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I contacted the manufacturer, and they were very nice, but it does not sound like they want to stop misleading the public as to what kind of instrument they are getting.
Who is to say if a request is legit or not, regardless of the nation or language involved? Judgement is at least a two-way street and there is no law on perception.
It takes a couple of weeks or so for any of the strings to settle, depending somewhat on what type or brand they are.
I would not take off more than one at a time, it causes too much flux in the sounding board. The wire strings are the hardest, the gut strings are tricky. The highest strings are a bit quicker. The wire strings come up to pitch faster.
The kinnor harp is not a harp, is a kind of lyre. Their Atara harp is a harp. I think you should get more information on the subject first.
What an excellent topic. I would be happy to give you a detailed response via e-mail; send me a list of questions you have. You might also post this in Facebook in whatever male harpists group we currently have there.
I don’t recall the stand, but I do recall those benches, they made it very difficult to pedal the A and D, they pinched the thighs together. Nice as furniture, though. There were also custom designed music stands and benches for the Salzedo model, one set by Lyon & Healy, the two original sets by Jules Bouy, one custome designed for Lucile Lawrence. That stand is available to purchase if you have a small fortune on hand.
You definitely need the advice of a cantor, or other expert on Jewish music. I chose Avinu Malkenu because it is deeply moving, and beseeching. Eili, Eili has deep associations for people. Really, it sounds like you want the mourner’s Kaddish. There are also songs, not liturgical music that might have the desired effect, and the contrast of something uplifting might be right. Ani Maamin was composed on the trains to the death camps. Etz Chaim is another song of faith.
The construction is different. I don’t know how it affects the harp in the long run. If you are only going to be able to get him one harp for his whole life, get the best one you possibly can, like a used style 23 that is ten years old or less, or a Salzedo model, the same. The more expensive the original harp, the better the materials and workmanship, is my impression. That said, there are great sounding style 30s and 100s. If you contact me, I can advise in greater detail.
Several of Salzedo’s Suite of Eight Dances can be played on a lever harp: the Menuet, Polka, Siciliana, Tango; and several solos are in the Art of Modulating, including Petite Valse, but his best solo would be the Diatonic Variations on the Carnival in Venice theme, for lever harp.
Niina, to me that is not enough contrast. I would not add the Nocturne by Glinka to the Variations, especially if you are doing the version with a nocturne variation. Do you have something from a later period that you already know? How about the Debussy Arabesque, for example?
The big benefit pianists have is their exposure to the music of great composers, and a broader repertoire, which gives them a better perspective, in some cases, on harp literature. The piano has its equivalent literature to the “harpy literature” but it has gone out of fashion (only to be replaced by stuff like Lorie Line or John Tesh!)
