Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I, too, have faced this issue in discussing career aspirations with a student from a very religious family with already set plans. Not knowing much about their religion, I crossed some boundaries with my advice, and fortunately, did not lose the student, but faced having to censor myself in my own studio, which I don’t think is right. Exposing students to great art is certainly part of teaching, and to take such a narrow view of harp instruction is limiting to the students and teachers growth. That being said, the position of discretion is in some ways a wise one, practical in the least. I think as much as possible in the way of expectations on everyone’s part should be expressed as early as possible in the teacher/student relationship.
Well, aren’t you doing exactly the same? How does that make it any better? We are entitled to a taste for harp playing, and there is more often than not at least a grain of truth in what is said. Generally speaking, nonSalzedo harpists have not been as audible in orchestra, and a lot of them do not play loud enough with their left hand to balance with the right hand. I say that based on the many recitals I attended, and I won’t name names, but it was mainly the students from a particular school.
Anyway, if you were privileged to listen in on what are intimate conversations within our circle, you should not be repeating them here! Everyone has their own gossip. I heard more than plenty of crap flowing the other way, so how about let’s drop all of it, except for honest, truthful statements and clearly identified meaningful
That is a wonderful, exhaustive approach. I do so in a less-formal fashion. I kind of expect students to have the interest of curiousity to do this on their own, and to assimilate or synthesize what they have experienced, but I know that not everyone has the same thought processes that
Well, I just don’t agree with that. But that’s your choice, and that’s why we can have multiple editions of pieces. I believe I also used enharmonic flats for the sharps in that section. I don’t find the number of pedal changes to be so daunting in that piece, but I was able to eliminate some, for certain. The best cure for pedaling challenges is to learn Scintillation. After that, everything else is reasonable.
I don’t think I have seen harmonics notated as sounding in orchestra parts, it would be a surprise there.
Carl and I are in agreement here. My major teacher was a soloist who also had a lot of orchestral experience, but more importantly knew how to teach parts, even those she hadn’t played. If you are a soloist and know how to prepare parts, that may suffice, except for a student who only wants to play in an orchestra-but good luck in finding a job! That being said, orchestral harpists are often called upon to be soloists or to do recitals or chamber music, so they should be fluent in those as well. However, I really respect a harpist who can say, I am just an ensemble player, and if you want
I agree with the idea of doing harmonics in scales, and you did get the good benefit of knowing where they are on the string. It is also important that they sustain, which you get by not pressing on the string, only touching the node and using pressure only on the playing finger. Please do know the harmonics of the twelfth, as Salzedo used them in his well-titled marvelous Poem of the Little Stars, and I use them in my compositions as well. They are quite useful. Interestingly, you can produce them by going in the direction of the sounding board, as well as the neck. That being said, they are not commonly called for.
Having unfortunately purchased this piece, I would say, don’t play it at all. It doesn’t even meet the basic requirements of a composition, a sense of line, a real theme, good form. I don’t know how it got chosen. While all new music should theoretically get played, “tonal” music can be just as bad as “avant-garde.” But, I guess you’re stuck with it. You are free to choose, but he would seem to have implied only the first chord should be flat, but I would assume it continues if the chords are similar. I always err for consistency within a phrase.
I think this thread has started getting ridiculous. Other instruments, to the best of my knowledge, such as violins, have their harmonics notated as sounding. Notes represent the sounds we are meant to hear, not finger patterns like the beginner piano music written out on a keyboard. They are an attempt to communicate the idea of the music, not the end result in themselves.
I don’t have to rethink harmonics written where sounding because I am focussed on how they sound, not sticking my finger on the string, but then, I don’t play much music that writes them as played. I think it encourages better sound to draw your attention to the result. I think Salzedo was a highly literate artist and made choices out of intelligence, consistency and taste. Commenting on his ego is pointless as none of us have even met him in person, and it is irrelevant. Grandjany invented his own notations, as did Berio and Boulez and a lot of other people. I think Salzedo’s notations tend to be the clearest and most rhythmically accurate. If everyone adopted them, which I can see will never happen, there wouldn’t be a problem.
It also helps when you are editing written music that when you want to switch a note to a harmonic all you have to do is write a circle above it, not a circle and an 8 or 8va.
As for the use of
Please don’t have it on Memorial Day Weekend, for that is when the Harp Music Festival of Philadelphia is happening.
You can use the right hand-type position to play high harmonics with the left hand. I always found that one painful. I like using the other version that omits that variation.
There is a big difference between broken chords and broken cords. One is desirable, the other to be avoided.
One more thought about broken chords:
We are the only orchestral instrument to use them, mostly, which provides a unique texture. Other than guitar, we are also pretty much the only solo instrument to regularly use them, so it is all the more unique for us to use them, and it would be a terrible thing for the art, if broken chords were to disappear altogether.
