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The clamps are for holding the felts tight while I trim and sew them. I hold the pedal in position with a big screwdriver that has a kind of deep groove around the handle, and a rubber cover on the handle. I pull the pedal in question towards me, and stick the screwdriver crossways behind it. The rubber handle (and the pressure from the spring) keeps the screwdriver in place, and the groove keeps the pedal bar in place. Did I describe that OK?
I use spring clamps originally intended for gluing ivory key tops onto piano keys. The springs are flat, hence less in the way when I’m sewing the felts on. Yes, I know I’m probably one of the last people still to be sewing the felts on….
Interesting example by a less-well-known maker! I like the art nouveau influences in the decoration. If you just want the gilding repaired, and not have the harp made playable, you can try inquiring of picture frame restorers.
A Dwight harp turned up on eBay a few years ago; I wonder if this is the same one? It appeared to be from sometime between about 1875 and 1910. There were a number of small and poorly documented harp makers in the U.S. in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some were very good; others had some experimental designs that may not have been so successful. The Dwight on eBay looked like it had a good layout; probably based on French harps of the same or a slightly earlier period. I would strongly recommend using nothing heavier than ‘lever harp gauge’ strings on it, with fibre-cored bass strings, and not tuning it above a=435, since those are likely the parameters for which it was designed.
Hi Lisa
Angular harps aren’t my field (early pedal harps are!), but you may be able to find some answers on these Yahoo boards:
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricalHarp/
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/harpmakers/
HTH,
PaulHi Lisa
Have you contacted the Campbells (the harp builders in question) yet?
They also made a harp patterned after an ancient Egyptian “tomb harp”.
BTW, have you attended any of the Historical Harp Society workshops and conference?
Hope this helps,
PaulMaybe some of the Krumpholz sonatas for harp, violin and ‘cello would be useful. They’re available as free downloads from Petrucci:
http://imslp.org/wiki/4_Sonatas,_Op.12_(Krumpholz,_Jean-Baptiste)
It depends somewhat on how much the asking price is, and whether the harp is in tune and playable. Are there any harpists in your area who could try it out for you? I’m not saying it’s a no-go, but I would proceed with caution when buying any harp not from a recognized builder.
Well, there are the late 18th century Sonatas for hook (lever) harp and violin by Lorenz. I believe they’re still available in excellent editions by Mike Parker, through lulu.com. Quite lovely, and fun to play!
I usually just double the right hand part with my left, an octave lower. The texture there is about as dense as it can get, so there’s no way the lower registers of the harp will be audible anyway. Plus, that passage is going so fast that it’s more important to keep with the rhythm and harmonic structure than to labor over each and every written note.
Here’s where I get the jackets, though I go there in person:
http://www.dharmaware.com/dharmawear/shirts.htm
I misremembered; they’re Tibetan, not Nepalese. At least I knew it had to do with the Himalayas! Anyway, the jackets run true to American shirt sizes: small, medium, large. Thy fit me well, though I’m tall and thin…..
