German Harps

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This topic has 22 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 3 months ago by robert-stone.

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March 25, 2008 at 10:22 pm #74795

unknown-user
Participant

I am thinking of buying a german harp. Are Horngacher harps really so good? Any experience?

Maria

April 1, 2008 at 6:37 pm #74796

rod-anderson
Participant

I was hoping to see some comments from some of the more knowledgeable contributors to this site, but Horngachers aren’t particularly well known in the USA.

April 1, 2008 at 9:32 pm #74797

Amiable Aardvark
Participant

They’re glorious, really top-quality instruments. However, Rod is right, with any harp you’re thinking of buying you should try it out first. Not everyone loves the same thing in an instrument. But do follow this interest up because it’s worth traveling for. They’re certainly the harp of choice among many concert performers in Europe.

April 2, 2008 at 5:29 am #74798

patricia-jaeger
Member

Maria, Nancy Allen, the harp professor at the Juilliard School, and at Yale, and at Aspen, and with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, owns a Horngacher harp. It is probably not her only harp. She has made numerous recordings, and so if you wished to hear the sound of this harp, look in the liner notes on the back

April 2, 2008 at 4:27 pm #74799

unknown-user
Participant

I have heard one used in recital and one on a recording in the U.S. The Horngacher is ornately decorated with a Prussian feel, to my sensibility. I felt the tone to be somewhat constricted, and that the harp and the sound were on the heavy side. That might be why they last. If you’re not looking for a big, reverberant sound, based on that experience, and you have tons of money to spend, go ahead and get one. I, myself, if I had that much money, would either get a style 3, 11 or a custom-designed harp from Lyon & Healy. The Horngacher used on the recording sounds good, and was very skillfully recorded, and there is no way to know how it balanced against the ensemble, but has a good tone quality. To me, their carving and decoration has extreme elegance, aristocratic air, but is cold, somehow. Or maybe it is just a little too imperial for me.

May 7, 2008 at 6:34 pm #74800

katerina
Participant

I played 3 different Horngachers, and I should say, that they are very brilliant instruments. Especially their models with damper pedal – very usefull thing and helps to make many nice string effects for Jazz and classic both.

For else – take a look to Thurau pedal harps (Germany too). The one “Javelot de Gabriel”

May 9, 2008 at 1:41 am #74801

unknown-user
Participant

I have played three Horngacher. I think they are very very good, top of the range instrument. They still have much handmaking in their harp, so attention to detail and quality is very high. Most harp maker I speak to, say they are wonderful quality, best woods and high quality machining in the mechanics. They seem to last a very long time, so this compensate for extra expense. You can get through your playing life with this one harp, which I

May 9, 2008 at 2:05 pm #74802

katerina
Participant

Compairing with Thurau and LH, Horngachers have a little more fat body. The cut ellipse of soundboard is longer, so you need to sit on a higher stool, than with LH and Thurau. That is the only one minus of Horngacher I found during my practice as master and a little bit – player. Biologically they are the men harps – the longer shoulder, legs

May 9, 2008 at 3:58 pm #74803

Jerusha Amado
Participant

>>The one “Javelot de Gabriel”

May 9, 2008 at 4:41 pm #74804

katerina
Participant

I’t is muuuuuuuuuch nicer alife, and a kind of magic in use. Unreal harp, I think.

May 9, 2008 at 11:33 pm #74805

Briggsie B. Peawiggle
Participant

Did you see the prices? Good GOD!

May 10, 2008 at 3:56 am #74806

unknown-user
Participant

The triple harp is gorgeous – I’d buy a Arpa De Viaggio myself if I had the dosh!

May 10, 2008 at 5:42 am #74807

Jerusha Amado
Participant

I know what you mean.

May 10, 2008 at 9:16 am #74808

katerina
Participant

Curly,

Thurau will probably not be in Amsterdam this year (he told so). He goes to Utrecht in the end of summer to the exhibition and I know nothind about his else locations. But I’m going to pick my De Viaggio from his workshop in Germany

May 10, 2008 at 1:20 pm #74809

unknown-user
Participant

Hi Katerina,

How exciting! I am exceedingly envious that you will be choosing your De Viaggio
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