Important Repetoire

[Anonymous]

Speaking of percussion reminds me–some 30-odd years ago, I think it was, I read a Times review of a Carnegie Recital Hall debut recital by a marimbist.

[unknown-user]

The thread is about “necessary” repertoire. When masters like Renie, Grandjany and Salzedo were transcribing pieces from other periods for harp, they carefully selected what they felt were appropriate works and laboriously worked them out as harp pieces, I am sure. (I can only speak “directly” of Salzedo’s work methods.) Has their discriminating activity legitimized all manner of transcribing, or perhaps it is just the attitude that individuality is all that matters. It is very easy to say ‘do whatever you feel like’. And we all do what we feel like, to some extent or another. Music is individual, but it is a shared language and culture, with a certain amount of norms and traditions that help keep it strong.

But speaking of Carnegie Hall recitals, which I do, I tend to assume other people share the goal or dream of such performing, and so I try to help them along that kind of path. I guess that’s the agenda I am being accused of promoting. I want people to do the very best they possibly can, and to do the best for the harp they can at the same time. If someone has the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall, and they do a program like, say, a Nadermann Sonata, four Bochsa and Dizi etudes, four chosen at random Scarlatti Sonatas, followed by a Beethoven piano sonata, tidbits by Zabel and something like Parish Alvars Serenade and a Fantasy on opera airs, I would venture to say they are not really honoring the occasion or the harp, though it may be what they want to do most of all. And they will be pleased with themselves, but as people leave, they may well be saying, as I heard after a recital in Carnegie Hall long, long ago by a foreign harpist, “Well, that’s the last time I go to a harp recital! Is that what they have for repertoire?” You might want to say that was an ignorant fool, but he spent his money for a Carnegie Hall recital by a harpist and was disappointed. We are all ambassadors for the harp, and are always educating the public and other musicians by what and how we play. If we’re going to play Mozart Sonatas, then by golly, we should just be darn sure we’re going to play them better than those pianists.

[kimberly-rowe]

I’m sure some would argue that the “Arkansas Traveller” is not an appropriate work for the harp and is hardly discriminating. Maybe Salzedo just thought it was a catchy tune and decided to make an arrangement of it (Traipsin Thru Arkansas). But now the melody to “I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee” has made it into our standard harp repertoire and onto the concert stage of an opening recital of an AHS conference (2004 in Philadelphia). Why shouldn’t harpists of this generation have the same liberty to play and arrange whatever music catches their fancy? I personally feel strongly that it is much more important to encourage creativity than to be worried about what the public is going to think. Isn’t that what art is all about?

[unknown-user]

I think art is created with the public in mind, perhaps. At least for me it is. Artists who disregard the public and work only to please themselves are less interesting for it. I don’t think Salzedo chose Arkansas Traveler just to suit his fancy. He chose one of the most well-known popular folk tunes at a time when he was performing cross-country, and subjected to the cleverest permutations and deconstruction, long before Foucault. The tune in itself is playable on the harp. He was consciously going against the typical impression of the harp, I think, to maximized the effect of how he handled the music, to brilliant effect. I think creativity should be encouraged, but it thrives on structure and guidance as well in order to excell. As long as people strive to improve and grow, that’s most important. As for the bumble-bee, somehow I missed that. But precedents should never be an excuse. And as the old French saying goes, “It’s the exception that confirms the rule.” Meaning, exceptions must be and are made, but it doesn’t violate rules (structure) to do so. It’s really quite an elegant statement. As one who has almost always had to be an exception, it has allowed me to develop and grow.

[kimberly-rowe]

Surprisingly, Saul, I agree with many of these points. I just wish you would allow us to apply them to all aspects and genres of harp composition and performance, and not just those that you personally deem worthy or tasteful.

[alexander-rider]

It is so difficult though. I find it hard to believe that audiences are actually becoming MORE sophisticated. Society is getting more and more visual, fast paced, frenetic. How many people will be making the distinction between those playing “La source” and those playing “structure for harp” ? Not many. I for one enjoy recitals where I am invited to be

[carl-swanson]

Alex- You hit on the core problem in your post, and it’s something I wrote about elsewhere.

[unknown-user]

I’m a bit puzzled. It’s by applying standards that pieces fall into categories or genres. Each piece has its places. I’m trying to get across that we need to be sensitive to the characteristics of the pieces we consider and what they project. I’m sure there is a concert program possible that would set off La Source by Hasselmans like the jewel that it is, and when it is played brilliantly and melodically, it is a wonderful experience, just like a diamond on a bracelet. But what is the diamond set among? Poor design can render it garish and tasteless. The deeper we look into music, the deeper the understanding we bring to it, the deeper our interpretation. La Source, for example, is perfectly appropriate as an etude, and for student repertoire, and for concerts that are diversions and entertainments, or even background music. In a serious setting, where people are accustomed to the finest of classical music, it is less appropriate because it does not have deep structure or profundity, other than its beauty. But if you cleverly surround it with atonal music or something austere, its freshness may be breathtaking, perhaps.

I don’t think I’m trying to be oppressive, but suggest developing guidelines of choices, as critics, auditions and concert series with determined requirements will be encountered in one’s career. I do think that standards can be more than personal, and competitions tend to enforce standards by determining repertoire as agreed on by committee. Some consensus has to exist as to necessary or significant or important repertoire in support of

[carl-swanson]

I think a lot of people have a false impression of Salzedo harpists as being very close-minded. I know that’s not true. I think that we are/were held to very high standards and very high technical demands, and after coming through that, a lot of other music tends to seem not challenging or interesting enough,

Saul- The first sentence of the above extract from your post is directly contradicted by the rest of the extract.This is exactly the sort of attitude that infuriates me about the Salzedo school.

[kimberly-rowe]

Carl, I would like to assure you that there are many of us out here with a Salzedo background that do not embrace the above labels and stereotypes, and I find them equally as offensive as you do. It is a method, like any other, that has served me well, but the fact that I am a so-called “Salzedo harpist” has absolutely nothing to do with what music I choose to play, and I count Tournier and Hasslemans among my favorite harp composers. This is exactly the point about creativity I was trying to make earlier. We should play what interests us, and encourage our students to do the same. A technique is simply the means to an end and should not in any way limit, dictate, or stiffle anyone’s creativity and exploration of the harp.

[unknown-user]

I did not contradict myself, and please don’t remove my words from their context. It is very difficult to put these things into words in a succinct fashion. I apologize if I was not able to communicate my ideas in an ideal way that sounded fair, generous, or polite. It is not easy to do so in this format. Nor do I feel a requirement to please everybody. I simply tried to describe where I have come from and how it has informed my thinking. Whether you feel a statement applies to you and demeans or infuriates you is totally your choice of response. Not all people are held to very high standards, even within the same department. If you think you were held to a very high standard, then the statement obviously would not apply to you. Take responsibility for your perceptions rather than defensively blame it on someone else’s statement. The fact is, there is lots of music that is not of a high standard, just as much music is. That the standards taught might apply more to one kind of music than another is unavoidable. All conservatory students come out of the experience with attitudes molded by their education. Bear in mind, that the Salzedo method was developed in the background of pre-existing harp schooling, and therefore needed to be differentiated. In keeping it distinct, the perceived insufficiencies of other approaches may have been over-emphasized. Perhaps it was the wrong approach. That’s what happens in many such circumstances. I have encountered it in other fields as well. It should suffice to say once again, that Miss Lawrence and Mr. Salzedo were friends with Mr. Grandjany and had great respect for him. It was their students who could not seem to get along, and that does not need to be prolonged by attacks disguised as counter-attacks.

[Tacye]

I find it interesting the different audiences the contributors to this
thread seem to be envisaging.

[diane-michaels]

After reading through this prickly little thread, I have to go back to Mark’s original query, not to answer it directly, but to add another opinionated voice to the mix.

[unknown-user]

Very well said.

[Anton Sie]

Because I didn’t check this forum anymore, I had to read a lot! And now I have forgotten a lot…

Of course, I should play what I want to, but the opinion of a non-harpist-musician is very important for me, because they can change the “status level” of the harp.

I recently have received a lesson on Mozart KV 330 from a very renowned forte piano player. He told me after having played the first movement: “Isn’t this a harp sonata?” He was surprised that it’s rarely played on the harp. KV 330 is not very chromatic, but is quite often played on the piano (which shows its importance and depth). It was a wonderful lesson and an eye-opener, as it wasn’t just making it “beautiful”. After the lesson, he told me which sonatas would be sounding fine on harp as well!

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