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I had forgotten the Tournier La Lettre du Jardinier! I performed it years ago. Also, there is a nice suite of songs (poems by different authors) by Haim Permont called Songs of Love and Remembrance. It was performed at the World Harp Congress in 2011. Schumann wrote some songs in which the part can be played on harp: Die Tochter Jepthas, Dem Helden, and An den Mond. Serenade Florentine by Duparc also works on harp.
The first thing that springs to mind is the Interlude from A Ceremony of Carols by Britten, or one of the solos from Rutter’s Dancing Day.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-oa4O3WKRs (second solo at 12:54) Judy Loman wrote a little suite of Christmas carols, though I don’t know if she has published them. Kim Robertson’s collection of Christmas pieces have some quite challenging ones.
Fleur des Blés by Debussy for soprano and piano can work on the harp. There’s a charming lullaby by Herbert Hughes for soprano and harp called Little Boats. Five Greek Melodies for voice and piano by Ravel, and transcribed for voice and harp by Salzedo with Ravel’s approval. The Nightingale by Deborah Henson Conant has a vocal part.If you google soprano and harp, various youtube videos come up that might give you some ideas.
https://harpcolumn.com/forums/topic/lever-harp-parts-for-orchestra/ has some answers for you. I recommended several pieces that work.
There are some pieces that can work, but many that cannot. I’m looking into this subject right now for a summer course I’m teaching.I had never noticed this before! Being a composer myself, I can safely say that one can miss a mistake like this and send it to the publisher. I suspect that the chord is to be played in the bass clef, then the treble clef is reinstated for the eighth notes that follow. If he wrote those accidentals in, it can only work in the bass clef. It makes sense to me, because the same figure happens two bars later in bar 27, with the chord in the bass clef.
It turns out that it is probably a cracked bushing up at the top of the action, which means a trip to the factory. But thank you to everyone for all the helpful advice! I appreciate it very much.
Oh, yes, Tzigane is one of them. For insane pedalling, there’s the Magic Fire Music by Wagner. Wagner also wrote impossible parts in some of his other operas, one of which, Tannhäuser, was so bad that the harpist who premiered it complained to him that it was unplayable. Herr Wagner replied, “Just play something sparkly in the right key.” https://harpcolumn.com/forums/topic/tannhauser-act-2-scene-4-difficult-spot/
On this subject, I have published a few of my editions of orchestra parts right here on Harp Column Music. Included is my adaptation of Brahms’ 4th Hungarian Dance, whose original part was impossible for my hands, and The Sorceror’s Apprentice.
Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande is another impossibly written part for two harps. It really needs four. I had to re-write swaths of it.I use Sibelius software. I wrote whistling sounds in my latest pieces that just came out on Harp Column Music. I also used the Chime symbol from the percussion fonts.
No, Philippa, I have not heard from Laura in a long time, though I think of her. That was such a lovely time in Crea!
The link to Hedwig’s theme will not open. But that was wonderful to see Sylvain playing the chromatic harp. I can’t imagine re-programming my fingers to play in such a different way. He is an extraordinarily gifted harpist, conductor, harp builder, and very nice person as well! I’ll never forget his amazing performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations at the World Harp Congress in 2011.
I thought it would be very helpful to see the excerpt in question as an attachment, just those bars. So, I have made a little excerpt to show what is meant.
I have seen this problem with a second-hand Troubadour that had arrived in perfect condition. Within a year, we were seeing cracks just like this. We thought for sure it was just the veneer, but it now has progressed to an obvious series of cracks that go straight through. Now we are getting a brace built to hold it together from the inside. Peter Wiley knows how to make these and could send you instructions, or perhaps you have a professional harp repair person near you. If you leave it too long, it will become unrepairable. Best of luck!
