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PS to Sylvia – I would presume a harp is regulated after being built but harps do settle in when new which is why Salvi, for example, pays for the first regulation for a new harp. If a harp is shipped long distances, it will need to be regulated just from all the shaking around and climate changes during travel. It doesn’t hurt to check on what was done and when to the new harp prior to receiving it. And also make sure you understand the warranty for the new harp.
YIKES I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE ABOUT TUNING!!! Thank you, Sylvia. I have no idea what possessed me to say natural. I meant to say flat. Always tune in FLAT!! My brain was clearly not firing in all 4 cylinders.
Jimmy,
I bought a new harp several months ago. Here’s the advice I was given: Play the upper registers a lot during the first couple weeks and then work your way down the harp. This is supposed to help the sound and help break in the harp. Always tune the harp with the pedals in natural. Chances are you will have a number of broken strings during the next couple months. Don’t worry about that.
I believe your harp came from Lyon-Healy. If so, it was most likely regulated before it was shipped. Double check on that. I don’t know where you live but if it is a long way from Chicago, I would consider getting the harp regulated soon. My Salvi was shipped from Italy to California to Florida. It badly need a regulation from all that travel. A regulation worked miracles on the harp.
Enjoy your beautiful new harp. Post a photo.
Sylvia,
You may want to go to http://www.sweetwater.com and talk to a rep. They specialize in recording devices. I just talked to a Sweetwater rep the other day and he said the Tascam DR-05 is the easiest recorder to use. BTW, there was a thread on this before and several harpists said they like the Zoom recorders. I tried recording devices laying around the house; cassette recorder and a small digital and mini-cassette voice recorder. None could record the harp.
I will be forever gratetful for Clementine White taking me on as a beginner student at University of Florida. I was mesmerized when at 10 years old I saw National Symphony Orchestra harpist Sylvia Meyer play the harp in a concert and discovered only by accident that harp was taught at UF. I played piano for 7 years and auditioned with that for lessons. I had never seen a harp up close before my first lesson. I couldn’t afford a harp and had to use the music dept. Wurlitzer Wreck and ancient LH23 to practice. I had to really work to catch up and keep up to the other harpists who obviously were far ahead of me. Here it is nearly 40 years later and I am still playing. I thank you Anne and Vanessa for supporting those who want to play harp but not be music majors.
Clever remark! (BTW, I meant to type infante in the initial post and didn’t realize the “e” was left off:)
Close enough, Kay. I just happened to be flipping through radio channels when I had this thought. Any inspiration of the last catchy song you heard will do.
Roger, a translation here of Tacye’s comments above:
A harp part does not have to be complicated or difficult to play to be effective. Think of what you want to hear and place the notes effectively.
My comment on scoring: Don’t overuse glissandos. And when you put them in the score, pls. put the chord such as G gliss or G7 gliss. You can also write out all the notes – there are a couple ways of writing glisses that your student harpist can show you. Just be clear to the harpist what you want played.
Carl.
In a perfect world, your suggestions would work very well. But how many composers are going to take the time to learn all the instruments. The only composer I can think of who did that is Alan Hovanhess.
Meantime, Kimberly, if you are reading this do you think a link in Harp Column titled something like “composer resources” might be helpful? I know a few people here have suggested some excellent books on harp composing. Maybe that might be a first step. There seems to be enough composer inquires to merit such a link IMHO.
Carl and others,
Roger needs help right now. Lessons won’t solve his immediate need although in the long-term it would be great if he could learn about the instrument first hand. As harpists, we should be THANKFUL that a composer wants to write for the harp. Roger is brave to admit he doesn’t know about the harp and secure enough to ask for advice. I hope someone experienced in orchestration will help him out. A composer writing harp parts deserves to be supported.
Ellen,
My husband had his hip replaced a couple years ago. He had it done using the anterior approach. He had no restrictions at all except to walk up stairs a certain way post-surgery and was walking a mile in 10 days. He did the rehab exercises prior to surgery and never did any rehab afterwards. He was told by a doctor friend that the bones take about 6 to 12 months to fully heal so he was cautious about any risky physical activity for a while.
You may want to consider doing some rehab exercises now and talk to the physical therapist about playing the harp. He/she may have some special exercises and/or could give you guidance about resuming your playing. My husband was really glad he did that. He is so A-type that he needed something to keep him occupied prior to surgery. It definitely accelerated the recovery period.
Thank you for Clinton’s background, Patricia. We are so lucky to have him.
BTW, the large instrument in the youtube clip is not a lute, but a chitarrone. My mistake.
So now the question is: Does the original Vespers have a harp part or was it added later. The Jurgens version has harp; the ISLMP does not.
Clinton,
You truly amaze me how you can find information like this on any piece ever written for harp. Where would HC be without your research skills!
Rosalind,
I did a little research on Monteverdi and his use of harp. He did have one piece in which he listed the harp as part of the instrumentation. I could find nothing about harp played in Vespers. You may want to contact Paula Fagerberg, who is a specialist in Baroque harp. Her website is http://www.historicalharp.org.
Rosalind,
Years ago I played harp in the University of Florida Renaissance Ensemble. I played a Dolmetsch harp. Until the group disbanded a few years ago, they had the largest collection of renaissance instruments in the southeast US. I did play in a production of the Monteverdi “Coronation of Poppea” with full orchestra using ancient instruments. I ended up making up my part based on the full score. Just play where it seems appropriate and have fun with the piece.
I don’t know what instruments the orchestra is using but I would consider playing a lever harp for this. Keep in mind that harps were simple but could play sharps and flats like lever harps today. Your part should reflect the limitation of the instruments of that time. I generally filled in with chords or played continuo.
BTW, the big string instruments on the youtube clip are lutes – biggest ones I’ve ever seen.
