Very advanced classical rep for lever harp

[kathy-chanik]

Cynthy, I also love Janet’s version of

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Some of the movements of Hovhaness’s Suite can be played on a nonpedal harp. Perhaps the most outstanding work of all is Alexandre Tcherepnin’s Quatre Caprices Diatoniques. Lou Harrison composed several pieces for nonpedal harp. Salzedo has many that can be played on nonpedal harps, especially a larger one, such as a Prelude.

[barbara-brundage]

Yes, Hovahness’s Garden of Adonis for flute and harp works beautifully, too. You just set the levers ahead of time.

There’s a great deal more stuff available than there was when this thread began.

One caution about some of the exam syllabus pieces–a lot of the more advanced lever harp music arranged by European teachers requires tuning in four flats.

[Rachel]

Thanks for mentioning that Barbara.

[Rachel]

Which of the pieces that Saul mentions require 4 flats?

[barbara-brundage]

I’m not talking about Saul’s recommendations. I was referring to the pieces on the exam syllabi, like the ABRSM and the Trinity syllabus.

[Tacye]

I had not come across four flats as a tuning in England, but it does seem moderately common in Scotland.

[barbara-brundage]

> It isn’t that hard to switch back and forth.

Gotta disagree, to some extent. It’s annoying as all getout to listeners when you’re constantly retuning, and if you’re playing advanced classical music you’re for sure going to run into situations where you need D#, unless you don’t play any pieces arranged by Americans.

I’d have to agree that with good levers four flats is a good tuning–I wish I’d gotten used to it early on, since it would make accompanying cantors at Jewish weddings infinitely simpler (f minor is a very standard key)–but it’s also visually confusing when you’re making fast lever changes and you’re used to seeing one thing then suddenly it’s different. And the harp isn’t pleased, either. It’s not going to stay perfectly in tune when you suddenly change the tuning.

[patricia-jaeger]

Take a look at Haru no Umi for flute and harp by Michio Miyagi, arranged by Josef Molnar. This is the last 10 pages of

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Jewish music is usually in d minor or a minor, so you might have a transposing cantor. And there are some who transpose while singing.

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

The new Royal Conservatory of Music Harp Syllabus is available online and has lever harp options in the advanced grades.

[Author]

Posts