Harp schools in the world

[Katarzyna Miernik]

Hi everybody!

I’m on my last year in Conservatory of Antwerp and I’m writing my thesis about different harp schools in the world.
For now I know about the following harp schools: French (including
Renie, Salzedo etc.), German (Zingel, Grimm, Posse), Italian (Grossi),
Japanese (Mimura, Molnar), Russian (Zabel, Posse, Yashneva, Duova),
Salzedo, Suzuki,. About some of them I’ve heard but I don’t have any
information (Viennese school, Attl school…). I can find many
information about the French and Salzedo schools but with others I have a
problem.
If you have any information about these or other schools, or if you
would like to tell me about schools in your country I would appreciate
it very much! I would like to know more about German and Russian schools
but others are also interesting for me. ANY information will be very
useful for me.

Thank you! Kasia

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I believe there has been a cluster of Attl technique students in Los Angeles, from Stanley Chaloupka to Lou Anne Neill. There is also Alfred Holy, I don’t know if he counts as a separate school.

[Katarzyna Miernik]

Thank you!
I’ve looked for some information about Kajetan Attl and I found out that the Attl method should actually be called Trnecek method as it was Hanus Trnecek who invented it. I’m now trying to understand this method of playing. I’ve read somewhere that Trnecek wrote “Method for Harp” which was published by Carl Fisher in New York but it’s really difficult to find it. Do you know something more about the Attl (Trnecek) method?

[alexander-rider]

Hi Katarzyna- your project sounds most interesting and ambitious. The American harpist Laura Newell (1900-1980– ?) was a student of both Attl and Holy I believe. I think she wrote an article in the American Harp Journal called ‘an aestheic pertinent to sound’ where she laid some of the method down. I have not seen the article, but if you contact the American harp society, they may be able to dig out for you or sell you a back-issue or something. Someone here may even have it. Good Luck!!! Alex 🙂

[Katarzyna Miernik]

Hey Alex, thank you!

From what I know Laura Newell was born in 1910 and died in 1981. I knew
that she was a student of K. Attl but I didn’t know that she also
studied with Holy. The article she wrote about the method is in AHJ
Spring 1968 or 1967 (I’m not sure yet). I didn’t know that it was called
“An aesthetic pertinent to sound”, thank you for the info. I’ve asked
the society for this back issue and I’m waiting for their answer but I’m
not sure if they have it. So if anybody has the issue of AHJ with an
article by Laura Newell about Attl school or if somebody knows more
about this method (Attl or Trnecek) please write to me!

[alexander-rider]

If you can get hold of a translation of Holys memoirs (translated into English by Artiss de Volt) that would help. Have you seen this website, JUST about Poenitz?! http://www.franz-poenitz.de/ Alex

[Katarzyna Miernik]

Thank you I didn’t know this book! I will try to find it.
The website I knew. It’s nice, with many pictures but my German is not good enough so if anybody could translate for me only the most important things, I would be very gratefull!
By the way I can order from the American Harp Journal editor copies of any back issues I need! That’s great! Maybe some of you also need them.
Looking forward to hearing more from you!
By the way if anybody has some questions about harp schools and methods feel free to ask me. I have quite a list and notes already.
Katarzyna

[Katherine Denler]

Hi! Just do a google search and when the results show the webpage, select “translate”. It isn’t the greatest translation (reflects the german grammar) but it’s understandable 🙂

If you feel like sharing, I would love to see a finished version of your thesis! crossmyharp@gmail.com

[patricia-jaeger]

A deceased member of the German school was Max Saal. He taught Erich Schubert, well known harpist in Bavaria and the Austrian Tyrol, who was over 90 when he died in January 2010. Perhaps by researching those names and others you would find more evidence. I have the Attl Method, and also the Holy memoirs, edited by Artiss DeVolt. Specialized libraries should also have these; hopefully the Paris Bibliotheque.

[Katarzyna Miernik]

Thank you Katherine, I will try to do that! And I will share my thesis with you when it’s finnished. But for now I’m still collecting the information.

Patricia, thank you for the names I knew about Max Saal but Erich Schubert is a new name for me. I will try to find some information about them.

Which edition of Attl Method do you have? I thought it’s very difficult to get it. Can you tell me the publisher and the date when was it published? I found Holy memoirs in internet libraries but I coulnd’t find Attl anywhere.

[patricia-jaeger]

Katarzyna, my Kajetan Attl Method was published by Carl Fischer, Nrw York City in 1924. It was given to me by the late DeWayne Fulton, performing and recording harpist based in southern California, who studied with Attl.

[patricia-jaeger]

More information about harpists and harp teachers of the past, was published in the Harp Today magazine by the Lyon and Healy harp company in the Winter 2003 issue, pages 7, 8, 9, and 10. You can e-mail harpisttree@lyonhealy.com. Also, the eminent harp historian Dr. Roslyn Rensch Erbes, author of Harps and Harpists, has an ongoing project to complete a genealogy “tree” of past harpists and their students. So some of the research has already been done in your field of interest. As to Erich Schubert, his original compositions and arrangements were sometimes published by companies in Vienna or in Ruppichterroth, Germany, and sometimes he self-published them. For a while he was a dealer for the David harp company of Switzerland; more information may be found there. He had many students who became professional.

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