850 as Harper’s New Monthly Magazine by the print¬ ing and publishing firm of the Harper brothers, it was a leader in publishing works by illustrious British and U.S. authors. By 1865 it had become the most successful periodical in the U.S. In the 1920s its format changed to that of a forum on public affairs, balanced with short stories. Financial problems began in the 1960s, and in 1980 its demise was averted by grants
from a philanthropic organization, the MacArthur Foundation. Since 1976 it has been edited almost continuously by Lewis Lapham (b. 1935).
harpsichord Keyboard instrument in which the strings are set in vibra¬ tion by a plucking mechanism. The latter consists of plectra made of quill (or sometimes leather) mounted on vertical wooden jacks that are activated by the keys. A cloth damper touches the string when the player releases the key. It often has two parallel keyboards (or manuals) and generally has two or more sets of strings, each of which produces different tone qualities; these permit the simultaneous sounding of pitches an octave higher or lower than the note struck. The notes’ loudness is not affected by the power with which the keys are struck, and there is no way to sustain a note after the key is released. Primitive harpsichords existed by the mid-15th century. In the 17th—18th centuries the harpsichord became a very important solo, accompanimental, and ensemble instrument. From c. 1750 the pianoforte, with its greater dynamic capacity, began to displace it, and by 1820 the harpsichord had largely vanished. It was revived in the late 19th century by scholars, performers, and instrument builders.
Harpy In Greek and Roman mythology, a bird of prey with a woman’s face. Often depicted on tombs. Harpies may originally have been con¬ ceived of as ghosts. In early Greek literature, including the writings of Homer and Hesiod, they were wind spirits and were not represented as ugly or repellent. In the legend of Jason and the Argonauts, however, the Har¬ pies were hideous, foul-smelling birds with the faces of women, sent to punish King Phineus of Thrace by defiling his food; they were frightened away by the sons of Boreas.