Do you name your harp?

[carol-kappus]

How can you not name something that you sit for hours every day with your arms around? I just can’t image!

[carol-kappus]

I have 11 harps! But my three main harps are Bòidheach (Gaelic for Beautiful), my Dusty FH36S, Baby – my Triplett Eclipse, and Blackie, my Thormahlen Ceili. Love them all!!

[brian-saville]

My Wife has 2 Carbon Fibre harps that I made for her. One is called Obsidia, the other is called Ravens Wing.

[Sylvia]

I named my first harp, a LH15, Hyacynth. The reason for the y is that the first time I wrote it, I put a y instead of an i, so I just kept it that way. When I bought her, I was way too poor to be buying a harp, but Lyon-Healy graciously financed it.

I always thought the quote came from the mid-East (see below), but Whittier is sometimes given credit for writing it. (I still think it’s mid-Eastern.)

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
Mosleh Eddin Saadi, Gulistan (Garden of Roses).

[emilia]

I have a pink Harpsicle that I named Pinkabel, sort of a mash-up of pink and Tinkerbelle and Pachelbel.

[kimberly-goodwin-helton]

The first two “starter” harps were not named but affectionately referred to as “my sweet little harp,” and “the princess,” or “la petite,” referring to my little Dusty Strings Ravenna 26, and later my L&H Prelude 40 with her crown. I finally came into a Salvi Diana. My mother always wanted to help me buy a CG when I felt I was ready to move to one, but she was suddenly taken away from me 2 years ago January, with pneumonia. A year later, to the day, I received an email that the owner of the Diana that I had tried to purchase before Thanksgiving, was finally, for sure ready to sell. It is a gorgeous instrument in showroom condition that feels like it was meant for me–a finer instrument than I ever thought I would have. It’s voice is heavenly and rich–like caramel and dark chocolate–Mom’s favorite. My mother left me a legacy that helped purchase it, and I couldn’t think but to name it in her honor. My mother was a blonde Norwegian with the somewhat curious maiden name of Bloom, and my beautiful blonde Italian harp is la Signora Fiore (Mrs. Flower [bloom]). Mom made it all possible–not only acquiring this harp, but my love of music, and all those piano, then voice lessons which turned into a modest opera career, that finally led to the harp. Thank you, Mom!

[kimberly-goodwin-helton]

What a beautiful sentiment! Hyacinths to feed the soul…:)

[balfour-knight]

Thanks, everyone, for your joyful contributions to this thread! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading every one of them. Along with my two harp princesses, I have a grand piano named “Madame Yamaha” and a pipe organ that we call “Organa.”

With my very best wishes to all of you,
Balfour

[renaissancemanohio]

I have only come to playing the harp in my mid-50s. So my harp names are a bit cliche, but meaningful to me. I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, home of the world-acclaimed Cleveland Orchestra. I played several instruments through high school — an A-100 Hammond Organ, flute in concert band, baritone horn in marching band, and viola in orchestra — and then was a music major in college, flute as my principle instrument.

During my formative years, Alice Chalifoux was the principal harpist of the Cleveland Orchestra. I did not play harp at that time but that was one of my desiderata. Seeing the harp ensembles on television during the holiday seasons was mesmerizing. So, my first harp, a one-of-a-kind Celtic lever harp is named Alice.

As a flutist, I came to love hearing Jean Pierre Rampal recordings. He was my guru. My flute teacher introduced me to him at one of his recitals. Rampal often recorded with Lily Laskine, as did Marcel Moyse, another flutist. Mdme. Laskine was inspirational on these recordings. So, I named my L&H Chicago CGX Lily.

I’ve never named a pet; they usually come pre-named. I have never named my car or any of my other instruments. It seems silly to refer to inanimate objects by human names. But harps are very much alive. The wooden structure breathes. It spontaneously speaks. It resonates with my laughter. So, naming a harp sounds somehow right, at least to my ear.

[carl-swanson]

Well gosh, I never thought about it, but I guess I do have a name for my harp.  When I’m practicing and keep messing up the same passage over and over again, I call out it’s name. It contains 4 letters and starts with the 19th letter of the alphabet.

[Sylvia]

It’s possible your harp behaves badly because it doesn’t like its name.

[renaissancemanohio]

Indeed. I know I never liked be called that name. LOL

[balfour-knight]

Guys, this thread is TOO FUNNY, ha, ha!  Thanks Carl for your “joyful contribution,” and I know just what you mean.  However, I usually do that while practicing the piano or organ, not while playing my beautiful harps.  My harp princesses are too sweet to say something like that to, ha, ha!

[Gretchen Cover]

Balfour,  your “sweet”  harp taught Carl’s  harp potty talk.  I know where the harp learned it, too.  (Read this month’s Harp Column “strange but true”)

[emma-graham]

OK, this could take a while!

I’ve always named my harps. I currently have 8 – all named! The majority are rented out to pupils. The names are helpful to keep track of them. So purely practical. Honest! I don’t know where they would go if they all came back home at once! My pedal harps are:

LH 23, ebony and bronze – Navarre (From the film Ladyhawke)

Camac big blue – Lexi (cause she’s electric!)

Erard Grecian – Tallis (His music was very special to me and my late dad)

Aoyama elude 45 – Albion (Robin Hood’s sword. See below!)

lever harps:

Hand made clarsach – Ailric (Childhood obsession with Robin Hood – he was Robin’s dad in my favourite TV version)

Camac Hermine – Hermione!! (Sooo original!)

Aoyama hempson – Arrietty (the borrowers)

Aoyama Kerry – Angus (he has tartan decoration so a Scottish name)

I was once told that you should NEVER rename a harp that has previously been named. Before my 23 I had a style 11. When I bought it her name was Gloria. I re-named her Galadriel and had endless trouble, including two broken pedal rods. I changed it back to Gloria and she behaved impeccably ever after. Coincidence…….?

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