That first inspiring work….

[leonard-lim]

Hi Rosmary!

[unknown-user]

Hi Helio,

Yes me too! I had an album of Zabaleta playing french works, Samuel Rousseau, Tailleferre, Ravel, Roussel and I used to listen to it over and over. His phrasing and expression was always so intensely passionate

[unknown-user]

Hi Ken,

You Ken, Lisa and Tony, have convinced me I’ll be taking my folk harp along and playing some traditional tunes.

Yes, I heard that about O’Carolan too. What I heard was that in some ways his music is not considered by some purists to be folk music. As

[unknown-user]

Hi Rod,

That’s a great idea! I have been preparing a choral concert with some kids for a posh high school here,and you are right, actually working with the harp is something kids really respond to.

So, yes, if I can work in accompanying kids with what they are working on that may give them some insight into the harp. That may be a different type of concert, maybe a workshop type set up rather than a performance as such. And that in itself is a terrific idea. A series of Chamber music workshops were we

[unknown-user]

Leonard! My little cousin from my part of the world! Yes, the Salzedo Variations

[unknown-user]

When I was first thinking about playing the harp, my dad got me the CD “Solo Harp” by Sunita Staneslow. The song “Tiny Drops of Rain” was what settled it for me. I had to play that song some day!! It is so beautiful!

[unknown-user]

Hi Meleah,

I love Sunita Staneslow! I would love to see her perform sometime. I do have a book of hers with some wonderful melodies in it. And actually I like her arrangment of Carolans Farewell to Music. I will

[vincent-pierce]

well, I can’t even remember when I first learned about the harp…but the pieces that stand out to me before I ever even saw a harp in person were En Bateau (orchestral version), and Capriccio Espagnole…and this might be kind of weird, but there is a piece for wind ensemble, Niagara Falls, that has a big showy harp solo with arpeggios and crazy glissandi – I still want to play that piece on harp (our wind ensemble did it last year, but I played clarinet). The piece itself is kind of cheesy, though. But fun.

The first time I heard the Debussy Danses and Scintillation by Salzedo, I was amazed, and I knew I wanted to do that some day. And since then, I’ve been trying to listen to everything ever written for harp, and trying to learn what I can!

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I think Niagara Falls is by Ferde Grofe.

[Julie Koenig]

I think there is a Niagara Falls Suite by Grofe – don’t even know if there’s a harp part or not – but that Vince is referring to Niagara Falls by Michael Daugherty. I played it a year or so ago and remember having a blast playing a ripping solo.

Julie in Atlanta

[vincent-pierce]

yes, I’m referring to the piece by Michael Daugherty, thanks Julie. I know Grofé wrote a Grand Canyon Suite, so it makes sense that he would write a piece about Niagara Falls.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Yes, it was for a documentary film on Niagara Falls, so it is a four-movement suite, very powerful music, maybe more movements, but I don’t remember the exact title. I heard some Daugherty music played by the Philadelphia Orchestra, also had big harp parts.

[Julie Koenig]

I happened to play the Daugherty Niagara Falls again last night. If anyone gets to opportunity to do this piece, don’t pass it up. The part is simple to play (other than some tricky counting & tempo changes) and you get to do these fantastic glisses – some whole-tone – throughout with picks; the louder, the better. The opening solo is several ascending apreggios with descending glisses. The entire piece is purposely cheesy, Gothic, bombastic, and like nothing you’ve ever heard!!

Julie in Atlanta

[laura-smithburg-byrne]

I had the opportunity to meet Michael when I played this piece a few months ago. He wanted it to have a real “film noir” kind of feeling. All the musicians dressed up in 40’s type dress and he wanted the harpist to be the “dame”.

He was really nice to all the musicians and had a great sense of humor.

I have been inspired by many harpists and several different pieces at different times in my life.

I guess Judy Loman, Heidi Lewalder, Yolanda Kondonassis, and Alice Giles are my all time favs.

They are all beautiful players, sensitive and strong.

I heard Heidi play the Handel “Concerto” when I was a teenager and that was my first real inspiration. The Handel had a profound impact on my development as a harpist and is still very special to me. I love the Ravel “Introduction & Allegro”, the Debussy “Danses”, Tailleferre “Sonata”, Faure “Impromptu” and the Salzedo “Preludes”. There is also so much chamber music and orchestral literature that have fabulous harp parts that it is hard to pick. : )

[patricia-jaeger]

Curly, the first inspiring work for me was Introduction and Allegro by Ravel.,that I heard on a recording with the late John Cockerill, of England, as harpist.

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