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Brava, Esmeralda, on a very constructive and helpful essay on orchestra playing! You have made excellent points! Starting with the last: I have played on both sides of the orchestra, but I also prefer to sit on the conductor’s left. Since the harp often plays accompanying figures, it is helpful to be as close to the soloist as possible, and if you’re in front of the brass, it is very hard to hear the detailed melodies in the violins, at least in our concert hall. I totally agree that it’s best to memorize cadenzas, important solos and any fast passages. Sometimes one has to compromise between looking at the conductor and looking at the strings, i.e. the quintuplets in L’Apres-Midi d’un Faune. If I cannot study the score or listen to a recording in advance: at the first rehearsal, I mark in cues throughout my part, wherever there are large numbers of bars to count, i.e. m4 trpt. I also divide the multi-rests into phrases, i.e. 8/12/8 instead of a multi-rest of 28 bars. In some pieces, the rehearsal numbers are not in logical places, or only on every tenth bar (i.e.Candide, Sleeping Beauty). This is where the division into phrases is so useful. I recommend Beatrice Schroeder Rose’s “The Harp in the Orchestra”. It has some fabulous suggestions on editing of impossible parts. I also have an article published in the Summer 2000 Teachers’ Forum of the American Harp Society Journal on how to prepare to play in an orchestra. Saul, good point about the placing. Fingerings can make or break a passage, especially when you have to keep an eye on the conductor.
Isn’t it a shame that sometimes genius is accompanied by arrogance and intolerance? Richard Wagner comes to mind. In fact, if you read the biographies of many composers, a common thread is a lack of social graces, i.e. Beethoven, Brahms. Luck certainly is a major component of “success”, but I really respect the ability of people who can write the ravishing melodies that delight so many of us. It’s an interesting point that you feel a record contract can be detrimental. I feel that a great artist won’t let them push his/her art in the wrong direction. Prokofiev managed to create great music while staying clear of the Stalinist regime, for one amazing example. A greater threat is faddism. I feel Copland lost his way by getting into the atonal stuff, because that was what everyone else was doing.
I should clarify my thoughts on this: I totally agree with Tony that one should never discourage anyone who may not hit the ground running, but who is willing to work hard. I certainly was a late bloomer. It was just an observation that when you combine lucky genes and an ability to work like a demon, you get an amazing result.
I agree that the most important component to success is steady, well-executed practice and lots of it. However, those lucky people with abundant talent progress at a much faster rate and end up with a vastly superior result, given equal amounts of hard work. There are many facets of talent, too, and some people have some, but not all! There are very few folks who have all the prerequisites to arrive at the pinnacle of artistic achievement. Not only do they need enormous self-discipline and creativity, but they must have taste, knowledge of style, an inner sense of rhythm, strong and nimble hands, a quick mind, calmness under pressure, etc., etc., etc. But no matter how many of these attributes musicians may have, they still must do the hours of practice, just not as many as those not similarly endowed. My conclusion: lack of natural talent is relevant, because a career in music is just too much work for a non-gifted person, and they are competing with those who can play the same or better with much less effort.
Perhaps the best person to talk to is the composer. We’ve all seen zillions of orchestra parts, but I have never seen anything like what you describe. You could try googling him.
At UBC, the jury happens at the end of the school year, so the students should have lots of time to learn the pieces. I feel that it is a useful learning experience to have an important recital to work towards; it concentrates the mind wonderfully! And you’re right that you need pieces that will impress the jury. They can’t be so easy that an elementary school student could play them, but they shouldn’t be so hard that the university student cannot play musically and comfortably. And variety is important, too, to show off the students’ capabilities and avoid boring the jury!
Even though this question is difficult to understand due to the computer’s mis-reading of the symbols, I think I know what you are referring to. In some parts, people mark the flats as inverted V’s above the horizontal line and the sharps as V’s below the line. The naturals are simply lines that intersect the horizontal line.
Quite some time ago, I had a student with a learning disability. She learned beautiful technique, good rhythm, and could play each hand separately perfectly, but she could not play two lines at once. We tried all sorts of approaches for about two years, I used various excellent books on pedagogy, but finally she gave up. I hope she tried a single-line instrument afterwards, because she was musical. I hope you have a wonderful time in this endeavour. You will probably find that each student will be able to play only certain types of repertoire, depending on their particular abilities.
Esmeralda, since these spots are made by friction, here’s a thought: have you tried putting a scarf or towel across your shoulder when you practice, to avoid the harp resting right on that spot? And are you wearing a long skirt or pants when you practice? This might prevent a friction spot from appearing on your knee. If you already have tried that, I know this sounds ridiculous, but have you considered a knee pad of some sort? Also, glycolic acid (Reversa is one product that contains it) works like a charm to reduce skin imperfections.
I live in beautiful Vancouver, B.C. Originally I am from Toronto, Ontario, which has colder winters but more sunshine.
Saul, I think the reason that this thread has not taken off is because people don’t want to put something in writing that might have repercussions. I have some good stories, but I would feel terrible if some of my former students somehow came across them and recognized themselves!
I agree that it is more important that students are comfortable with their technique, rather than try to plow through a lot of repertoire. I do not think there are required pieces for entrance to university music programs, but the students do have to pass auditions, theory and ear-training tests. As long as they can play pieces of varying styles and periods with musicality and reasonably good technique, they should be accepted at a reputable music school. That said, it would not hurt for your students to work on some standard pieces that might crop up, such as harp concerti by Handel, Mozart, etc., and chamber pieces such as the Danses Sacr��e et Profane and Introduction et Allegro. If they want to do competitions, they could check out the lists of required repertoire from past competitions and see what pieces are requested more than once.
Donna, do you mean to lie it down on the side with the pegs down? If it goes discs-down, the discs can get damaged or broken, and at the very least cause problems with the regulation.
Your students should be very understanding. Heide’s right; there is no way to predict what you can manage after the birth of a baby, what with all the different personalities and needs. Take 2 months off at least, then ease back in, as you suggest. Do you have someone you trust who can substitute for you while you get your energy back? I had no problem with any of my students being upset with the temporary situation. You could even try giving a lesson at a discount if you can’t get a sitter or a substitute teacher and the student really needs your help. The student would have to understand that there would be interruptions, and possibly a whole-sale abandonment of the lesson if things went all to pieces. The main thing is to be realistic with what you schedule, and make sure the students understand. You’ll know better what to do once your baby is born. Congratulations!
