The oldest recognized recording of an autoharp was made in New York City in September 1924, for a 78 RPM disc that was never released. It was re-recorded in January of the following year and distributed a few months later. On each side, Ernest V. Stoneman alternates between the vocal rendition of a song and playing it on a harmonica, accompanying himself on an autoharp throughout.

This disc has the additional distinction of being the first recording of country music to attain hit status. Some estimates judge it to have sold over a million copies within a year after its release. This called widespread popular attention to Stoneman’s pairing of the autoharp and mouthharp, as well as setting a precedent for the subsequent use of that combination, exemplified below.

The development of the autoharp as a melody instrument is also examined here. As described in the US patent issued for it in 1882, “the instrument may be used for accompaniment to the voice or another musical instrument, or the melody may be played at the same time with the accompaniment, as on any other harp.” Lesser known early recordings of the autoharp in melodic use are presented, along with more recent ones.

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