Gushing Chord vs. Aeolian Chord

[William Rinatti]

Hey there, I’m confused as to the difference between two Salzedo effects:

1) Gushing Chord
2) Aeolian Chord

They both appear to be a very compressed “vertical glissando” that happens on the beat for the duration of about 0.25 of a second or a bit less depending on the tempo. But they have different names and different notation.

Does anyone here know these effects and can tell me the difference?

Thanks.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

A gushing chord includes many more notes and is a literally gushing sound. The rising and descending aeolian chords are only three or four notes or so, in which the fingers brush through those strings in sequence, like the strumming of a guitar. The gushing chord is usually spanning an octave or more, and the strings are all brought into flux at virtually the same time. He indicates to use the third finger going up because, as the longest finger, it gets the most resonance from the string, or rather, from the sounding board. They also differ rhythmically. The gushing chord is a single sound event, and the aeolian chords are a sequence of rhythmic events occuring in a pattern. They are used differently in repertoire. The Aeolian Chords became popular among Italian composers. Their effect is parallel to a tremolo. Most harpists may tend to play a gushing chord too slowly, and make it sound like an aeolian flux or glissando, but it must be much faster and richer in sound, like a geyser suddenly springing in the air. It is perhaps the ultimate in harp color.

[William Rinatti]

Saul, thank you very much. Sorry I’m so late in saying thanks but I stopped checking for an answer about two or three days before you answered. Anyway, much appreciated.

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