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function random_text()
{};
var random_text = new random_text();
// Set the number of text strings to zero to start
var number = 0;
// Incremental list of all possible Text
random_text[number++] = "In England in 1562, King Henry VIII's band consisted of fifteen trumpets, three lutes, three rebecks, three taboretes, <b>a harp</b>, two viols, ten sackbuts, a fife and two drumslades."
random_text[number++] = "In 17th century England, King Charles I employed a royal band made up of 'eight performers on the hautbous and sackbuts, six flutes, six recorders, eleven violins, six lutes, four viols, <b>one harp</b> and fifteen musicians for the lute and voice,' exclusive of trumpeters, drummers, and fifers... this band not only played while the king was at meals, but was even introduced into the royal chapel."
random_text[number++] = "A modern pedal harp has seven pedals, one for each note of the scale. Each pedal has three positions: sharp, natural, and flat."
random_text[number++] = "Pedal harps used to have an additional pedal for opening and closing 'shutters' to control volume, allowing them to be louder or softer."
random_text[number++] = "Harps have colored strings.  The C's are red, and the F's are black or dark blue.  All the others are white."
random_text[number++] = "A concert grand pedal harp has 47 strings.  A semigrand has 46."
random_text[number++] = "A full-size pedal harp weighs 80 - 90 pounds."
random_text[number++] = "A pedal harp has approximately 1400 moving parts - most of them hidden from view!"
random_text[number++] = "Harp strings can be made of nylon, wire, or gut."
random_text[number++] = "The strings on a full-size pedal harp exert approximately 2000 pounds of tension on the soundboard."
random_text[number++] = "The soundboard of most pedal harps is made of spruce."
random_text[number++] = "A full-size pedal harp has a range of 6½ octaves."
random_text[number++] = "The single-action pedal harp (precursor to the modern pedal harp) was developed in the early 1700s."
random_text[number++] = "Sebastien Erard designed the modern double-action pedal harp mechanism in 1810."
random_text[number++] = "Lever harps can have anywhere from 20 - 40 strings. "
random_text[number++] = "The levers on a lever harp have two positions: natural and flat, or sharp and natural, depending on tuning."
random_text[number++] = "There are two main varieties of harps: pedal harps and lever harps."
random_text[number++] = "Wire-string harps are played with the fingernails and have a crystalline sound."
random_text[number++] = "Cross-strung harps are strung in the shape of an 'X'."
random_text[number++] = "Triple harps have three rows of strings."
random_text[number++] = "Mozart wrote only one piece for harp: The Flute and Harp concerto, written in 1778."
random_text[number++] = "Bow-shaped harps were used in ancient Mesopotamia, around 2500 BC."
random_text[number++] = "Bow-shaped harps were used in India as early as 100 BC, and in south-east Asia by 800 AD."
random_text[number++] = "A 9-string bow-shaped harp was used in Egypt around 2500 BC."
random_text[number++] = "Arched (bow-shaped) harps are still used in Afria, and include the dilla, wombi, and ngombi."
random_text[number++] = "The angled harp was introduced to China in approximately 400 AD, and was called the k'ung-hu."
random_text[number++] = "According to the Bible, King David played the harp"
random_text[number++] = "Triangular-frame harps were used in medieval Europe."
random_text[number++] = "13th century Irish harps had brass strings and were plucked with long fingernails."
random_text[number++] = "The oldest existing Irish harp is called the Brian Boru harp, and dates from the 14th century.  It is now kept at Trinity College, Dublin."
random_text[number++] = "Lever harps are most commonly tuned in either the key of C or the key of Eb."
random_text[number++] = "The harp is played with just eight fingers - the little finger of each hand is not used."
random_text[number++] = "Because they are wooden instruments which respond to temperature and humidity, harps must be tuned every time they are moved, and often go out of tune when the weather changes."
random_text[number++] = "There are many different Latin American folk harps, including Mexican, Paraguayan, and Venezuelan versions"
random_text[number++] = "Harpers were highly regarded in medieval Ireland, and often were employed by kings and chiefs."
random_text[number++] = "Troubadors often used harps to accompany their singing and storytelling in medieval Europe."
random_text[number++] = "Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738) was a very famous blind harper and composer in Ireland."
random_text[number++] = "Elias Parish Alvars (1808 - 1849) was a prominent virtuoso English harpist."
// Non-harp facts
random_text[number++] = "If you want to see more detail, you can click on most photographs on this web site to see an enlarged version."
random_text[number++] = "You can use the <a href=site_map.html>site map</a> to quickly find any page on this web site."
// Create a random number with limits based on the number
// of possible random text strings
var random_number = Math.floor(Math.random() * number);
// Write out the random text to the browser
document.write(random_text[random_number]);
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