Bisbigliando

[jennifer-buehler]

Does anyone know of any good videos showing how to play bisbigliando or using it during a piece? Thanks!

[Sylvia]

The Ceremony of Carols has a section in #5, As dew in Aprille, which begins at the 11th full measure. You might watch some performances of that.
Here are some definitions, although in the CofC, it is marked forte.

w.google.com/search?q=bisbigliando+definition&rlz=1C1CHNQ_enUS496US496&oq=bisbigliando+definition&aqs=chrome.0.69i57.21234j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

bisbigliando
Web definitions
whispering; i.e., a special tremolo effect on the harp where a chord or note is rapidly repeated at a low volume.

[carl-swanson]

Take a look at the youtube video of Mildred Dilling playing Follets of Hasselmans, which I put up several years ago. She does a great bisbigliando on that. That piece requires a 3 finger bisbigliando. One of my teachers, Aristid Von Wurtzler could do an astounding 4 finger bisbigliando. It just took my breath away each time he did it.

[Sid Humphreys]

I’m so glad to read that Carl! I thought I was a dunce since I couldn’t do the 18 measures of 3 and 4 finger bisbigliandi in the harp part for Oklahoma Overture this past spring. I could do the 3 finger somewhat but it wasn’t as even as I wanted it to be; the 4 finger was a first inversion chord. Bleh!

[jennifer-buehler]

Thank you so much! I will definitely check these out!

[jennifer-buehler]

@Carl Swanson Oh my gosh that was wonderful. Her wrists are so supple. If I could be that relaxed it would solve a lot of problems even beyond harp!

[tracey-kjonegaard]

I can’t find the video Carl is talking about, can someone link it?

[carl-swanson]

Just go to Youtube and type in Mildred Dilling. A list of things will come up, but it’s the one titled ‘Mildred Dilling performs in 1940.’

[tracey-kjonegaard]

Right, I just watched that but I didn’t think she said that she was playing “Follets of Hasselmans”. Also, I’m unfamiliar with the that piece anyway. I just wanted to see her play a bisbigliando. Am I missing something? And also, I have no idea what a bisbigliando is or haven’t seen it (I’m very VERY new to harp) so even if she did play one in one of those songs, I definitely wouldn’t have known it lol. Help?

[Sid Humphreys]

She may have called it “Fireflies” or something, an alternate title for this piece. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNFtRU_c2Ec is the link:
The piece starts at 7:25 and the “bis” starts at 7:46.
To practice this technique, it is clearly explained in “Harp For Today” written by McDonald and Rollo. The exercises start on page 139 in my edition of that book. Good luck!

[tracey-kjonegaard]

Ahh okay, yes I did watch that one a few times and specifically that part- incredible. Thanks for clearing that up for me 🙂

[Alison]

I can suggest two obvious examples, the first page of Impromptu Caprice and somewhere like the 2nd page of Venus in the Planets… Not too difficult to play, just listen and you will improve….!!

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

If I see a four-finger bisbigliando in a harp part, I break it into a two-handed trill, unless there is something else that must be played in the left hand. In orchestral music, it sounds better to split up the bisbigliando between two hands and leave out any extraneous bass chords that are already covered by the rest of the orchestra.

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