Music transcribed for harp

[Esperanza Martin]

Hi everyone!

[alexander-rider]

Can anyone direct Esperanza to ‘In defense of transcriptions’- and essay by marcel Grandjany? I only have PART of it, does anybody have the complete article? Hi Espe by the way!! Lots of love to you x x

[unknown-user]

Actually, that sounds really interesting to me – I’d like to see a copy of it too – I wonder if there would be a way to have it posted here – thanks –
John

[jessica-wolff]

I have a book of mostly vihuela tablatures transcribed into standard notation–not that you can’t read directly off tablature for guitar, you can–and one harp transcription, which is however not a transcription from some other instrument but from a harp tablature. Pujol.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I can quote or paraphrase my teacher, Lucile Lawrence, who frequently stated, it’s equally as important what you do NOT transcribe, is it is what you DO transcribe. Not all music is suitable to the harp. Many pieces are 96% suitable, but that other 4% is going to kill it. So, you might look at what sorts of pieces you don’t find transcribed, as well as which ones you do.

[NAVAS-PEREZ María Rosa]

Hi Esperanza!,

But… are you “the one” I know?, in that case phoning me could be better because I’m afraid that the subjet you have asked us for is too wide!!!

In any case, you must know that harpists have had

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Does Pujol say it is from harp tablature? Which title is it? I have one of his collections.

[jessica-wolff]

Actually, there is a sample of the tablature given. The book is currently three rooms away from me, but I think the title was TRES LIBROS EN CIFRA PARA VIHUELA or something like that and there was only one piece for harp in it. If you’re a guitarist or a lutenist, vihuela tablature is a piece of cake, but harp tablature?? I’ll check the title tom’w, Saul.

[jessica-wolff]

Couldn’t find the book, but I found this on the web: TRES LIBROS DE MUSICA EN CIFRA PARA VIHUELA, Alonso Mudarra, Seville 1548, ed. Emilio Pujol. The Tiento No. IX para harpa u organo is at the end of Book III. Not all the pieces are Mudarra’s and not all are for vihuela.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I’ve seen it in libraries, but couldn’t read the tablature. I think, as you say, the Mudarra is the only one that mentions harp, and Sam Milligan has it in Medieval to Modern.

[jessica-wolff]

Also Ank van Kampen, I think. Pity there isn’t more around for harp from that era and place. But there’s at least one version around of Mudarra’s Fantasia X “Que contrahaze la arpa (el arpa?) en la manera de Ludovico” transposed for harp. Supposedly it “imitates the harp in Ludovico’s style” because Ludovico was a whiz at producing all those chromatics you find in the later part. I used to play this on the guitar and loved it dearly. There are several versions on YouTube on guitar/lute/vihuela (I favor Julian Bream’s) and at least one on harp, I think teamed with “Spagnoletta.”

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I have performed and transcribed it for harp, hope to publish it soon.

[jessica-wolff]

Great!

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