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Do you think Salzedo wrote the harmonics where they sound because he played piano, so that would make it easier for a pianist to play the harp part with the right note sounding? Maybe that’s a crazy suggestion.
I was taught to slightly crack most chords (on harp) unless the notation indicated otherwise. I discovered this must be an American habit when our orchestra had a guest conductor from Europe several years ago who asked me to stop arpeggiating the chords. I didn’t know what he meant until I realized he didn’t want the chords cracked or rolled at all, just played flat. I don’t remember what the music was. I did what he wanted, but I didn’t like the sound of it.
I heard Jakez Francois play jazz on a lever harp at the harp conference in Philadelphia and he was phenomenal. It was a very small harp, too. He did incredible things.
I love that one, too. I think it’s just as pretty as the Lyon & Healy 23 in natural maple.
But I think the prettiest harp I ever saw was a Lyon & Healy style 3 which Dale Barco rebuilt for Jack Nebergall. He refinished it in gold (it was originally gilded) and glossy cobalt blue. If memory serves, the board was also blue with gold decoration. Dale showed me photos of it at the harp conference in 1984, I think. Wow, was it gorgeous.
At the Denver conference in 1988 Lyon and Healy had a 23 finished in matte ebony and white gold (which looked silver). It had a fabulous tone and cost extra because it was one of a kind. I’ve always wondered who bought it and where it is now. It was so beautiful.
Yes, I have almost all their movies on DVD. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to find a three-CD set of all the music from their movies, including title music and songs, not just the instrumental solos. That makes it easier to find the piece I want to hear than searching a videotape or DVD. Great fun!
Nope, he smashes the piano in “A Day at the Races.” He plays an Indian loom in “Go West.” (That’s a neat jazzy piece for harp and flute.) Some people say “Duck Soup” wasn’t a big hit when first released because there were no solos by Harpo or Chico, which audiences had come to expect.
Wasn’t there an article in a past issue of the Harp Column about this? If memory serves, one could have installed a protective cage like those used for equipment or animals. It goes behind the front seats. Pricey, though, and no reaching back to get something.
Personally I find it easier to load into a slightly higher vehicle because you aren’t lifting the harp, you’re laying it on a cushion on the lower edge and then lifting the base and sliding. So at least half of the weight is resting on the car and you’re not having to lift the total weight of the harp. (Of course there’s a carpet on the ground under the base of the harp, even using a base cover.) The higher the vehicle, the less you have to bend over to load, which should be better for some people’s backs.
My column fits into a cradle with wheels that roll on a piece of carpeted plywood on the floor of the van. This protects the carpet of the van for resale value and covers any holes in the floor where the removed rear bench seat would latch into place. (Dodge Grand Caravans have seats which fold into the floor but the shorter Dodge minivans don’t; my rear bench seat stays in the basement from the day we buy the van until the day we sell it.)
As mentioned earlier, the crown pokes out of the end of the cradle so there is no pressure on it, either.
Since the kneeblock is up in the air, so to speak, there is no pressure on it. Seems like having no pressure on the neck would be better for it since it’s most vulnerable. Someone once said laying a harp on its side would hasten twisting of the neck; I can’t think of any practical way to test that.
Many people ask me if harpists move their harps in the trunks, but that makes the whole process heavier and more unwieldly, and I’ve never been able to get a trunk in anything smaller than a pick-up truck. Even those old fibreglass trunks, though lighter than wood, were more trouble than they were worth. I could roll one but never lift it even if empty.
Back when most of us drove station wagons, I loaded my harps lying flat, disc side up, on a pad or mattress and that was fine. I’ve been using minivans since 1989 because they have more room than today’s smaller wagons and use the space more efficiently. I’ve been loading on the column since then and have had no problems with any of my harps, and technicians who regulate them say they’re fine. That said, I do use a padded cradle which holds the column just below the crown, so there’s no pressure on that part of the column. I also use cushions under the base and on both sides so the harp is protected from bumps and cannot move. My husband and I have built the same system for several of my friends. If they’d had problems or damage, I’m sure they would have told us.
There are more details to this system than mentioned above, but my point is that so many people have been loading on the column for so long that, if it were bad for the harp, the resulting problems would have appeared by now. If you are careful and know what you are doing, either method of loading should be fine. As long as you are happy with your method, it’s good.
I bought that CD, Swing Time, and it’s wonderful, but the name listed is Ruth Berman. Was Harris her married name? That information wasn’t given in the insert. What great interpretations of some timeless tunes!
I don’t know about stiff arms, but Miss Chalifoux told me never to stick the pinky finger out. It should be right next to the ring or fourth finger and do as it does.
Go to http://www.harpsociety.org for all kinds of info on the American Harp Society.
Contact the Virginia Harp Center at 1-888-378-3761 or http://www.vaharpcenter.com.
