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Depends on the size of the harp. The larger the harp, the more limited your choices (pedal harp compared to lever harp).
I’ll bet it’s on some miscellaneous wedding CD that brides are buying. Either that or in some current wedding-themed movie.
I don’t know about scholarships but there is a lot of info out there on used harps. I’d bet you can find a decent, used semi-grand (maybe even a concert grand) for less than $15K. I have known of some that did sell for less than that, and they were decent instruments. As long as you have it checked out by a harpist or harp technician you trust, make an offer and see what happens.
Check the classifieds here on Harp Column, the websites for Virginia Harp Center and Atlanta Harp Center, even Budget Harp Rentals. (He sometimes rents-to-own.) It may be old but doesn’t have to be in pristine cosmetic condition as long as it won’t need any major repairs in the immediate future. If you have a teacher, ask him or her to help you search. You never know until you try.
Howard Bryan is known for his restorations and knowledge of antique harps.
Andy, I’ve been using Vanderbilt Classic Gut on my Camac since being told when I bought the harp that those were closest to the Camac strings. Did you ever try Classic and, if so, how did they compare (for you) to the Burgundy?
It would be interesting to hear a report from someone who bought one in the 80s, if any were actually made and sold.
I don’t know what the carved parts were made of but it looked like the designs you see on old Lyon & Healy harps or old Wurlitzers. If I knew how to post the ad they sent, I would. When Carl posts a picture of the one he is restoring, I can tell you if it looks the same. I have saved almost everything Lyon & Healy ever mailed me. It’s interesting to compare old price lists!
I was interested in the Style 12 when Lyon & Healy began offering it again in 1987. I have a letter from the sales manager at the time with the specs and a picture showing it beside a concert grand and the Troubadour; it was shorter than both. I later received another letter stating that the Style 12 would not be available due to low demand.
The letter read: “The Style 12 has 41 strings and measures 63″ high, a total width of 32″ with a soundboard width of 13″. The weight is approximately 56 pounds.”
The price then was $5,995 excluding shipping. I decided against it primarily because of the small soundboard, but it was very pretty. The upper section and lower section of the column were bronzed, and the middle section was fluted with bronzing in the recessed areas, similar to the Style 15. It also had a bronze stripe along the top and bottom edges of the base and the upper edges of the neck, again very like a 15. Since it was a black and white photo, I don’t know whether the body was ebony or walnut, but it was a dark finish.
A few years (?) back, there was an interview, in the Harp Column magazine I believe, with Robert Maxwell. He said he played the “Hungarian Rhapsody” that you hear in A NIGHT IN CASABLANCA because Harpo didn’t have time to learn it as well as he wanted. I had noticed that the film version sounded almost exactly like Maxwell’s recording on an old record I have. When you’re watching, it looks like Harpo learned it up to a point; I think he put his characteristic glissandi on the end, which is just a little bit different than Maxwell’s record. If you don’t have all your old Harp Column issues, let me know and I’ll look that up for you.
Zach, I’m reading Carrol McLaughlin’s book “Power Performance.” A lot of it deals with memorization; you might want to check it out.
Yes, either leave them out completely or put them under the note to which they apply. It’s better to leave them out because sometimes it’s necessary to change pedals in advance because of multiple changes for one chord, and the player is the best one to figure out how he or she wants to do that. Just my two cents, which isn’t worth much in today’s economy!
