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This is the one by Moncayo, correct? I have sent you the excerpt that has the harp bits in it, with some cues written in and my fingering. I hope this helps!
That section of Tannhauser that came up in the Professional harpists forum…if anyone can play it as written, my hat is off to them.
I have an edition of the very exposed harp part in the slow movement, I Pini del Gianicolo. I have just emailed it to you and you can see if it is useful to you.
The score on page 240 and 241 of the second act on Petrucci Music Library shows what else is happening while the poor harpist jumps through flaming hoops. There is some cover, but not a lot. At least the first bass note is covered by the bassoon. I would have a Plan B ready; if the part is impossible to do well even with editing, play something brilliant but manageable in the right harmonies. It goes by so fast.
I just listened to this and it sounds like there is fairly thick orchestration right at that place, so you could get away with some editing. It goes by so fast in the recording that I couldn’t even make out whether the harpist was playing those patterns or just playing quick figures in the right harmonies. Elsewhere in this act, though, the harp is really virtuoso and exposed. Check the entire score at the Petrucci music Library and then you will have a better idea of what you can edit out.
I just had a look at this, and the only way that it would be playable as written is if a second harpist took the bottom line. Then both harpists could split the line between the left and right hands. I would be very interested to hear from an opera harpist and see what solutions they found.
Ha ha! That must be it! It’s a miracle I don’t have tendinitis too, from re-writing the impossible bits, or re-copying them to make them understandable.
I taught Viejo Zortzico to a student in 3 months, but speed of mastery depends on the student and the teacher. If you have 3 hours a day to practice, you have to figure out how to budget that time for the amount of repertoire that you need to cover. It is always easier to re-learn something than to start fresh on a completely new piece. On the other hand, if you have a mental block about a piece, maybe it is better to start on something that does not carry any emotional baggage. Are these your only choices or can you look for something that takes less time to learn? The Syllabus usually has something in the list that is shorter and technically easier than the rest.
Saul, I have seen so many orchestra parts that are completely unplayable as written, and I don’t mean difficult, I mean impossible. Being an orchestra harpist requires highly honed editing skills. Bea Rose’s book The Harp in the Orchestra has a number of examples of editing to make the part work. This week alone, I have got parts in which you are supposed to change the pedals on the two lowest strings which do not have discs on them; notes that do not exist at all on the instrument, segments which require three feet to accomplish all the accidentals, impossible reaches, and I could go on.
Here are some more:
All teachers are the same, so just go to the nearest one.
Experience doesn’t count for anything. What could someone know after 30 years of teaching that they didn’t know when they graduated from university?
No need to pester the oboist by asking which A the orchestra tunes to. You’ll be drowned out by the horns anyway.
It’s only necessary to know your own part. Knowing the rest of the score will only confuse you.
The conductor will always cue you, so you don’t need to count.
Play all the notes no matter how ridiculous the part..the orchestra will wait for you.
The circumstances should dictate what kind of motion you make. If you are playing something dreamy with a long pause after the chord, then a beautiful movement which gradually takes you to the next placing will help keep you in the mood and will also look good to the audience. However, if you are playing repeated notes or chords very quickly, then it makes no sense to raise in between.
Both concerts went really well and now I have a part that works like a charm. The last page of the last movement is an absolutely gorgeous filigree between the two harps. It’s too bad that the orchestration is so thick.
