Celeste Inman, age 15, of Miami, Fla, for her question:

WHAT IS THE OLDEST STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT?

The harp is the oldest of stringed musical instruments. The Bible says that the harp was invented by Jubal. It was the musical accompaniment for the psalms of the ancient Jews and was played by David.

The harp is also the most important musically of all the stringed instruments that are played with fingers rather than with a bow.

The double harp, or David's harp as it is also called, is played with the fingers and thumbs of both hands. It is a triangular shaped instrument with a sounding board and catgut strings. The strings are usually tuned to the principal key of the music.

The most important development of the instrument was the pedal harp, which many historians say was invented about 1720 by a musician named Celestin Hochbrucker. This harp has seven pedals which can make each note of the scale in each octave a half note higher.

In 1810 a man named Sebastien Erard invented the double action pedal harp, the harp most often played today. This harp permits two changes in the length of strings and thus two tone changes.