Let g be a semi-simple complex Lie algebra and g=n − À h À n its triangular decomposition. Let U(g), resp. U q (g), be its enveloping algebra, resp. its quantized enveloping algebra. This article gives a quantum approach to the combinatorics of (classical) harmonic elements and Kostant's generalized exponents for g. A quantum analogue of the space of harmonic elements has been given by A. Joseph and G. Letzter (1994, Amer. J. Math. 116, 127-177). On the one hand, we give specialization results concerning harmonic elements, central elements of U q (g), and the decomposition of Joseph and Letzter (cited above). For g=sl n+1 , we describe the specialization of quantum harmonic space in the N-filtered algebra U(sl n+1 ) as the materialization of a theorem of A. Lascoux et al. (1995, Lett. Math. Phys. 35, 359-374). This enables us to study a Joseph-Letzter decomposition in the algebra U(sl n+1 ). On the other hand, we prove that highest weight harmonic elements can be calculated in terms of the dual of Lusztig's canonical basis. In the simply laced case, we parametrize a basis of n-invariants of minimal primitive quotients by the set C 0 of integral points of a convex cone. © 2002 Elsevier Science (USA) Key Words: quantum groups; enveloping algebras; canonical basis; harmonic space.0. INTRODUCTION 0.1. Let V be a complex finite dimensional space and G a Lie subgroup of GL(V). Assume that V is completely reducible as a G-module. Then G acts semi-simply on the symmetric C-algebra S(V). Let J be the ideal generated by the non-constant homogeneous G-invariant elements of S(V). Let V g be the dual of V. There exists a natural non-degenerate duality between S(V) and S(V) be the orthogonal of J and H g be the space of G-harmonic polynomials of V.