From l. to r.: Sharon Thormahlen introduces us to harp music from Honduras in her new book, Folclore de Honduras; Stephanie Claussen’s The Road Home From Skye is a “go-to” collection of Scottish and Irish tunes; and Dutch harpist Anouk Platenkamp has published the first of two collections of traditional Dutch folk music.

Hundreds of harpists from around the world are gathering in Toronto for One Harp World, so it seems like a good time to focus on music from other cultures and countries. 

Sharon Thormahlen introduces us to harp music from Honduras in her new book, Folclore de Honduras. Published by Afghan Press, this is a collection of 10 traditional dance tunes arranged for lever harp tuned to F major. 

Thormahlen explains in the foreword that there are over 141 folk dances listed at the National Office for Folklore in Honduras with two very distinct cultural areas: a rural area of Indigenous/Mestizo origin, and an Afro-Caribbean area. This book focuses on the first category. The proceeds from the book go to help luthiers get supplies needed to make harps for the people of Central America.

The first two dances, “Xixique” and “Huapango del Rio,” are in F major, 3/4, and fairly easy. “Xixique” repeats the same chord pattern with variations to the melody. The latter piece is indicated to be played in a swing rhythm and it makes it easy to dance to. In fact, this tune is usually the first folk dance children learn. The next several pieces are in C major and “Sensible Despedida” and “Candu” are pretty easy. “Sos Un Angel” is in 6/8 and uses a lot of sixteenth notes in a scale pattern.

There are two versions of “El Chotis.” The first is labeled intermediate beginner, mostly due to a few lever changes. The second version is marked as advanced intermediate because of several lever slides. It is a little trickier. The final three pieces are in G major and not difficult to play. 

The music is spiral-bound and the type-setting is easy to read. Chord symbols are provided and it makes it easy to embellish the arrangements if you like. There is some lovely folk art of the Honduran countryside on the covers and throughout the book. Sharon Thormahlen provides some interesting background on each of the tunes and even describes what the men and women wear as they dance. The book is also available in Spanish. If you would like to experience the dance music of Honduras and help support the luthiers of Central America at the same time, pick up a copy of this book. 

Music from Scotland and Ireland is nothing new to most harpists, but there is a recent book of tunes from that part of the world from Mel Bay Publications arranged by Stephanie Claussen. The Road Home From Skye is a collection packed with 29 arrangements for lever harp tuned to E-flat major. 

Claussen endorses playing most notes in the left hand with a flat hand and, to that end, she includes some flat hand exercises at the beginning of the book. She also includes a page of left-hand exercises and ornament exercises. She explains some terms and symbols and encourages the player to modify the arrangements to their playing level and tastes. 

The selections include some airs, reels, jigs, strathspeys, and other traditional Scottish and Irish melodies. There are no lever changes within a piece, although a few pieces require some pre-set levers outside the key signature. Harmonics are included on three of the tunes, but they are marked as optional. Percussive effects are encouraged on “The Old Favorite.” Otherwise there are not a lot of special effects, although there are frequent grace notes. Claussen encourages the player to add more. The arrangements are tasteful, have appealing chord voicings, and are suitable for intermediate players.

Claussen frequently offers the option of transitioning from one piece to the next when they are in the same key. Most of the arrangements are two pages long. Chord symbols are included throughout the book enabling embellishment, and fingering is provided where it is most useful. She also lists the approximate playing length of each melody. 

Claussen, a former U.S. National Scottish Harp Champion, has a recording by the same title. This is a useful, go-to book to have on hand when you need some Scottish and Irish repertoire.

Dutch harpist Anouk Platenkamp and Frimout Music (www.frimoutmusic.com) have published a collection of traditional Dutch folk music. Kaap’ren Varen contains nine folk songs that were written at the end of the 19^th century and were most likely sung all over the Netherlands. 

Platenkamp decided to provide two versions of each song in this spiral-bound volume. One is a harp solo version and the other is to accompany a singer. The vocal version has the lyrics (in Dutch) in the body of the music with subsequent verses printed at the end of the piece. 

These engaging arrangements can be played on a lever harp tuned to E-flat. Several of the pieces require lever changes, and they are notated by the note letter and octave. There is an error on “Heer Halewijn” in measure 19 where the D4 natural should be D5. 

At the front of the book, Platenkamp tells the story of each song, and some of them are quite gruesome! In spite of that, the tunes themselves are lovely, and her arrangements are imaginative and interesting. Fingering is provided where it is most helpful, page turns are manageable, and the typesetting is easy to read. It would be helpful if the lever change markings were a little larger. 

Savor a stroopwafel while you immerse yourself in some traditional Dutch folk music! If you enjoy this book, watch for volume two coming out soon. •