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Elizabeth, I have been looking at the part you so graciously sent. You have done a lot of work to edit this piece. I am very fortunate to benefit from your experience and generosity. Many, many thanks for your kindness!
Sylvia, as I recall, I played the Bird Song with the following pattern in each measure: left triplet, right triplet, right triplet. It worked pretty well for me almost all the way through. Give it a try. I’d be interested to know what you think.
I have NEVER in over 40 years of doing the Nutcracker had a second harpist to play along with me. I agree with Elizabeth. Real estate in most pits is at an absolute premium. I would love not having to combine the parts, but it is/was not to be.
Forgot to credit Julie Albertson, who originally was kind enough to take the time to send the scanned harp II Bartok part to me. I have received so much help from the generous online Harp Column community, I am grateful for the opportunity to reciprocate.
Stephanie, I will e-mail a scan of the harp II part to you. Get yourself a recording ASAP. I may have edited excerpts to send you, too. I think there are some in Beatrice Rose’s “The Harp In The Orchestra.” Also, you can use hard plastic guitar picks for the glissandos in the first movement. I think the hardest part of this work is the very end of the last movement. Good luck!!
2/6? And the sixth note (whatever that is) gets one beat??? Or was it 2/16, and the sixteenth note gets one beat? Either way, it sounds pretty goofy . . .
Tacye and David, I agree that composers make things needlessly complex. Our orchestra has an annual student composition event. You would not believe some of the things we see–or maybe you would!!
We have not played this in awhile, but I see from my part that I added a flag to the sixteenth to turn it into a 32nd note at rehearsal 9 to make it confirm to rehearsal 7. Also, I’m pretty certain the rhythm sounds the same in those two spots on all the recordings I have ever heard. Love, love, love this magical piece. So atmospheric and evocative.
Hey Kirsten,
For the second beat I played just F as an eighth note, then E-flat and D-sharp as sixteenth notes. For the last beat, I played a single F (nothing additional enharmonically). Good luck with this piece. It’s really nice.
Kirsten, here’s what I did–pedals as follows: D-sharp, C-natural, B-sharp, E-flat, F-natural, G-sharp, A-flat.
First beat (with appropriate accidentals according to chart), right hand C, slide thumb to B, A,G; left hand F, E, D; right hand C, B, A, G; left hand F, E, change B to flat, change G and D to flat for next measure.
I hope this is clear.
I enthusiastically recommend these two books that should be in every musician’s library:
Practiceopedia by Philip Johnston (http://www.insidemusicteaching.com/bookstore/practiceopedia/index.html)
The Musician’s Way by Gerald Klickstein, available at Amazon in paperback and for Kindle
Sounds fishy to me. Reminds me of an e-mail my husband (who teaches bassoon) received lately in which a “Mr. Bright James” was looking for an “instructor” for his daughter Mary, “a 13-year-old girl” who had been home-schooled. The message asked for all sorts of information the writer (Mr. James) should already have had and never mentioned anything about the bassoon or any other instrument. We did not respond.
That sounds like a good idea to scope out the organ’s pitch the day prior to the performance, Brook. Take your chromatic tuner, have the organist play using the registration he or she will set for the Grandjany, and see what your tuner reads for various notes in the key at strategic points in the piece. Best of luck to you, Sidney.
In addition to those already mentioned, here are some more FAQs: How much does it weigh? How many strings does it have? Do you tune it yourself/restring it yourself? How old were you when you started playing/how long have you been playing? Where are they made? Is it difficult to play? Why are the strings different colors? AND– Can I try it? (No.)
