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I would say that the 23 is going to have finer-grade wood and be made with a little more care and attention to detail, if not a lot. 85s, I would characterize as having a big sound, but a little heavier in character, and having the immediate contact of string and sounding board, with no nylon piece there, the sound comes out more quickly, speaks faster. That also can make it slightly more crude sounding. One must not ignore the influence of the column on the sound. The more carved the column is, the more diffuse the soundwaves coming out of the harp. I believe the 85 is also heavier in weight, which has another effect. If an 85 is all you can afford, it is a very good harp. If you can afford a 23, get that, and add a gold crown if you can. But also, have your harp French polished to a glossy finish, not the matte/satin finish sold now. Compared to a 23, a 30 has a bigger bass tone, but the sound is more directional, with the column being uncarved. The 100 is closer to a 23 for that reason, the fluting helps disperse the sound.
Another factor is how thick the finish is, if it is applied too thickly, it will hold back as much as 10 percent of the sound.I would think the oldest libaries in France would have copies. Salzedo’s earliest publications are also missing. Apparently, French publishers were very disorganized, did not archive properly, and were also disrupted by more than one war.
No, I don’t think that would be from the harp itself. I would see a dermatologist to make sure it’s not an infection or boil or anything. It could be trapped fluid. Or it could be a nerve problem which could be coming from much higher up.
You may not have a local teacher with a similar approach, but there are a good number available, and probably any one of them will do lessons by video call. I do.
Why would you think to arrange music for the harp when you have not even learned to play it yet, albeit well? That is a very difficult thing to do. Buy a second-hand pedal harp and take lessons. It will humble you quickly, dare I say.
What do you mean, you want to sell it, but you have to buy it first? The sounding-board is exceptionally dark for a harp from the 1980s. The gold appears to be in very good condition, but that’s only cosmetic. If it has never been rebuilt, it is possible it will need a new neck and baseframe repair, and a new soundingboard. I would hazard a guess that it is worth no more than $20,000, if that, as those repairs are expensive. But I’m not an appraiser.
They should listen to the great works for harp, to learn them. But videos are too distracting. They need to hear the Debussy Danses and the Ravel Introduction and Allegro.
I tend to agree on the Magic Fire Music, the solo harp version. The original is not nearly so hard. Tzigane is not so terrible. Bartok’s first Concerto for Violin is a massive part, with a passage that was unplayable until re-edited by Peter Bartok.
Lucile Lawrence said that when you are going to leave a harp unplayed for a length of time, you should lower the tuning to save pressure on the sounding-board, thus extending its life. The challenge is in bringing it back up again. I would assume that the string life would also be extended.
Students should be listening to as much music as possible. Cds or Lps are preferable, because they have program notes and other information. At a minimum, they should know all the great classical symphonies, Brandenburg Concerti, foundational listening. As their ears develop, add in more styles of music. You should not be lending your own cds, they should either buy them or use the public library. They can also listen to the radio.
Style 15s vary greatly in quality. Manhattan School of Music has one that they’ve had since the 1960s, and it is a truly great harp. The other one they had was miserable. I had one in college, that later pulled itself to pieces. If you’re not going to be moving the harp, and it is shipped carefully, that it has held up this far, makes it a possibly good choice.
Oil of frankincense may provide some topical relief, as well as lidocaine patches. An interventional ultrasound radiologist is your best friend. The ultrasound will tell him exactly where your problem originates, and there are at least two treatment options, cortisone or lidocaine injections, and needle therapy. Other doctors can only guess.
