Handel’s Harp concerto originally for harp AND lute?

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

It was published for organ, but the score should say “organ or harp,” I believe.

[HBrock25]

Here it’s possible to here my own reconstruction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NdYeeusqHY

best wishes,

Diego

[kreig-kitts]

I bet that lutes are still mostly used with period construction and volume since it’s largely an early music instrument, while both harps and bowed strings have gotten brighter/louder/MOREMOREMORE!!! over time, which could be part of why the lute would get drowned out, especially if the orchestra is

[john-strand]

Hello – thanks for posting this video – I loved it! Certainly a different texture than the pedal harp version I am used to, but I loved the feeling of being transported back in time by the sound of the two instruments – I thought the lute/harp balance was great in this video – I would love to be at a live performance where I imagine the sound and blend would be quite different than on a video recording with no additional mikes, or a studio recording with individual balance for the solo instruments – I can imagine the amount of work that went into this project – will it be part of a CD release at some point? Again, thanks for posting –
John

[katerina]

Handel Harp concerto was originally, as it mentioned “A Concerto here, for the Harp, Lute, Lyrachord and other instruments”.

Only a straight 2-lines part survived, and we have no idea what each instrument was, actually, doing. So, presumably, the harp was playing solo and the other guys – continuo or sort of.

Erard harp is not at all authentic for that, the concert was written for triple-harp (Welsh triple, but it’s completely ok to play it on Italian one, just less convenient).

Andrew Lawrence-King recorded it on triple and with all mentioned instruments in 1997 – CD “Italian Concerto”.

[katerina]

I play triple.

The easiest it is to be played on lever harp :), really. Just several changes of levers, nothing difficult. But on triple, if the harp is not pre-tuned, it is a pain of hanging in the middle (semitones) row all the way, half of the notes.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Using old pedal harps to be more “authentic” is just plain silly. I did so once to play with a baroque orchestra. One can alter one’s tone on a regular pedal harp if needed. But authenticity is sooooo overrated. I can’t bear to hear “period” orchestras. Or barking reconstructionist harps that sound like a dog. They may have low tension, but they give me high anxiety.

Just because only a melody and bass line were given, doesn’t mean we don’t know what to play. It doesn’t take a tremendous amount of study to find out.

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