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Mike- Since this is happening only in natural position, the most likely reason is that the back plate screw is too loose and is not pushing the spindle hard enough against the front plate. If you tighten that back plate screw a little(try one or two full rotations, then push your thumb against the C natural disc and make sure it still springs back when you push it) that should brighten up the sound.
Well you’re probably right on that one too. But if I had to choose one, and I could find a good home for the Erard-someone who knew how to take care of it properly and understood the necessity for that- I would probably sell the Erard. But we’re talking hypothetical here. In reality, I probably won’t sell either.
Mike- Is the string ‘muted’ in all three positions? Flat, natural, and sharp? Or just in one position?
I own somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 harps, many of which I rent out. A few are antiques, one is a Pleyel Chromatic harp that I still have to decide what I’m going to do with. But the one that I would never sell is my Lyon & Healy number 300, built somewhere around 1898 and which I completely rebuilt for myself about 23 years ago. It’s one of those with a little bust of Wagner on the column, and it’s a 45 string instrument with an extended board. That’s the one I keep for myself and on which I have given many recitals. I love the clear sound, but also the fact that there is so much space in the first octave for my right hand(which I put there when I built the new neck). There are pieces that I play that I can only play on that instrument, because of the space in the first octave. Also, the pedals are light as a feather, much like the Erards.
Saul- Simply using a smaller harp, like a style 12 or 14, is not the same as using a period instrument. There are substantial construction differences. The major ones are that the period instrument has an unvenerred soundboard, and also the board is tapered in two directions: from the bottom to the top, and from the center to the edges. Both of these things is going to produce a very different quality of sound from a 20th century instrument.
There are plenty of people in England who are very knowledgeable about Erard and other 19th century instruments who could help you. Mike Parker and Allan Harbour are two who come to mind.
Erards come up fairly frequently on ebay. But they are more often than not worm eaten wrecks that need massive amounts of work. They typically go for around $3,000 to $5,000.
A friend of mine-someone whose name EVERYONE would recognize- was playing in a fancy hotel in Europe. One night a big fat businessman type with a cigar in one hand came over to her and complimented her on her playing. THEN, he put his cigar out on the soundboard!
Another friend of mine-again, someone(else) whose name you would recognize- was playing in a very upscale resort hotel in her state when some Japanese businessmen came in. After listening to her for a while, one of them came over to the harp and, while she was playing, shoved some money down the front of her dress! She just kept on playing, but thought to herself, ‘that better be a hundred dollar bill. It was.
Robert- If I understand this correctly, the base frame of the harp was slipping down. If the baseboard(the carved and gilded piece that the column sits on and which forms the top of the pedestal) is salvageable and does not have to be replaced, then the cost of repairing the base frame(in my workshop) is $3,200, not $8,000. I don’t know where he got that figure.
I like her arrangements too. And I’ve heard numerous times over the years what a really great teacher she was.
I met Martha and her husband George in Maine several times where they had a wonderful summer home in Deer Isle, right on the water. She was elegant, warm, and gracious. I’m so sorry to hear about her passing. The mention of her name here brought back a flood of memories of Alice as well as Martha. Time passes…
Richard- I was your age when I started the harp and I went to a regional high school out in the country. I played at the school several times over my senior year there and never once got any flack over it. The truth is, everyone was fascinated by the harp.
Sam- Make sure as you work on this that you don’t tense up. I used to do a lot of choral singing, and the conductor of one of the choruses was explaining one time that when you sing softly, you don’t cut the air flow. You use the same air stream that you would use to sing forte. I think it’s the same on the harp. You don’t touch the string less or more lightly to play softer. If you do, you get a shallow scratchy sound. You have to prepare the string in much the same way you would if you were to play loud, but then, at the last moment, back off on the force and release the string. Try, just as an exercise, playing one string at varying dynamics, and see how softly you can go while maintaining the tone. Try that using different fingers on each hand. When you start to get the result you want, then try it with 2 and 3 note chords.
