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Elizabeth- According to the information that the International Harp Contest in Israel sent me several years ago, the Twelfth Contest in 1995 resulted in no first prize being given, Anna Makarova(Russia) won second, and Godelieve Schrama(The Netherlands) won third.
In looking over the list they sent me, what’s really interesting is that in 1985 there was no second prize awarded(but there was a first and third). In 1988 there was no third prize awarded(but there was a first and second). How the jury came to those decisions escapes me completely!
What’s even more bizarre about this list is that in 1982, the year Alice Giles won first, the list says for both second and third prizes “not known.” The same thing is listed for the 1992 competition for third prize(not known). How the heck did they loose these names???
This is occasionally done in musical competitions. There are a lot of bells and whistles attached to the first prize: debut concerts, concerto performances with orchestras, perhaps recording contracts and sometimes concert management.
The jury has to feel that the first prize winner is up to the challenge and is ready for a career as a solo artist. When no first prize is awarded, it’s because they feel that none of the finalists are ready for that very big step.
There is a felt gasket between the top of the body and the kneeplate(the gold band you are talking about). The felt can be any color but is often gray. Are you sure you’re not seeing the edges of the felt gasket?
I did find out tonight that Ina(who lives in Boston) made it to the finals. I did not hear who else made it.
Sherry – what do you want it for? Have you tried contacting Jean-Michele Damase(her son)? I’d bet that David Watkins might have a photo of her. Or Morley.
If the finish in one area is soft and gummy, you can’t put any kind of finish, sealer, or wax over it and expect it to stay. All of the soft finish has to come off right down to bare wood. There is no need to scrape into the wood, just down to the surface. Whatever made the finish gummy in the first place is most likely down in the wood itself anyway. So after removing any finish that has softened you have to wash the area(the bare wood) several times with different solvents to try to extract whatever it was that softened the finish. Only then will it be possible to spot finish the area. What you use to finish it will depend on what the rest of the finish is on the instrument. Depending on the make and age of the harp, it could be shellac, varnish, lacquer, polyurethane, or heaven knows what else.
cathy- I’m with you on this one. I would just tell the client that there is a minimum fee for moving the harp out of the house and to the event. They don’t even have to be told that that minimum fee is the same as the cost of playing for 2 hours. But I still think that the contract should have a stop time, so that no matter what happens, you have an exit strategy if you need it. If there was some horrendous delay that was no fault of the wedding party and you don’t have another event to play afterwards, you can stay if you want to. But at least you have a contractual license to leave at a certain time if you have to.
As we progress through life we all become experts at what we do. And what is an expert? It’s someone who has made every mistake imaginable and learned from each one. So for anyone who has been playing professionally for 10 or 20 years or longer, they should have contracts that cover every possible problem, because they have first hand experience as to what can happen when it’s not written down.
I just finished writing a harp rental contract. I have a basic contract form. But I tweak it for each situation and often state the conditions twice just to make sure that I’m covered. With 20 pedal harps and 5 lever harps rented, I can’t take any risks by leaving anything to chance or the good intentions of the renter. And I’ve go a horror story for each of the terms written into my contract.
I know I’m treading on thin ice here. But there are a number of ethnic minorities who are notorious for being late to everything. One harpist I know told me about getting hired to play a wedding that was scheduled for 2PM on Saturday. When she heard the name of the people involved she thought “Oh boy! I wonder what time this thing is actually going to happen?” On the appointed day, she held up her end of the bargain and started playing at 1:40. To her enormous surprise, everyone was seated and the ceremony started right at 2! She later found out that the bride had said on the wedding invitations that the wedding was at 1, knowing that everyone would get there around 1:30 or 1:45. Even she knew the reputation her particular ethnic group had.
I wish I knew what it was that was causing this. It’s very mysterious. Years ago I had to spot finish a pre- WWII L & H that had this problem. The finish had gotten soft and gummy on both sides of the body right where the harpist grabbed the harp to pull it back on her shoulder. I scrapped the soft finish off, cleaned the wood with solvent, and then finished those spots with refined shellac. 2 months later it had done it again!. I did the same process again, cleaning the raw wood with several different solvents before applying more refined shellac. That took care of it. That was perhaps 20 years ago that I did that and I see the instrument from time to time and the finish is fine.
There is another problem that occasionally happens to the finish too. That is when the dye from the black dress many harpists wear for gigs darkens the finish where the knees touch the harp. What’s amazing is that the dye seems to soak right through the finish down to the raw wood.
I hear stories all the time from harpists who have to deal with “late” weddings. Sometimes we’re talking about 1 hour, 2 hours or more late! If you have booked several weddings in one day, as many harpists do during the wedding season, it’s imperative that you have an absolute stop time in your contract. This is more important than any charge for overtime due to a late start to the wedding. I would certainly put into the contract the period of time that you are allowing, and they are paying for. If your services are to start for example at 10AM, and everything is supposed to be done by 11AM, I would have written into the contract that your absolute stop time, when you have to pack up and leave, is 11:30 or 12:00. And your contract should clearly state that if they are in the middle of the wedding when your stop time arrives, then you will pack up during the service. That happened to a friend of mine when the wedding she was booked to play started 2 hours late.
