I Hear a Harp

—by Alex Rider

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Nearly every person who plays the harp at one point sat mesmerized by the sound of the instrument. Whether the harp sound was thunderous, angelic, melancholy, or simply stunning, the sound compelled you. Maybe it was at a solo concert of a virtuoso, maybe it was the first time you heard a harp in person, or maybe, like me, it was when masterful writing met capable hands in an ensemble concert. 

Back in 2002, the family of a school friend invited me to hear an evening performance of Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. I had only been playing for about a year, and I was awestruck by the harp playing I heard that night. Those familiar with Britten’s chilling opera will know that it is scored for a chamber ensemble in which the harp plays an integral role; the instrument is, by turns, sweet or eerily tinkling before biting with nerve-jangling intensity. It was an early and unforgettable lesson in the variety and power of the harp’s sound palette.