Hi Alison,

Thanks for posting the link, it was an interesting read! I don’t play pedal harp so I’m not familiar with the piece you mentioned… maybe a link to a good example of it?

On wire harp I started with the traditional Irish folk music… I still appreciate it but I dont’t play it at all anymore. My work now revolves entirely around arranging Gregorian chant for wire harp. It was a good way to learn the basics of technique, but mine has evolved a lot to accomodate playing chant, so it’s not at all historically correct anymore… Not a question of like/dislike per se, just my own musical growth and development. I doubt I could go back to playing, say, jigs and reels in a truly authentic way on harp now. Once in a great while I’ll give a listen to someone else doing that, say to myself, “oh, yes I remember that one” and then it’s back to chant studies.

About 4 year ago, I did Chadwick’s Symphonic Sketches. I didn’t care for the harp part at all. It was difficult to learn and could hardly be heard, except for the Noel; that was the hardest, I think the harp was playing 6 notes to the violins 4. Bleh! I hate remembering that performance! LOL

Sylvia, I have just taken on learning all of the Sousa Marches. I play a lot in Wind Ensembles and the Harp part always goes unplayed. ( I am a Percussionist, and a new Harpist.) I would love to hear more about your modifications to the Stars and Stripes! And, any other band works for that matter. Thanks!

This was on http://www.naxos.com
Notice the third paragraph about instrumentation. I don’t know if that means he did NOT write for brass band.

Sousa’s Greatest Marches

John Philip Sousa personified turn-of-the-century America, the comparative innocence and brash energy of a still new nation. His ever touring band represented America across the globe and brought music to hundreds of American towns. John Philip Sousa, born 6th November, 1854, reached this exalted position with startling quickness. In 1880, at the age of 26, he became conductor of the U.S. Marine Band. In twelve years the vastly improved ensemble won high renown and Sousa’s compositions earned him the title of “The March King”. Sousa went one better with the formation of his own band in 1892, bringing world acclaim.

In its first seven years the band gave 3500 concerts; in an era of train and ship travel it logged over a million miles in nearly four decades. There were European tours in 1900, 1901, 1903, and 1905, and a world tour in 1910–11, the zenith of the band era.

The unprecedented popularity of the Sousa Band came at a time when few American orchestras existed. From the Civil War to about 1920, band concerts were the most important aspect of U.S. musical life. No finer band than Sousa’s was ever heard. Sousa modified the brass band by decreasing the brass and percussion instruments, increasing its woodwinds, and adding a harp. His conducting genius attracted the finest musicians, enabling him to build an ensemble capable of executing programs almost as varied as those of a symphony orchestra. The Sousa Band became the standard by which American bands were measured, causing a dramatic upgrading in quality nationally.

Patricia, maybe you’ll get a chance to do Saint-Saens ‘Marche Heroique.’ Much better for the harp!

Right now I am doing Suk’s “Fairytale” first movement. It’s like 6 pages of hard exercises. I’m really tempted to do E major glisses for half a measure with a C natural for the other half coming down. This goes on for 6 pages ( 2 sextuplets ascending followed by 2 sets of 16th descending). LOL!