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There is someone else who deserves much of the credit for this article, and that is Elizabeth Huntley, the editor of the Journal. When I first contacted her about this, I told her this would make a nice little article, maybe one page or a page and a half, because I assumed that Marie-Claire Jamet’s list of corrections was all there was. Then, as I started proofing the Sonate myself, the list got longer and longer. In a panic I called Liz and told her the article might take up the entire Journal. “Don’t worry” she said, “That’s OK. We’ll deal with it.” The list kept getting longer and longer and she and I decided together that this would have to be divided into three articles.
As I was getting all the musical examples for the first article ready, I called her to say that we really needed to find a way to highlight the changes. “I already know the answer to this(no), but is there any way we could print them in red?” On her own she talked to the printer of the Journal. He said he could do it for an extra $600 and she told him to do it. She is very responsible for this article and the way it is presented, and for that I am eternally grateful. I wish that those of you who appreciate this article would send her a little note of appreciation. Her email address is: elizabethharp@juno.com
Eleanor- Thank you so much for your post. That made my day! I’ve been getting calls and emails from harpists around the country about that article. It seems that everyone is really excited about it. And of course, everyone wants the rest of the corrections. Because of my agreements with the Journal and with Carl Fischer, I can’t release anything at this time.
I just signed the contract with Carl Fischer two days ago, so the project is now in motion. My contact there has said that they are aiming to have the whole publication ready for the two big conferences this summer, so that means sometime in June. I’ll keep you posted.
I’ve been getting emails and phone calls from people congratulating me on the article, and they’ve been absolutely joyous when I told them that this version of the Sonate is going to be published.
For those people who don’t belong to the American Harp Society who would like to see the article, you can go the the American Harp Society web site, then click on “publications,” then scroll down to “extras.” The whole article is there on line.
Sylvia- Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. You can’t imagine how much work went into these articles, or how much the project grew as I worked on it. When I started this whole project about a year ago, I had no idea that it was going to grow to this size.
The best news is: Music publisher Carl Fischer is going to publish this version of the Sonate!!! We’re hoping to have it ready for sale by this summer.
Jerusha- This woman was simply shopping around looking for the cheapest deal. It doesn’t matter what the method of communication is. Until she signs a contract and gives you a non-refundable deposit, she knows she can do whatever she wants.
This is not unlike harp rentals for me, especially summer rentals. I’ll get an email in April from someone who wants a rental for 4 or 6 weeks for a summer music festival or music camp. I tell them the terms and they say they definitely want the instrument, and then I hear nothing or get nothing in terms of a deposit(which I requested), because they are hunting around for something cheaper. So my policy with rentals is: It’s not reserved for you until I get the money, and if you tell me you definitely want it and don’t send the money right away, I’ll rent it to the next person who comes along and gives me the deposit. Whoever comes up with the money first gets the instrument. In this case, when you get an email agreement without the immediate backup of a signed contract and a deposit, do not turn down other offers for the same date.
I’ve said it here before, and I’ll say it again. Salzedo himself DID NOT PLAY WITH SALZEDO METHOD. Several people who either studied with him or knew him very well have told me this. As one of them said to me,”He played the way he was taught.” That means he played with classic French technique.
Sylvia- I’m entirely with you on this one. Your first sentence nicely sums up my view of Salzedo method. It takes muscle tension to raise the hands or arms. Relaxing the hands or arms would cause them to drop to your sides. So no, raising does not ‘relax’ the hands or arms. And it gets in the way of any music that you play. Just look at any ADVANCED level Salzedo harpist play. The raising is GONE. The wrists are STRAIGHT. The thumbs are DOWN. And the palms more or less face the floor. Because that’s what works when you are playing difficult repertoire.
Here in Boston it’s very cold(single digits) but not much snow. By the way, this is one of the driest winters I can remember in terms of humidity(or lack of it!) in the house. I have two 5 gallon humidifiers in my living room, and I have to fill both of them every other day. Anyone who is in these very cold areas, you absolutely have to humidify the room where the harp is. If you don’t, contact me in the spring to schedule repairs!!!
I’ve never heard of an easier version. I’m not sure how you would go about making it easier. The shear speed of the cadenza is probably the worst part of it. You might be able to simplify the pedaling by re-writing the notes. But it is still going to be very fast.
The next Journal is at the printer right now, and will be in your hands probably the beginning of March.
David- I’ll try to state this as calmly and diplomatically as possible. ARE YOU %@#&* CRAZY???!!! There isn’t enough money in the world to pay me to go to Mexico now. Getting your harp back and forth across the border is the least of your problems. You could be kidnapped and held for ransom or killed. You seem to be drawn to suicidal gigs like flies are drawn to you-know-what. Don’t do it!
