Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
You might want to try posting this question on the Historical Harps message board:
You can order the harp part to the Intermezzo and Carnival Music here:
http://www.lucksmusic.com/cat-symph/showdetailMain.asp?CatalogNo=12278
Well, if the conductor really wants the harps to be hear, then he/she should adjust the dynamics of the rest of the orchestra accordingly. Failing that, you can try taking the passage up an octave to help it project. Not the intended sound, but then, I strongly suspect the composer’s intentions are already not being fulfilled!
My own theory about “Dying Flutchman” is that each of the six harpists took one note of each chord, and that’s how they got through it. Maybe that it way it would be audible!
My own favorite “why am I bothering?” harp part is most of “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. Lots of notes at breakneck speed totally buried in the orchestra.
If it’s tuned in E (four sharps), with A at 440 c.p.s., then it’s tuned a half-step too high. It should be in Eb (three flats), which would give you a better “safety margin” on the string tension.
Hope this helps!
Paul
The increase in cost will vary from company to company, but BELIEVE me, it’s worth it to have “all risk” professional insurance on your harp. For example, if you have your harp covered as part of your homeowner’s or renter’s policy, and the insurance company finds out, or even suspects, you’ve earned so much as one cent playing your harp, they will probably refuse to cover it. You also never know when something is going to happen. One of my harps was coming back from a concert in Boston last summer, and the van it was in caught fire. The harp was reduced to charcoal and twisted metal, but at least I was able to recoup what I had spent on it.
Here’s a link to the complete score, if that will help. Really, though, don’t worry about it. It’s not a difficult harp part (though it does move right along), the ensemble aspect is clear, and most of it is well enough submerged in the rest of the orchestra that you can simplify it. The most important thing is to be familiar enough with it to be able to watch the conductor for the tempo changes and accelerandi.
http://imslp.org/wiki/Carmen_(Bizet,_Georges)
You might enjoy the recently rediscovered Lorenz Sonata for harp and violin:
The second movement is a theme and variations, so you can select the variations that match your playing level. There are very few lever changes, but the musical content is satisfying to those with a more advanced background in music.
Have fun!
PaulWell, interesting, yes, but do many people remember Harry Partch and his work with microtonal music in the ’50s and ’60s?
The premise is a little flawed, in that equal temperament is a compromise or adjustment from mathematically exact tuning in which the octave vibrates at the ration of 1:2, the fifth at 2:3, the fourth at 3:4 and so on. However, since tuning by ratio doesn’t result in a temperament that allows keyboard players to modulate freely using only 12 divisions of the scale, equal temperament became the most usual compromise.
In this case, since (as I understand it) the double octave has been divided into 13 intervals, each interval will be relatively wide, resulting in more consonance. The most dissonant interval used in most western art music, the minor second, has been eliminated, which may explain some of the the appeal of this new tuning system.
Thanks for bringing in this topic; it’s fun to see how people are experimenting and exploring!
Once, when I was restringing a harp, I was able to do a side-by-side test of a new standard bass wire and a new tarnish-resistant one on the same harp. The standard had a slightly stronger fundamental tone relative to the upper partials than the tarnish resistant. However, the characteristics of the individual harp and harpist are going to make a bigger difference in the overall sound than the difference between standard and tarnish-resistant. I would say that people should use whatever strings make them happy, because if they’re happy with their harp, they’ll play better!
Hi Martin
The number refers to the number of strings down from the top of the harp. The highest string is #1. I think this system was instituted by some harp makers in an effort to make things easier for beginner harpists who might not be familiar with the octave designations taken from the pedal harp.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Miles
You can contact Mike Parker through his website at http://www.parkerharps.com. Other good resources are Michael Parfett at www. michaelparfett.com and John Hoare at http://www.pilgrimharps.com. All are interesting websites in any case. Let me know if this helps!
Cheers,
Paul
It kind of depends – where are you located?
The other way to find out what it’s worth is to put it on eBay. What it sells for is what it’s worth!
