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Thanks, Elizabeth. That was very helpful!
Our orchestra is playing the Suite and I wanted some visualization to help me interpret the cadenza. I found two orchestral performances of it on youtube, but one was (I thought) not very good, and the other, though excellent, was very hard to listen to because of a background noise. It’s also hard to search for “scene 4” when you don’t know which act it’s from.
When my godchildren were very young, I bought them a toy xylophone. It was not very expensive but since it was from Smithsonian, the tone quality was very good, which was why I bought it. It’s a good way to experiment with polyphonic music, is durable and even a little child can make pleasing sounds.
Has anyone ever done that–used an amplifier in orchestra? (I don’t mean outdoor concerts where sound reinforcement is used for most of the group anyway.)
Using all nylon should be fine as far as the harp itself is concerned. On a lever harp, I think any change in the regulation would probably be negligible. You may notice a duller sound in the lower register, specifically 5th octave. The reason is that nylon strings below middle C are made of a softer material than the smaller diameter strings. You might want to consider wound nylons in that octave. They’re popular on folk harps and have more of a “ring” to them. You can get them from Robinson Strings and probably some other sources. Be aware that they are made to a specific length and the top end that goes through the tuning pin is just the core, not the wrapped part, so that it fits through the tuning pin hole. Might be wise to check with whoever you buy them from to be sure they have the length you need for a Prelude.
Vanderbilt nylons are perfectly fine, and their service is excellent. You also get a discount for a full octave.
You may want to do a little more research into this, but I would be cautious in trying to publish the “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2” from the Marx Bros. movie “A Night in Casablanca.”
One problem is publishing any of Harpo’s arrangements, as I think his son Bill Marx is very protective of that intellectual property. The only harpist who has permission to reproduce Harpo’s music is Carrol McLaughlin, as far as I know. She and Bill Marx have worked very closely on this and have presented concerts and at least one recording that reproduce Harpo’s music as he played it.
Another, more sensitive, issue, is that it is not Harpo’s arrangement at all. It is Robert Maxwell’s arrangement and Robert Maxwell’s playing that is heard in that particular movie.
In an interview in the American Harp Society’s Journal (Vol. 18, No. 4, Winter 2002, p. 15-16), Robert Maxwell stated that Harpo told him that he (Harpo) wanted to play the piece for this movie but, being unable to read music and having to learn everything by rote, he was unable to prepare it in the time needed. So Maxwell went to the studio at Harpo’s request and played the piece and that is what is heard on the soundtrack. Of course he is not credited in the film. You can hear this piece on Robert Maxwell’s Columbia LP “Harpist’s Holiday.”
Harpo was a great musician and I believe he did perform the pieces you hear in the other movies, to the best of my knowledge. I apologize if any of what I have written here is incorrect and defer to those who have better information.
I certainly hope the mother of the bride, who might have been paying for it, complained to the contractor about the quality of the music. Unfortunately it’s difficult for the layman to recognize inferior harp playing because it’s hard to make an ugly sound on the harp. If they notice anything amiss, it’s usually sloppy rhythm or wrong notes, but often not even that.
Just returned from beautiful Vancouver. The farmers’ market is on Granville Island, and don’t miss Stanley Park with the great scenery and aquarium. You can take a hop-on/hop-off bus (ticket good for 24 hours) that will carry you to those places and other points of interest throughout the city, such as Gastown and Chinatown, etc.
Some people recommend taking a private lesson with a teacher to see if you are comfortable with that person’s teaching style. Sounds sensible.
I know Marian Shaffer, and she is a wonderful person and an excellent harpist. She really cares about her students.
It’s more important for the harp to be kept in an atmosphere that’s relatively consistent and to be kept regularly tuned. (Don’t tune it up and down.) Harps don’t have to be kept in air conditioned spaces as long as the temperature is comfortable for you and the humidity is between 45 and 70 percent, approximately, as much as possible. We had harps before there was air conditioning, and strings weren’t constantly breaking. My point is I think you should keep it in one place and let it become acclimated to that place, not hauling it back and forth between different climates. It will survive without AC, just as you do. Give it a try. If strings still break, there may be another cause. Just my opinion.
If there’s any way, I would drive the harp, bench and harp cart and ship anything else she needs that won’t fit in the car (clothes, etc.) If she’s allowed a car on campus, then Dad can fly home. Or you can rent a van or SUV. The harp is your biggest investment and its safe transport should be the main consideration (after Dad and daughter!). It’s a lot less likely to need a regulation (or repair) if you drive it than if it’s shipped.
Try http://www.sheetmusicplus.com and search for “Ragtime the musical.”
That’s called synesthesia, where letters can have color, sounds can have color and colors can have taste.
When you’re shipping, they charge by weight, and those harp trunks are heavy. Consider ordering a shipping box from Lyon & Healy like they use for delivering harps. It has padding in there to cushion the harp and weighs less than a trunk, plus you won’t have to pay to return the trunk afterward. You can recycle the materials.
