Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Perhaps Boston harpist Virginia Crumb could suggest to George Crumb that he compose a solo harp piece; I believe she is his niece!
I only heard the piece once, in the early 1980’s when the Boston Symphony did it, with the wonderful Ann Hobson Pilot playing harp. I recall that they amplified the harpsichord slightly, but not the harp or the piano.
I’ve done the CPE Bach several times using harp and harpsichord. That combination works really well and the pieces sound great. Tempi can be a bit faster than indicated so they really sparkle.
I just remembered a nice piece for harp, organ and violin: “Elegy” by Harold Friedell. The harp part is very easy; organ part is the hardest. It’s an excellent piece to do in church because it’s not too long and is quite beautiful. You just need to find a really good violinist!
Hi Laura,
I have been insuring my harps for years with the Merz-Huber Insurance Company in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. You do have to join ASTA (American String Teachers Association) in order to insure through them, but the cost of membership is not prohibitive. Merz-Huber insurance is very affordable and they are quite responsive to questions and problems (I’ve never had to actually make a claim, thankfully). Agent’s name is Marcie Tillberry, and their phone number is 610-544-2323. Good luck!Vixen Harps has a couple of locations in Canada, but I’m not sure which provinces. You could google them. As a pianist, you will have a great advantage in starting the harp. Your musical background and determination to work hard at it should ensure rapid progress! I would definitely look for a teacher, though. Even if you can’t take weekly lessons. There is just no substitute for being mentored by another human being—software doesn’t do it, workbooks don’t do it. As far as choosing between pedal and lever goes, if you want to play the classical repertoire, a pedal harp offers the most possibilities. Give some thought to whether you want to play lever harp as an end in itself, or as a stepping-stone to playing a pedal harp. If the latter, then you might do well to get the pedal harp right away. Best to you!!
In reverse, when I lost the key to wind my antique grandfather clock, I was able to substitute my harp tuner. So maybe the opposite would work—a clock key could tune a harp. Our local clockmaker has bags full of old clock keys. You could try that and hopefully find one the right size.
What I hate is constantly tuning, and worrying about being in tune, and carrying the harp over icy paths or snowbanks, or up winding stairs to choir lifts in ancient churches. And I hate the constant question “how much does one of these things cost?”
Still, I would expect a company like Lyon and Healy to stand behind their product. Save this thread for them so they can read everyone’s comments!
Janice, I have a 1912 L&H Style 21 which was completely rebuilt by Howard Bryan in 2006. The sound is amazing! So are the aesthetics: gilding, soundboard art, etc. I have also heard many good things about Swanson harps. Carl put a new neck on my 23 about ten years ago. He did great work, communicated with me well, and charged less than L&H would have done for the same job. (He even matched the warm butterscotch tone of the wood perfectly).
I think he envisioned climbing up onto it somehow and sitting astride it like a horse. Maybe he thought that when his weight broke the neck, the $20 he offered would be more than enough to have it repaired?!
I think he wandered off when he realized I was not going to playfully banter with him on that topic or any other topic. I was pretty frosty.In Madeleine L’Engle’s young-adult novel “Troubling A Star”, which is set largely in Antarctica, one of the characters is a harpist (harper?) who plays a small folk harp.
The most frequently asked question, for sure, is “how much does one of those things cost?”
But the WEIRDEST question ever was asked by a man who approached me at a gig in Arkansas years ago. Well, he was obviously drunk, but even that doesn’t totally explain the weirdness.
“Can I sit on your harp?”
Now, that was startling. “WHAT? No!” I answered.
“I’ll give you twenty bucks if you’ll let me sit on your harp,” he wheedled.
Now, that was a weird conversation.
