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Can you look at a recent Directory of the American Harp Society? One of the benefits of being a national member of AHS is contact information for harpists from 20 foreign areas, who joined us!! Under France I see six names; under Italy, also six. Privacy means I cannot pass these on, but a harp teacher might let you copy down the contact information of those professional harpists who live near St Remy or Agrigento. Internet information will show you which ones are located near where you travel, and which are too far away. None are located directly in those two spots. Another option: type in Danielle Perrett in your search engine. She is a renowned British harpist who has adjudicated harpists for certification in levels of harp proficiency, for many years, all over the world in many countries, including various places in France and Italy. She could perhaps know of harp rentals and teachers in your preferred areas. Good luck!
Yes, Tayce, I have the 1964 edition because my teacher advised it. It was published by Charles Colin in New York City, and there is a more recent republication available, I read several years ago. Contact Lois Colin through her web site: http://www.loiscolin.com who probably knows how to obtain this very necessary book for all harpists, sold back then for $7.50. It has 206 pages, generously loaded with all kinds of useful information accumulated by author Samuel O. Pratt, along with hilarious cartoons by Don Bluth. Chapter 13, STRINGING, begins on p.75; chapter 14, TROUBADOUR TROUBLES begins on p. 86.
Sidney, wait until your nylon strings are tuned up to the correct pitch. Will it be in C or in E flat before any levers are engaged? Then compare the pull on your lowest new nylon string with the tension on the existing top bass wire string. If the difference in tension is remarkably different, then yes, you need to change the wires, even though when these harps were new in the 1950’s, they were advertised as having a tension nearly like a pedal harp. First measure the length needed for each wire,, adding some inches for winding the string at the top, and also some for what is needed under the soundboard. If you can have access to a string gauge, or even a micrometer, measure the diameter of each wire string, from the topmost one down to the last one; write these down next to your notation of the string pitch name, and the present length.. Ask Lyon and Healy (see if Natalie Bilik could be consulted; she is so knowledgeable) about lengths of lever wires. If the company is not producing just what you need, she will suggest a specialty string maker who could produce just what you need as far as length and gauge. The gauge of the new wires, of course, must be less than the wires presently on your harp.The required length must be the same as what you wrote down. Avoid strings that are nylon wound over nylon., because through use, the top winding wears through, and tends to “birdcage” making that string useless too soon. Best of luck!
Catherine’s post, just above, is spot on about avoiding fiberglass harp trunks. This is why:
years ago many of us read of a case where a harp was shipped a long distance across the U.S., in a fiberglass trunk, in hot summer weather. When it arrived and was opened, that harp was quite wet, completely ruined.Deb and others,
Pilgrim Harps of England has just announced a 15% reduction on all lever and pedal harps they have in stock. One could save over 2600. pounds Sterling, on a large purchase during this summer sale. These harps have modern technology and are preferred by quite a few soloists and orchestra harpists.A few ideas, to look into before buying, are below; however the best move is having some lessons from a qualified harp teacher.
Beginner’s Harp Book, Book 1, by Phyllis Schlomovitz(includes DVD). Pub:Salvi Harps.
Writing for the Pedal Harp by Inglefield and Neill (includes video) Pub.U. of California
Press. 1985. Many diagrams of notations, not all limited to harp with pedals.
Harp Scoring by Stanley Chaloupka, 1979. Now on sale at Sylvia Woods Harp Center.
Harpspectrum.org: A non-profit site with many expert contributors to educate anyone about harps of all kinds, past and present. At the home page, look down the list of offerings on the left, and choose Glossary. No diagrams, just definitions of harp terms.There is often a glossary with illustrations, in other publications than those above, such as those by harpist Faith Carman. Also look at a beginning harp book by Suzanne Balderston, published by Salvi Publications. Additionally, her “On Teaching the Harp” book, Chapter 12 to the end has valuable tips for a beginning harp player of any age. Also published by Salvi, 1980.
Susan, playing from memory cured anxiety I used to feel when my eyes had to travel from page to strings. That was too stressful in my case. As long as I knew what intervals the fingers needed on the string, and practiced quite a bit on the leaps or other difficult places in the composition, my confidence grew. Then practicing from very slow and loud, to quickly and softer, gradually increasing the metronome speed, I was eventually in better control of what the piece required. Then before a performance, the state of mind you are in ought to be that ‘;there may be some mistakes after all, but that is all right.’ You are not alone; let your spiritual sense give you peace.
According to the newspaper I receive,which has reports of weather 6 days out of seven, around the world, Singapore seems to have thunderstorms constantly; I have never seen a report of fair weather there.. This certainly makes it humid, as you say. However, if I lived there I would choose a lighter wood, simply because it would seem more optimistic than a dark color, with your dark sky, and perhaps dark furniture. If people have lighter colors around them, their mood might be more serene than if they were always surrounded by dark things, and sunny days were few and far between.
The Pozzoli Intermediate Studies, sold by almost all harp music specialist stores. The first study uses only one pedal throughout, the second one requires the use of two, and so on. You will enjoy the lyricism in these studies composed by an Italian, just as Italian opera is full of wonderful melodic phrases. The ones at the back of the book can easily be used as recital or audition pieces.
Silent Night in C and Amazing Grace in G are just two examples of many pieces that have just three harmonies, or chord changes, throughout the work. This would enable you, if you bring a pedal harp, to play them the first time through “straight”, or as sung; and once more using LH harmonics on the melody, along with RH glissandos with easy double pedal changes. For an activity you could bring along printed cards, small enough for pockets. with the outline of a harp on them.On the back in a small size, could be your contact number or e-mail address, if you like. They won’t have access to colored pencils during your presentation but you could demonstrate where the red and blue/black strings are on your harp while there. You could pluck and name the C scale saying both C,D,E, and also Do, Re, Mi. Most important is that you could play a piece you know very well, from memory, that is under three minutes. Have a question period after your demonstration. Mention how the harp changed from early times in many different countries, until today’s harps.Time will fly, and you will enjoy this experience as much as your young audience.
Be sure to ask if Panama requires you to post a large bond (several thousand dollars) to bring in your own harp. This was the case when a local pedal harpist here went to Costa Rica, as a member of the Peace Corps, a few years ago. Heat and humidity nearer the equator than the U.S.A., are not good for the delicate mechanism inside pedal harps, so ask a technician what precautions to take. Best of luck!
My teacher (now deceased) told me that it was either the Wurlitzer or the Lyon and Healy harp companies, back when stronger American harps were beginning to be sold, that decided on red, white, and blue, the colors of our flag, should be the standard for colored harp strings. Then, the green and purple harp strings familiar on European harps began to be phased out.
Roy, if you e-mail me privately I can send you an arrangement of this piece I made several years ago. It is in 4 flats, and for pedal harp; but with a bit of adapting you would be able to use it on lever harp.
Christine,
I also teach viola and three years ago I bought a 5-string one that also has the top E string that violins have. This was for convenience because in my studio I teach violin and harp also, and with one student coming in after another with one of these different instruments it was so much more practical to have one bowed instrument to use both for teaching and playing. Also when entertaining at parties the client only pays for one player instead of two, since I can do much more double-stopping to produce more harmony in the music than was possible on a four-string instrument, thus sounding as if two or more players were performing. The strings on this Dahlia Viola(TM) are Helicore, medium tension, made by the D’Addario company in Farmingdale, New York, and are partly titanium. The viola was designed by Gary Bartig in Minnesota,at http://www.gelbass.com. The tone is very rich and the main reason I am writing is that I have never had to re-tune the strings or have a string break, since it came by Fed Ex. three years ago. Truly amazing.Jessica,
“the lady forgot to send the tuning key with it”There is a small T-Handle type of steel tool called a Tap Wrench, part of a tap-and-die set. Mine is marked with 0-1/4. USA. It has an adjustable square hole at the end of the three-inch hollow shank, which would fit the square end of tuning-pins on harps. By turning the handle part of this tool, the size of the hole on the end of the shank gets larger or smaller. By having one of these on hand for lost or misplaced harp tuning-key situations, tuning your harp may be made possible until a standard tuning-key is available.
