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For the first performance of Debussy Sonata (december 10, 1916), it was
with Albert Manouvrier (fl), Darius Milhaud (alto), and Jeanne Dalliès
(chrom. hpe).
It was not really a concert, but the first audition, in the house of Jacques Durand (his editor).
Debussy
didn’t like a lot this Pleyel harp, but Jeanne Dalliès was not so bad
for him, as we can read it on this letter for Jacques Durand, December
14, 1916 : “Vous
m’avez écrit des choses charmantes sur la Sonate pour Fl, Alt et Harpe. Seulement l’expérience n’est pas complète, à cause
de la harpe chromatique qui n’a jamais le poids sonore de la harpe à pédale,
mais qui trouve le moyen d’être lourde. Pourtant Mademoiselle en joue aussi
bien que possible.” — sorry, I can not translate…Pierre Jamet
was the first performer to play on pedal harp, just one year after, and
he write to Jacques Durand (letter of Mars 22, 1917) that he prefers
really Erard harp : “J’ai
pu constater une fois de plus la supériorité de la harpe à pédales sur
la harpe
chromatique qui, si j’ose m’exprimer ainsi, n’enveloppe rien, et rend
les
délicieux son harmoniques, pareils à un tambour voilé”I’ve
seen the manuscrit of the sonate, it’s not glissando, but arpeggios,
exactly the same than in the editedInfortunatly, I don’t know nothing about the harpists who was playing on this harp in the past. I’ve get it in Paris last summer, with the help of a very good friend to me.
When I had this harp, it was absolutly not playable, it was just an instrument for decoration… The harpmaker Alexandre Budin had worked a lot on this harp (a lot of very good restaurations !), and we tested so many strings for try to find witchHello everybody!
Thanks for your messages.
Well, you’re absolutly right, this harp is really smaller than a modern harp and it was not so confortable to play for me like this. Usually, I use a lower bench, of course… but I had a broken toe, and it was less hurting for my feet to sit in this way than to have to bent the feet for the pedals ! It’s very stupid, but I had to adapt myself depending my poor feet…
But don’t warry, just for 5 minutes, it was ok…
And the good point with this not excellent position, it’s that the arm muscles tire less quickly…
For the 5th, it’s very easy : the sound was better, that all.
The sound with 4th is too heavy, even pianissimo. And with the 5th, it’s much more precise and sweet.I don’t play very often with 5th, but sometimes it’s more relaxing rather than with the 4th.
In this case, the distant betwen first and 5th is more small than with the 4th, and there is less stretching for the hand. With the 5th, all the other fingers can be very relaxed, and like this, I
have less problems for have a regular tremolo.But it’s just a detail 😉
The harp is very beautiful, I looooooove it !
It’s an Erat harp, around 1830. The mecanism is quiet tired, a lot of bad vibrations, but I like very much this sound for lute and guitar musics ! For me it’s very precise and warm in the same time.
And I’m not sure that we can see on the movie, but the wood of the soundboard is not perpendicular to the strings, as usually, but… in diagonal ! Around 45° !And, I’m sorry, but I never played on your harp…
Do you know if an harpist have one in France, or Europa ?I’m very curious to listen how it is !
great !
If you have some pictures of your harp, it could be nice !
I don’t see what kind of model it can be. Perhaps a model on command ?I will be in paris in the same time than you.
So, I hope you like whisky !Well, thank you for everything you‘ve written !
I don’t know what should I write here, it’s my first message…
I’ve a new record in construction, I will say you more about it later.
I just hope that you will like it !Perhaps you will be on Vancouver this summer ?
I will be very happy to meet you around a good glass.
