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Thanks. I thought it was a response to my post, since I suggested a non-Christian song. So much of the Christmas repertoire gets overplayed and I like to make outside the box suggestions to get the juices flowing.
And not just Christmas – I don’t think my iPhone shuffle will let me play one more Chanson dans la Nuite or Claire de Lune.
I was responding to the part of her question where she asked for other seasonal songs not specifically about Christmas, so I wasn’t attacking anybody’s faith or trying to be politically correct, but just answering the question with a song I find beautiful and thought would fit.
“Lady of the Seasons’ Laughter” is a song from the Unitarian hymnal. It focuses more on summer/fall imagery (not to mention feminine imagery as the title suggests) in the lyrics, but I think it has some potential in a winter solstice/Yule album with its theme of changing seasons. The melody is rather tricky to sing since the harmonies aren’t traditional and don’t sit on the ear the same way most hymns do, but it has a way of getting under one’s skin and sticking around (probably due to said unfamiliar harmonies), and of course you’re not asking people to sing along with it. I think it’s an original composition and would require a permission to record.
I’m not trying to kiss up to my teacher (I don’t even know if she reads these forums), but my favorite things to play are etudes and technical studies. Really, they are. As I practice them I can notice my improvement in different areas, and I like that feeling, and they make so many pieces later much easier to learn. When I run across a hard passage in a non-etude piece I’m playing, I usually try to make a little etude out of it, like taking a complex fingering pattern and repeating it while descending an octave or two, then once I’m comfortable trying it again in its original context and noticing how much easier it is to play. I love playing exercises because the
If I’d seen a clown playing a harp as a child, I’d probably be as terrified of harps as I am of clowns.
It’s probably my cynicism and general misanthropy, but this gave me a vibe of a stage mother preparing
I was thinking maybe the pedal tension Thormahlens might have the oomph she wants. My teacher’s Troubador is plenty loud, though it’s probably taller than many other 36 string lever harps and I don’t know how much lighter than an Ana it would be. Heartland harps are generally known for a big sound, so that might be one to try out, especially if she likes the sound of their carbon fiber models, which are as light as you’ll get a harp with 36 or more strings.
Kay, thanks so much for reminding me of the dog pads. I read about them before (perhaps you’d mentioned them somewhere) and they sound ingenious. I’ll just have to remember to not accidentally buy the other dog pads for crating – probably not quite as supportive, though I suppose useful if my hypothetical harp gets excited in the car and has an accident.
Barbara, thanks for the advice, especially on vertical clearance. I should check our the crossover Zipcars and wagon taxis (we have minivans too fortunately) in town to make sure that won’t be an issue, though I think it should be OK. I mean I don’t plan on playing all over town 5 nights a week, just church and community band and whatever casual chamber music I can find, but I definitely want a harp that can leave the living room relatively easily. As
Jade,
Besides professional orchestras, there are many very good amateur orchcestras, symphonic bands, and chamber groups where a skilled musician could play challenging, rewarding music. I’ve played in groups where many of the members had degrees in music and some had played professionally in the past and changed careers but still enjoy playing in a group. So even if an orchestral career (and of course tons of professional harpists make their livings outside of orchestras, probably most I’d guess) doesn’t work out, you can still have music be a huge part of your life.
But you must start somewhere, so go find a teacher. If you’re in college, you might be able to take elective music lessons for a reasonable price with either the music faculty or graduate students, and this would be the place to start taking music theory classes, which will be especially important if you haven’t had much musical training.
