A Visit to Lyon & Healy Harps

While spending Christmas with Doug's brother's family in Chicago, I decided to arrange a visit to Lyon & Healy Harps. Brenda dropped us off at the train station around 6:45 a.m. After catching a train into Chicago from the suburbs, we walked several blocks and boarded a bus. We got off the bus near "The Billy Goat" restaurant which had the comical Cheeseborger Cheeseborger Cheeseborger posted on the side of the building. We walked a few blocks to the Lyon & Healy factory and were buzzed inside. It was 8:30 a.m. Someone escorted us to the freight elevator and took us to the showroom floor where we were greeted by Nancy O'Brien. She apologized for her casual attire. All of the employees would be enjoying pizza and doing inventory in the afternoon. This was the last day before closing for the holiday season and re-opening on January 2.

I had no idea there would be rows and rows of harps. "What would you like to play first?" asked Nancy. I decided to warm up on a Chicago model harp. Later Nancy played short bits of music on several natural wood Style 30's and I selected one for her to dolly into the tasting room. We repeated that with 2 of the Style 100 harps. Doug listened patiently and requested that I play a phrase on a harp, and then play that same phrase on another harp. Back and forth between harps I went comparing sounds. Nancy also played phrases of music back and forth between harps so I could also hear the harp from the audience perspective. As I decided upon preferences, she would dolly some of the harps back out of the tasting parlour to "clear the palate". 

At the end, we had Nancy bring in one of the used harps that we first noticed when we came in. This quintessential harp was originally built in 1927 and had been refurbished. I liked this one the best. Doug described it by saying, "It sounds like its sound is coming up from somewhere deep inside the earth." I agreed! There is something very special about that harp.