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This appears to be a single action Erard harp, probably from the late 1700s. Erard was a preeminent harp maker of the time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9bastien_%C3%89rard . The instrument appears to be in need of major repairs, and even after doing so, I believe it would likely only be functional as a museum piece. Howard Bryan in Virginia would be a good place to start your inquiry https://www.oldharpsmadeyoung.com/ , and Carl Swanson in Boston may have some sage advice for you as well: https://www.swansonharp.com/
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I found replacement wheels at Home Depot. I just brought them in and matched them.
A fantastic performance from this talented young man. Life has its discouraging moments, but he should not let the high school matter interfere with him achieving his goals. I’m sure he will have a lifetime of great music-making ahead of him.
Hi Todd, this is a big improvement, good job. A couple of notes:
1st pedal chart should show an Ab
Bars 13 – 15: From what I see this is still almost impossible to execute. The big jumps at that tempo, the one octave glisses (tough to stop on a specific note at that speed and place the other hand while glissing), the 16th note triplets against the regular 16th notes at 90 beats/minute…pretty much unplayable as written. Remember, harpists have to look at their hands AND the music.
Bars 50 – 60: At 180 beats per minute, I don’t know how anyone could place those 16ths accurately.
Another thing to keep in mind is the orchestration. How much of this is actually going to be heard? A mezzo-piano timpani roll can obliterate the harp. Don’t make your harpist work for hours on difficult passages that are just going to get buried by brass and woodwinds.
I have found harpists are usually very willing to take on challenges and help composers, so find a harpist in your area and have him or her play through it listen to their suggestions. Watch their hands and see how they work.
Best wishes to you.
I’ll echo Carl. There is almost nothing in this part that is playable on the harp, and a lot of it wouldn’t be playable on keyboard. Particularly concerning are mm. 13 – 15…you can’t just start and stop those short glissandos as they’re written; m. 36 going from flats to sharps…do you have an understanding of the pedal mechanism on the harp? M. 49, 16th notes and complex rhythms at 180 beats a minute marked ff; repeated notes at 69. Harpists always appreciate composers including harp in their compositions, but you’ve got to do your homework and work with a harpist, do a lot of reading in orchestration books about composing for harp, or spend time looking at Debussy’s and Ravel’s (and others’) harp writing in the orchestra. You have to also consider how much time a harpist (or any other player) would be willing to work on your composition. Days? Weeks? You have to make it playable from a practical standpoint, in addition to artistic considerations. Good luck with your composition.
Congratulations on the purchase of your first harp. There has been some discussion on here about the Chicago line of harps, but I think if it were me, I’d go to the source and ask the sales staff or Steve at L&H what causes the difference in pricing between the Chicago and, for example, the 85. If you were buying a new car, and looking at a Honda and a Subaru that had a $5000 difference in pricing, I’d find out what I was getting for the extra $5000 with the Subaru, and if it was worth the extra cost. I understand that some of the parts in the Chicago line might not have the same quality and durability of the more expensive L&H models, but again, I think you need to initiate an honest conversation with L&H and have them explain the pricing difference. Keep in mind you are purchasing an instrument from the best harp maker in the world (my opinion), so any instrument you get from them, as long as you like its sound, they way it fits your body and hands, and the look, I’m sure you’ll be happy with it. Like any purchase with complex mechanics, there are always things that can go wrong, but it has been my experience that L&H stands firmly behind their products and will do their best to maintain their stellar reputation. And yes, I’d say it would be perfectly fine for weddings and funerals (you might opt to get the soundboard decorated to add a little flair to the look of the harp).
Yes, it’s a tremolo, but you’ll have to decide how you want to execute it. There should be a treble clef in the left hand so you have enharmonic versions of the same three notes in an A-flat or G-sharp minor chord. I play this by playing GAB LH / CDE RH, quickly rolling the six note chord from top to bottom using two hands and repeating this rolled chord until the end of the fermata. Others may have a different solution.
There are tarnish-resistant bass wires that most players use. Just buy a new set and replace them with those.
Hi Julianna,
In the original orchestration a harp part does exist. There is a lot of exposed harp in “Another Suitcase”, and the second act opens up with just harp and Eva in “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina”. No doubt that more recent productions have eliminated the harp part in favor of a synthesizer, but if you can find the original orchestration, you’ll find a nicely written harp part.
Hi Evan,
I agree with everyone here. I was working on some arranging projects and thought it would be easier to show you. It’s easier for the right hand to play the same notes ascending and descending. So, the way it is notated here is how I (and I think most) harpists would play the passage. To alternate hands would be buzzy and difficult to place. Good luck with your project.
The new version is just easier to read, as it’s in Finale, whereas the old version is hand written. There are optional bass and drum parts, so you might want to find out of they are using those. It’s a fun part, but you play almost constantly and some of the tunes really fly. There are some nice recordings on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td4a_ExF88A&list=PLU29Dr9iLIuE51rv-HoopmFZ_ueuV6PLp
