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A chair with a back can cause problems as your upper body has to be able to move, so make sure it is flexible enough not to impede that. As you pedal, your back adjusts, too. A brace helps strengthen the core muscles a lot, and doing core exercises, which can be fun, will support your back better. If one performs, it is important to have a bench or chair that matches the harp well.
Basel, if it is possible, you should contact a reliable place such as Morley Harps in London, or Lyon & Healy in Germany, to see if they can store your harp and music for you until you land in a stable situation. To leave them behind is a waste, and will they be used by anyone? I’m sure someone would like to help you, I would hope so. If not that, send them to where your parents go and they can be later sent back to you. Have faith in the future.
This is a great example of why Salzedo’s notation should be known by all harpists, and how to play it correctly, and being tested on it in school would ensure that is accomplished! Fortunately, his notations are explained mostly in the Method and Modern Study of the Harp, as well as in individual pieces.
There is no such thing as a captioned accent, unless you mean the mark that has an asterisk and a footnote. You are confusing it with the vertical symbol, the inverted cucumber, as Miss Lawrence called it, that indicates to slide with suppleness up and down the string. What I believe Aglaia is asking about is the Expressive Accent, that is its name, which is used in Bolero. It means to give the note an emphasis that is expressive, rather than dynamic or rhythmic. Where a tenuto would mean to lengthen the note slightly and an accent mark would mean to play it more sharply, in this case the note is emphasized, but lyrically, melodically to be more expressive. This is noted at the bottom of the first page of the Bolero, where Salzedo simply says, to play more expressively. It would be slightly louder, but not sharpened in attack in any way. It is worth noting that this valuable asset was uniquely invented by Salzedo, and though it could be profitably used in all music by all composers, they don’t seem to know it now exists. I use it in my music, though it is very hard to get the computer to make it. If you look at its shape, it is derived from a tenuto mark, but it has an extra push to it, like the shape of the thumb on its side.
He wrote a lot of harp music, and his Sonata da Camera for flute and harp was, most remarkably, written while in a Nazi prison camp!
I have pretty much completed my new edition, which is completely from the original, with ornamentation, voicing and completion of the figured bass. It is full of surprises, too. I hope to have it ready for publication in the next year. It has an original cadenza.
I don’t think it is particularly important “how” it was played in Handel’s time, as composers in those days were rarely satisfied by the instruments in use, and were always pushing for improvements. Whether or not the harpist who originally played the piece was a virtuoso or not has no bearing on what we would do now. If you applied the same standard to music written recently, it is quickly apparent that it makes no sense. What matters is understanding the notation, what is expected to be added to that, and being consistent with Handel’s music as a whole, and I have relied on other harp music he wrote as guidance to accomplish that. All that said, I love Salzedo’s edition, and think it is the best of the modern editions, and his cadenza is spectacular, and very authentic to the 20th century.
I like to recommend the Harvard Dictionary of Music as a general reference book. If a student reads it cover to cover, they will arrive very well-prepared for college.
If Shostakovich is dictating multiple harps, but there is only one part to be played, then I am sure he is saying it should be played by that number of harps, doubling, not a solo part.
What works for man-sized Josh Layne is less likely to work for a woman-sized gal with smaller feet. You need some leverage to work the pedals. The best shoe I have seen is a flamenco or jazz dance shoe, with a full metal shank, and a solid heel of stacked leather. Keeping your heel on the floor prevents noise from suddenly hitting the floor with your shoe, and keeps you oriented. And you want a rubber sole for grip on the floor and the pedals, but a thinner sole can help give you feel for the pedals. You can also use a suede sole, like on a ballroom dance shoe. But harder soles are an asset, too.
I’m not a woman, but it does sound to me like you are too short to support the weight and size of a large harp, and the smallest would be better. The old style 14 would be a better fit, of Lyon & Healy. When you pull the harp back, a percentage of its weight will go right down your spine. And if you have scoliosis, then the pressure will be unevenly distributed and affect some discs more than others. Back surgery is a very serious business, and does not always have the best results. There is a difference between having an orthopedic surgeon and a neuro-surgeon as well. If you haven’t tried a serious weight-loss program first, which could reduce certain dimensions, I would not do surgery as the first option. Lidocaine patches can reduce the pain safely. Abdominal core exercises are of the utmost importance.
Maybe you have a mouse in the base?
Putting oil on sounds like a bad idea, it will seep into the string and make it false.I disagree. It’s not an audition. How the person performs is part of their performance. What makes it fair is how votes are calculated and if judges are allowed to discuss contestants. There are many other factors, too, including who is selected to compete in the first place, among other things known only to organizers. The cost of competing is sure to eliminate many deserving artists.
