Fashion Harp

[Loonatik]

Here’s one from Salvi. The Arianna.

http://www.salviharps.com/public/Arianna%20pdf%20EN.pdf

[marcia-farkas]

Beautiful, but heavy!

[Sylvia]

6’2 and ca. 95 lbs (I’m adding the cover) and only a 22 soundboard?
I wonder if anyone ever played those…or was there just one?

I think they needed to decorate it some more…maybe some gold angels sprinkled here and there (sarcastic Syl here…I don’t like decorated harps)

As for weight, I’m so glad I could never afford a bigger harp than a 15!
In case you young folks don’t know, harps get heavier as they age. 🙂

[Gretchen Cover]

If you haven’t seen the Arianna in person, it is a beautiful harp. Obviously, Sylvia, if that model has been built for 35 years, there are harpists who like and play it.

I have a Salvi Apollo and I don’t find the weight (90 lbs). a problem. I do get someone to help tilt the harp onto the back of the van and also tilt it upwards when I take it out. It has never been a problem to find someone to help for 30 seconds. BTW, Salvi harps have wheels on the harp base so it is very easy to move the harp around.

[Angela Biggs]

If I’m going to go for decoration on a harp, I prefer it to be the wood itself (my harp is figured cherry with birds-eye maple). In that sense, this harp is gorgeous! However, it looks a little dated to me, maybe a bit too 70s….

[emma-graham]

They are pretty common here in the UK and I’m guessing in the rest of Europe. My college had one and I remember having to use It for my final recital. I hated it! I wish I had had the guts to insist on using my own harp. They are very heavy and I wasn’t keen on the sound this one had. I’ve heard others that were much better though. I think Cartin Finch used to play one before she got her current harp.

[Sylvia]

My Etude once had wheels on the base. I took it to band, not taking the dolly and figuring on rolling her in (yes…because I had the dolly with my other harp at a different place at the time…) When I got to the parking lot, I rolled her to the door of the band building, and the cement finished off whatever was left of the wheels. Evidently, they were designed for living room floors. Maybe the Salvi wheels work well on cement.

As I’ve always said, harpists are all very different from each other. We have different ideas of what the harp should be, both in appearance and in playing, so that provides a lot of variety and some interesting comments.

[ellen-beckerman]

I have a friend who has an Ariana, and I have played it. While I am new to the world of pedal harps, having just bought a Camac Clio in June (I’ve been playing Celtic harp for over 20 years), I have found her harp quite beautiful. Visually it is grand and elegant. All the inlay keeps the eye busy and appreciative. In terms of sound, I find it warm, rich, and lovely. Working on some musical collaboration with my friend and her Ariana is part of what made me decide to take the pedal harp plunge!

[Philippa mcauliffe]

My own harp is a cherry Camac Atlantide so clearly I like plain looking harps but i have a friend with an Arianna and it sounds wonderful. I really enjoy playing it. I love the inlay and I am not usually a huge fan of gold decoration or fancy carving. She loads and unloads it alone ok but it is harder to do than mine. I also love the look of the Iris in natural wood without the gold from Salvi. I only use the wheels on mine inside on nice surfaces and I don’t think any harp wheels are intended for outdoors or rough floors.

[jessica-wolff]

I like decorated harps, but not the Arianna.

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