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http://www.thurau-harps.com/ZIP-Files/PRICELIST%20historische%202007%20_engl._.pdf – here is Thurau price-list.
So, mine one was 8100 Euro. Domeniccino was 10500 Euro. More-less around average triple-harp price from a good maker in Europe, but the quality difference is rather spectacular. Rainer is a genius.
What I must say about doppias/triples is that double-row harp is much less convinient to play and allows much less freedom. I think, historically they turned into triples pretty fast, because it makes a huge difference when you play triple.
On double you can’t play in parallel diatonic rows. You should also watch out for a place where the hand manuals are changing – not to play too low with right hand or too high with left. I tried doubles… still very happy that I bought a triple and don’t wish to buy double if I even had spare money for it.Andrew is against doubles as well and advises to all his students rather not to waste the money and buy a nice triple. He sold his Italian double 20 years ago and never played it since that, using either Gothic harp (and hand-stopping the semitones where needed) for earlier times or triple for later.
* * *
But, if you necessarly wish to have double as a facion thing-of-time and if you play only 16th century, Bologna III is a champion of doubles, I think.
Of triples I would recommend Domenichino (smaller version of Thurau celebrated Zampieri model).Very light-weight, very strong sound on pretty small delicate instrument. Bass down to low G. I just adore this instrument.
My Viaggio is a great one, with enormous sound for such tiny thing, but it is just to C: fine range for late Renaissance or late Baroque, but not an instrument to play a solo from “Orfeo” Monteverdi on.Thanks, I love it.
As far as I know, Rainer takes off VAT if the harp is leaving Germany.
Probably, I’ll post something… but, to be honest, just didn’t see a need in it before. I’ll think.
Dear Sarah,
Rainer has lots of clients in USA. Cheryl Ann Fulton, Margaret Cohen, Christa Patton, Nancy Hurrel and others, you may find a big list on his web-site in “testimonials” section.
Whenever you are in England, you are welcome to see the instruments
Andrew
will be playing his new Thurau Domeniccino on American Harp Society
Conference 2012 and he often performs in USA. If you wish, I can keep
you informed about his USA concerts – just write me a request on katya
(at) theharpconsort (dot) comDear Pheona,
Yes, I’m self-taught for the beginning, styding with Andrew Lawrence-King now.
VAT… depends, where you are living. I was living in Russia that time, so, no VAT.
I transported the harp myself on extra seat. If you are in Europe, that is the cheapest and the most officient way. I can tell you the whole procedure.Annual regulation for baroque triple? Nooo, just tuning that ~100 strings every day
Transport
We own 2 Thurau triples at the moment: De Viaggio and Domeniccino. Both are SUPER and fit into any car except Smart, probably. They are small – Viaggio is 150cm, Domeniccino is 185cm, – slender and easy to pack into the car or airplane.I don’t have my youtube videos, but on Thurau web-site Andrew Lawrence-King plays my own De Viaggio on video.
Kay,
I’m a massage therapyst by my first proffession. I treat lots of such kind of things.
Some advises from practice:*Don’t stop playing, but take it easier. When it starts to be painful, stop, shake your hand and press with your thimb and 1st finger a muscule on the end of your palm (down the little finger root, just above the wrist bones), pretty fiercely. That gives tendon a relaxation. Then continue pressing massage down to your elbow, alongside flexor carpi ulnaris muscle.
**Try to change your wrist position or the height of the chair, or your back position, or even how your legs move. Sometimes the pain in wrist is just a symptom of wrong position of something else.
***Go have a full massage, not only hand. It can be a spine problem, easily, reflecting in wrist tenden. In my practice, the problem was once in an ankle, several times in spine, couple times in shoulder. Acupuncture also helps A LOT.
F-minor Pachelbel chaconne
“Sarabande pour femme” – Lully
Chaconne in C – Handel from “Concerto a due cori”
Recercada Primera – Ortiz (I LOVE this tune)
Fantasia Ludovico – Mudarra.
and some others, not so much loved.
Oh, sure, sorry, I made a mistake.
This year it, actually, was Grammy for Andrew – with Jordi Savall, album “Dinastia Borja”.
Pilgrim are ok, I’m not a big fan of them… They sound a bit heavy, the string tension is not quite what I like, the weight is more than it should be…
But the quality of woodwork is good and the price is good. I saw some Pilgrims with pretty tough life, 10 years old, and they still keep fine. For price/quality relation Pilgrims are fine.
There are the harps much lighter and much better sounding… but – less affordable. Like Thurau Fianna.
I play triple.
The easiest it is to be played on lever harp :), really. Just several changes of levers, nothing difficult. But on triple, if the harp is not pre-tuned, it is a pain of hanging in the middle (semitones) row all the way, half of the notes.
Handel Harp concerto was originally, as it mentioned “A Concerto here, for the Harp, Lute, Lyrachord and other instruments”.
Only a straight 2-lines part survived, and we have no idea what each instrument was, actually, doing. So, presumably, the harp was playing solo and the other guys – continuo or sort of.
Erard harp is not at all authentic for that, the concert was written for triple-harp (Welsh triple, but it’s completely ok to play it on Italian one, just less convenient).
Andrew Lawrence-King recorded it on triple and with all mentioned instruments in 1997 – CD “Italian Concerto”.
That’s pity. I don’t play pedal harp, but it took me some years before I could afford a triple of his made, and I didn’t regret even a second.
I’m not sure if Rainer goes to exhibitions, he is well overhead with clients anyway. There was one Javelot in his workshop in Wiesbaden, specially made for exhibitions, but he might have sold it.
Javelot worth its cost, and much more…
We are thinking now to accommodate the third Thurau harp.
Once touching the real Quality, you are forever spoiled for other things, less perfect.Yes, Camac does the instrument on very cheap technology – customers have to pay not only workers, material, taxes and 100% company profit, but all that shops, exhibitions, advertisement, endorsement instruments for stars, etc. What really perfect thing Camac has is levers. They are super. So, I count Camac a great levers-making company, but not a harp factory. But many good individual makers now put Camac levers, so, why still buy Camac?
Anyway. Sievert harps are good, at least those I saw.
I played his Javelot, some other models and I also own 2 Thurau baroque triples.
Javelot is fantastic. It is super convenient to the body, with amazing sound, loud, very flying, but same time very clear and delicate. Great basses. Mechanics work silently, easily and perfect. Highest quality in everything.
Rainer Thurau is a great artist. He takes enormous care about every tiny detail. His instruments are brilliant and, probably, the best harps the money can buy.
I have about the same age Renault&Chatelain single-action harp. Very tender instrument.
Did you get this harp after restoration or before? If before, you sould be extremly careful.
I can advise you with strings by puting in touch with Beat Wolf and Bernd Kuerschner. Beat Wolf is the world top specialist in single-action harps (he even makes them), Bernd Kuerschner makes the best strings for harps ever. Especially for historical harps. As far as I know, most of historical harp makers and early harp players in the world work with Kuerschner. I recommend you to write him for advise and strings order.
It’s absolutely right: the string tension was a lot softer in that times. Unfortunatelly, I have a bad example of wonderful Naderman harp, owned by one collectioner, seriously damaged by puting too heavy strings on it, couple of such damages I restored and lots more I heard about. The soundboard just went off. And that is good that restorer didn’t change the glue: old glue just fell apart and luckily the instrument didn’t crush completely.
