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What great posts, everyone! Jerusha, a few years ago I gifted my harpsichord to a very talented young cousin of mine, who is now an honor music student in college! He and his family have really enjoyed having the harpsichord to go along with their other musical instruments.
In addition to what Carl said, the organ was also an important instrument on which to play great works written for other instruments, including the orchestral symphonies. Also, think of the old Wurlitzer theatre organs for silent movies and concerts!
Carl, congratulations on your soon-to-be-available new work! I love everything you have published, and you always do a thorough, detailed job.
Biagio, I had hoped you would join in this thread and let Adolfo know about the other types of harps, chromatic and double-strung, which I do not play. There are many examples on YouTube showing virtuosos with these instruments! There used to be one of a harpist playing the C# Prelude by Bach on the chromatic harp.
Adolfo, I tried the C# Fugue (WTC Book One) after I had enjoyed playing the Prelude. I was not too happy with the result–I could only manage it on pedal harp, not at all on lever harp because of all the chromatics. Like Saul said, the textures became very thick and rang out through the open bass strings of the harp, which seemed to be impossible to mute enough for clarity while the two hands were SO busy! Now, Tacye, it is time for you to produce another wonderful example of some harpist performing this Fugue to prove that it can be done well, ha, ha! Just because I could not do it justice during my short practice session on it, that does not mean that someone else cannot do it–it would take MUCH practice, and preferably, should be memorized so that total attention could be focused on the hand and pedal technique and the strings of the harp.
I did at one time have this C# Prelude and Fugue memorized for the harpsichord, but even then, it was tricky to not take a wrong turn in the Fugue. I played it for one concert in particular which was attended by other keyboard faculty members, and I took a wrong turn in the Fugue. Rather than have a “train-wreck” in the middle of it, I quickly improvised a “connecting part” to get me to a place I knew. After the concert, a faculty pianist came up and said, “I loved the ‘Balfour’ you put in the Bach Fugue, ha, ha!”
I am really enjoying this thread. Keep the posts coming, friends!
Best wishes everyone,
Balfour
Hello, Adolfo,
Thanks so much for what you said in your last post. I do enjoy playing some Bach pieces on the harps, both lever and pedal. I used to consider myself to be rather a purist about playing music on the instrument it was written for, but one can have so much fun trying out music on a different instrument!
With the harp, which has a rather limited actual repertoire of music actually written for it, I like to experiment with all different kinds of things to see what works. I recently had a gig where I was asked to play music from World War II. Standards which I play frequently on piano, like “Mona Lisa”, worked very well on my Dusty Strings FH 36 S lever harp. I actually had never even tried many of them on harp until I needed them for that gig.
I am going to try that C# Fugue to see what I can do with it on the harp. I will let you know how it turns out. That C# Prelude works very well and sounds nice on the pedal harp, by the way.
Best thoughts,
BalfourThat was great, Tacye–impracticality can be fun, and all of us need a challenge from time to time. I would LOVE to hear and see her play that Fugue!
Thanks, Sid, for letting us all know about the old catalogs on the L&H website. They are most informative, and I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at them. Notice how much smaller the concert grand harps, like the style 23, were back then!
Gratefully,
BalfourAbsolutely incredible, Tacye! Thanks for sharing this. Does she also play the Fugue? This Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue was one of the staples on my harpsichord concerts back in the 1980’s, and it is difficult enough on keyboard, I cannot imagine doing it on lever harp from memory!
Best regards,
BalfourHello, Adolfo,
Well, I feel I can add my two cents worth to this thread. I have enjoyed reading it, and bravo for what you just said about the piano! I am a concert performer on the piano, harp (both lever and pedal) and organ, with a Master of Music degree. I also did extensive work on harpsichord, after designing and building my own, many years ago.
Speaking of Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier, THE instrument they were intended for was the Harpsichord! The performer can add the 4′ octave set of strings to the basic 8′ and have a very bright timbre which delineates the fugal voices like nothing else can. A good well-chiffed tracker pipe organ can come very close, of course. (Yes, I built my own 9-rank organ.)
The pedal harp has a very Romantic sound about it which does not lend itself to very much clarity in busy contrapuntal Baroque Period music. Such music sounds better on a bright timbred Celtic lever harp, such as the Dusty Strings FH 36S. The problem then becomes the chromatic nature of Bach’s music, which requires too many levers to be flipped to make the playing practical. Rhett Barnwell has really delved into this sort of thing, and you can feel free to check out his Bach for Lever Harp selections on his website, seraphim music in Atlanta, GA.
Since I have the ability to play the keyboard instruments in addition to the harp, I generally play Bach’s music on harpsichord or organ. I do the same for Jazz piano, only playing a small amount of it on pedal harp. My lessons with Park Stickney taught me great techniques for adapting jazz to the pedal harp, which I do and enjoy, but why hassle over “Take Five” with all the pedal changes when I can just go over to my wonderful grand piano and play it much better on that?
Well, I look forward to more replies to this great thread!
Best to all of you,
BalfourGreat advice, everyone! I also use my “organ” shoes, made by Capezio, which have just the right amount of heel for working the harp pedals. I am 5′ 6″ and small-framed, Duckspeaks, so I can identify with your situation. The pedals on my 85-GP 44-string L&H are a bit closer together than they are on a full-size concert grand, which I find easier to work quickly. Since I am so small, Saul, this “student” harp is absolutely perfect for me, and Tom Bell, harp tech, was amazed that this harp has such wonderful tone and projection. His exact words were “this small harp has NO RIGHT to sound this great!” She is a special harp, to be sure, carefully selected by me from a room full of pedal harps!
Duckspeaks, I didn’t mean to “hijack” your thread in defense of a small pedal harp, ha, ha!
Best wishes to all of you,
BalfourThanks for letting us hear Davy play the new Merlin! It sounds really nice. His left hand technique, in particular, is improving tremendously as he gets more used to plucking the strings–less wrist movement and more snapping the fingers into the palms. His hands will get very strong as he grows. Just remind him to always be supple, advice from the great Henriette Renie!
In regard to all the lever flips (changes), I know many adult harpists who are afraid to change levers during a piece, so Davy is very adept at that! Bravo to this fine young man!
With best regards,
BalfourThanks for posting this wonderful video! Technique will come along naturally for Davy as he progresses with his excellent teacher. Also, he can learn very well on the Merlin lever harp and then you all can decide if a pedal harp is in his future. There are many great lever harpists out there who never play pedal harp.
My very best wishes to all of you,
BalfourThanks, Karen, that is so exciting! We were blessed to be able to take each one of our harps home with us as soon as we found them, but not our beautiful grand piano. We had to wait an entire week for delivery! That was one of the longest weeks in our lives, ha, ha! Hope you enjoy your new harp as much as we do ours.
Best thoughts,
Balfour and Carol LynnKaren,
I believe you have made an excellent choice!! 😀
We wish you all the best.
Balfour and Carol Lynn
Thanks, Elettaria, for letting us know how things went at the festival. I wish my wife and I could have been there with you. It sounded like such fun. Hope you are having a great day and getting some much needed rest.
Best wishes,
BalfourHi, Elettaria!
I do not know how to post a photo here, but check out Dusty Strings’ website and go to “testimonials.” They have a short one from me first, then scroll WAY DOWN to find a photo of us with Cherie and a longer testimonial. We still feel the same way about this special harp, and even more so! There is also a testimonial from me about the Ravenna 34.
I have not been aware of any structural problems with the Ravennas, and mine was always in perfect condition, after years of using her. Also, the customer service at Dusty has always been exemplary!
Good luck with your harp quest, and have a great time at the Festival!
Best regards,
Balfour (and Carol Lynn)Elettaria,
On the day I found my Cherie, I had played and demonstrated many fine harps by many different makers. I was going about in the Vendors’ Hall at the Southeastern Harp Weekend autographing copies of my newly released arrangement for lever harp called “The Essence of Swan,” published by Simply the Harp in Atlanta, GA. After lunch, I went back to the Dusty Strings booth and tried some more of their harps, commenting on each one of them to Ray, Sue, Christy and Mitch. Then Mitch set up two FH36S’s for me to enjoy–I tried the first one, maple and gut strung, complimented them on such a beautiful harp, then turned to the second FH36S. I placed my hands on the strings, played a C Major arpeggio, and the tone and presence of this special harp went straight to my heart! My sweet wife saw my reaction instantly and asked “what do you think of this harp?” I replied “I think I have died and gone to Heaven!” I then looked at the wood, special figured cherry, with the gorgeous abalone inlay and built-in pick-up system, and realized that this harp has everything I could ever want in a harp, so she came home with us.
I had the advantage of not having to look for a harp that day, I just “fell over it” so to speak, which was quite remarkable since I am so “picky.” In your case, a harp might just speak to you like that, and you can try them one-by-one and see what happens. In my case, I already had three beautiful harps and I play professionally, so I knew exactly what I wanted when I found it. I knew I had to get Cherie and that it would be my ONLY chance–I could not pass it up, and my sweet wife agreed.
Thanks, Tacye and Biagio! I always enjoy reading all of your posts.
Best wishes and have a great day,
BalfourElettaria,
It is good to know that you have decided on the harp you would like to have. I do not have any experience with the harps made by Mark Norris, but one knows what one likes when he/she finds it.
I had, from 2006 until recently, a wonderful tall 36-string harp in walnut made by Musicmakers here in the USA. I thought I preferred that wood until I found my special figured-cherry FH36S by Dusty Strings. I had long admired the FH36 in Bubinga and in Maple, but they lacked the warm tone that mine has in this cherry. Perhaps when they are strung in gut, bubinga and maple might not be quite as bright and piercing, and I know that many persons in the UK prefer gut strings. I certainly prefer them on my L&H pedal harp, with only the highest octave in Artist Nylon.
Biagio, I bet Harper Tasche prefers a very bright tone, and he certainly demonstrates all of Dusty’s harps very well on their website. He would have had his pick of all their harps when he did that for Dusty, and obviously he selected the one that “spoke to him” like I did. I was not looking for a new harp at all when “Cherie” “spoke to me!” I am glad that we all don’t like exactly the same harp, because someone would have snatched mine up and I would not have had the chance to get her, ha, ha! I know that my “Cherie” was selected and used at the SEHW by Emily Mitchell for her concert, and I am so glad that Emily already had her bubinga FH36!
Like you all say, “to each his/her own.” I hope we have not “hijacked” this thread too much, Elletaria! Good luck with finding the HARP OF YOUR DREAMS! You deserve it! Please let us know how it turns out.
With best thoughts,
Balfour
