difficult part in contemporary piece by Philip Lasser

[elizabeth-motter]

Has anyone got any experience with a piece by Philip Lasser called “The Dream Keeper”? It is a modern (2006) secular cantata – the harp part is extensive, exposed, and, if I may say so, nearly impossible…I am pulling out my hair because I can’t play it and we’ve had two rehearsals already so it is too late to back out. Did not know what I was getting into and wish I hadn’t. I am heavily editing and still feel like I can’t play it…does anyone know it and can help? I realize that is a stupid question, but I am grasping at straws. If nothing else, forum followers have been warned.

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

Sorry; I haven’t seen this part. Can you get a look at the score? Maybe there are notes that are covered or doubled and you can leave them out. Sometimes the problem is the copying. If there are lots of weird rests floating around and confusing your eye, try cross-beaming between staves or beaming across all the notes belonging to a single beat. Are the left and right hand parts aligned well? Are the spaces between the notes not uniform?

[David Ice]

On many occasions I’ve had to “decompose” a harp part via Sibelius software, completely rewriting it to get it playable.

[Sid Humphreys]

I had this problem with “This Christmastide.” I just looked at all the arpegios and wrote them out as chords and played the chords slowly. The conductor wasn’t thrilled with that but when the piano player refused to play my part, the conductor was grateful I was even there!

Alot of composers write these

[elizabeth-motter]

Thanks, everyone, I really appreciate the moral support. In the end, I resorted to massive editing. We had dress rehearsal this morning and I managed all but 2 “spots.” I finally got a chance to see the conductor’s score and made a bunch of markings which will hopefully keep me from missing my final lick in the fast movement with all the meter changes. Now that I have worked out a solution that I can actually almost play, I don’t want to MISS IT!!! By golly.
I really need to learn how to use music software, thanks for the suggestion. The part is now pretty illegible, but at least I am used to it…
Thank you, HC buddies, I do appreciate you!
PS – I am making a note, on the front of the harp part, that the piece will require several months to learn and will require extensive editing. I also marked approximate tempi for all movements. If no one erases it, that should at least help the next harpist….
Can’t wait for next week – DEBUSSY AND RAVEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

Good for you for helping out the next harpist! We all need to stick together.

[Gretchen Cover]

Is it all right to send rental

[sherry-lenox]

I was one of those overly scrupulous people that used to have “eraser parties” to clean up rented scores, when suddenly I noticed that the scores we were receiving were never cleaned up at all. I always used throw-away copies for major re-writes.
No one I have ever known has gotten in trouble over reasonable rehersal marks.q

[elizabeth-motter]

Well, in retrospect, I wish I had used a throw-away copy. I made a copy of the final product just so I would have a record, and in case I should ever need it again. I would have wanted, in this case, to send the part back with edits. I don’t know who will end up with the part, or if it will be erased, but if there is a chance I could help/warn the next harpist, I wanted to pass the info along.

[Gretchen Cover]

To clarify: I complained to the editor about the lack of gliss markings in their sheet music. They declined to do anything to make the music more user-friendly. I should have left all the gliss keys in the score to save someone hours of work.

[David Ice]

I once got the “tour book” for A CHORUS LINE, and God Bless whoever came before me, because they wrote in RED INK (!!!) “Please do not erase any of these markings.

[Gretchen Cover]

David,

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