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I recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend a harp retreat in the beautiful south of France. It was everything I had hoped for—wonderful music, beautiful scenery, inspiring company… and I even brought home a souvenir: a broken right arm!

Not exactly the keepsake I had in mind.

Having never broken an arm before, I quickly discovered that a broken arm is inconvenient for most people—but for a harpist, it feels like a full-blown career crisis! After a short period of feeling thoroughly sorry for myself, I was chatting with my friend and fellow harpist Amanda Whiting, who suggested that perhaps I should write something for one hand. Her reasoning was simple: if this could happen to me, it could happen to someone else.

So I set to work writing an étude for the left hand alone. As the music developed, I realized it could also serve as a practical study, incorporating skills such as octave jumps, accompaniment patterns, melodic phrasing, repeated-note phrasing, crossing under, and playing in sixths. By the time I finished, I also realized that it works perfectly well for the right hand too—just play it an octave higher!

Somehow, the finished piece ended up sounding as though Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie had wandered into a gentle dream inspired by “I’m Not in Love”  by the artist 10cc. I can’t really explain why those two influences appeared—they simply invited themselves in!

So, while I wouldn’t recommend breaking an arm as a source of musical inspiration, I’m rather pleased that something positive came from the experience. If this etude helps another harpist through an injury—or simply provides an enjoyable way to practice some useful techniques—then my unexpected French souvenir will have been worth something after all.

I hope you enjoy playing it, and if you have students who could benefit from a one-handed study (without the broken arm!), I hope you’ll share it with them. •