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I’ve never heard of this, I would consult a doctor. Are you sure it wasn’t a recording defect? If a digital mic is too close it will pick up finger noise you cannot otherwise hear. It might have been the sound of your finger leaving the string.
Can you create a version for harp and organ or perhaps string ensemble? That would greatly facilitate performances in synagogues.
Your aunt, Erica Goodman, is a marvelous harpist. She gave a remarkable performance at HarpMusicFest: the International Harp Festival of Philadelphia, and I love all of her recordings.
I would imagine it is up to the first harp, if they care. If not, I would say upstage and either parallel or a little behind.
You may enjoy my channel: HarpMusic by Saul Davis Zlatkovski on youtube. It contains my last recital program, so far.
Well, the Style 23 has been considered the “standard” for a concert harp for over 60 years now, perhaps even more than that. It would be lighter than a Salvi harp, but they have those little wheels which help. They do have an improved sound, but I still don’t hear enough aftertones, ringing overtones, sympathetic vibrations that for me define the sound of the harp, though some call it “bright.” I am not hearing enough balance between the treble and lower registers, but I am hearing that on a lot of new harps. It is partly a question of newness, and how harpists balance the registers or don’t. That’s another reason nylon strings are preferable in the second and first octaves, they have better balance, and I like them in the third octave too, as they sustain longer, are more sensitive to nuance, and have better harmonics. One can even replicate the sound of gut strings by playing lower on the nylon strings and with a sharper articulation like that the gut strings require. It used to be that nylon strings held pitch and lasted longer than gut, but I no longer find that to be the case. They are less expensive, and the 23 is a bit less than the Salvi, I think. My issue with the heavier weight is not just moving the harp, but having more weight pressing on your shoulder. Over many years, that could lead to more problems in the shoulder.
You asked about pieces for strings and harp. That is a very popular category for 20th century composers. If you can find an old printed catalog from ASCAP or BMI, you can read through them for pieces with that instrumentation, or ask a music librarian who can access a database that sorts by instrumentation (I think orchestral librarians have this).
Romanze by Leo Weiner is for solo cello, soloistic harp and strings. It’s challenging and beautiful.
Notturno by Irving Fine for harp/strings is rather well-known.
There are hundreds more, but it takes some searching to find them. You can also look in the catalogs of Lou Harrison and Alan Hovhaness for such works.The competition juries also want to reward “contemporary” sounding works, even though audiences are unlikely to enjoy them. Many fine works have won competitions, particularly the one run by the Northern California Harpists Association, so it may have something to do with the caliber of the jury and what standards they may agree on.
There are many fine contemporary concertos besides the Ginastera, which has some real faults of its own, but sadly, too many are copies of the Ginastera. The others do not get played. Susanna Mildonian should look at the concerto by Maurice Thiriet, which was apparently written for Lily Laskine, Introduction, Chanson et Rondes. Harry Somers wrote a superb concerto introduced by Judy Loman.
If conductors aren’t willing to lead harp concertos, that’s a whole other side of the problem.
I re-introduced the Concerto by Nicolai Berezowsky, and found it to be extremely effective, dramatic and colorful. Sea Chanty by Paul White is another such work. There were others also commissioned by Edna Phillips.
It would help if knowledgeable harpists were doing more commissioning themselves, and helping the composers. Charles Fox began a concerto years ago, and would love to have a commission to finish it ($50,000 is all it would take).
Damase wrote more than one concert for harp.
Concertos for harp are, amazingly enough, the most popular genre for harp among composers, so I’m sure that was a thick book, indeed, but I’ve never seen a book that only listed concertos for harp.
Norman Dello Joio wrote a beautiful concerto, but I decided against playing it because it has no ending, it just stops. It needs one or two more bars added to make it effective.
One of the problems is that, because of the Ginastera, I assume, composers get stuck in writing one note at a time for the harp, patters of intricacy, but limited in sound.
Salzedo’s Concerto for Harp and Seven Winds is extremely effective, and his Second Concerto is very strong, premiered by Jennifer Hoult. However, the orchestration is missing and may need to be re-done.
I was so taken by the Malecki Concertino for two harps that I programmed it three different times at HarpMusicFest: the International Harp Festival of Philadelphia, and I was prepared to always have it on, as it got better with each listening.
Francaix composed Jeu Poetique for Harp, rarely played, and also a concerto for two harps.
More importantly, one of Andrzej Panufnik’s symphonies is his Symphonie Concertante for flute, harp and string orchestra, a magnificent piece that is not that difficult.
So, either conductors are to blame, or harpists are to blame for not knowing the literature, or perhaps there is just too big of a literature to know it all when there is no central listing of it all, or a complete bibliography of harp music. The closest thing to that was the catalog of Lyra Music, published by Don Henry in the 1980s.I don’t think either is true. You are free to perform whatever music you want as long as you paid for your copy. Venues are responsible for ASCAP and BMI licensing. You are if you put on a performance for profit at a venue without a license. You are also responsible for submitting a program of what you play, particularly with BMI, as they will pay a composer per performance.
When the string finish cracks as you are tying a knot in it, it does not mean it is defective. You have to be careful how you bend it and not to pull it too tight. As long as it is not cracked above the sounding board, the string is fine. But the cracking issue is why I suggested, years ago, to try making white strings, as I noticed the black and red strings were much more supple. So, those of you who enjoy Concedo strings now, you can thank me. I have never tried them, though. I remain a loyal Bow Brand customer. Their gut strings last longer than they ever used to, even longer than my nylon strings do, nowadays. As far as I know, they are long past the temporary problem they had with their supplier. I would never pay higher prices, or I would get Pirastro gut strings. I find all the string dealers to be very fine to deal with.
Having experienced internet outages, and not to mention power outages, of course you need to keep your calendar on paper.
It can be sadly low, and sometimes they don’t even allow you to get tips. Other musicians get less than harpists, and if they don’t understand the expense of our instruments, we are stuck. One hotel near me pays $150 for three hours, the same as 20 years ago when I played there. Still more than a piano player might get.
I have had trigger finger on two fingers. It is definitely from wear-and-tear from playing and underlying ailments. You do NOT need surgery. Surgery works, but also causes other discomfort. You do need a radiologist like mine, who uses ultrasound with guided needle therapy, both for exact injection of cortisone to reduce any inflammation, then stippling the tendon stirrup with the needle to soften it so the tendon can glide underneath it once more. My doctor, Levon Nazarian, MD, at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, invented this method of treatment, which is useful for bursitis, tennis elbow, and all manner of soft-tissue injuries. Surgery is a permanent solution, but you can have irritation from the tendon rubbing directly against the muscles.
