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Well, I have to disagree I’m sorry to say.
If someone plays well enough to play professionally then they are a professional no matter what the age. I don’t think age should matter. Ability should matter. If they can do the job they can do the job. So long as they don’t advertise at a lower rate so as to undercut anyone just because they can (I have no problem with anyone negotiating in private based on specific circumstances) and they can play at an acceptable level then they are just the same as any other competition.
I don’t see what supervision has to do with it really. If they need to be supervised and they are and it doesn’t cost the client any more for it then I don’t see what the problem is.
What makes a person fair competition is their ability and their business practices, not their age.
I like my different harps because, well, they are different.
Pedal
Lever
Electric Lever
They each have their place in my musical tool box.
If
Yolanda Kondonassis’ recording of it. It appears on a couple of her CDs, most notably Debussy’s Harp.
I think she really captures some of the more subtle aspects of the piece, like the dynamic variation within the opening chords. Very tricky to get right, and she just nails it.
But I have to admit, the best version I ever heard was live, performed by Doug Rioth. I wish that man would make a recording. He is phenomenal.
Debussy’s Dances. I could probably learn to play all the notes with enough time and effort, but I would never be able to play it well. Just the same, I play around with parts of it from time to time. I love it so much.
Sorry if I was unclear.
The CDs are mostly harp, but they do contain a couple of piano pieces. I just thought I would mention it because they are extremely rare recording of Salzedo playing something other than the harp, but as would be expected the CDs are mostly harp, and he plays a lot of his most well known compositions on them.
They are really very impressive.
I’ve heard recordings.
I don’t know if anything online, but there is a 2 cd set of recordings of his live radio performances called Salzedo On The Air which is excellent. It includes interviews as well as a couple of examples of him on piano (people often forget he was also an incredibly talented pianist and composed for piano as well as harp).
I’m gald to see this study.
I think it isn’t a surprise to anyone invovled with music that music can have beneficial effects on people’s health.
What I have always been dismayed at, however, is the attempt by some people to make it into some kind of magical or new age mystery, and the made up explanations. One rather well known harpist invovled in the whole “healing harps” field once tried to tell me that sound, being vibration, was just a frequency on a spectrum of vibrations that included light, and spiritual energy, and that’s why music effects people’s health.
Clearly she never took a physics class.
Yes, music effects people and their health. And studies like this help show how that happens rather than making up things to make musicians (and I find this more among harpists than most other musicians unfortunately) seem like they some kind of miracle workers with magical powers of some kind.
Yes, harps can certainly reverberate through an older building.
I have always been fortunate in that when I lived in a flat my building mates always were tolerant to appreciative of my playing. In fact one landlord asked me if I wouldn’t mind opening my window when I practiced so that he could hear better.
Sadly not everyone is so lucky and I have heard stories from some folks of neighbors who liked nothing better than to complain, even when they were only practicing during reasonable daylight hours.
What songs?
Dave Ice has a nice arrangement of Stairway To Heaven for Pedal Harp. I have been working on my own arrangement of it as well. There is one out there somewhere for Lever harp someone might have.
There is a great arrangement available through Sylvia Woods Harp Center of Coldplay’s Clocks which seems to be one of the most popular pop pieces played by harpists. Almost everyone I know who does Pop music plays that one.
Sylvia Woods has books of Beatles Songs and a book of music from the 60’s that includes some nice pieces like Downtown, Windy, and Let’s Get Together and some other 60’s classics.
I mostly just slightly modify piano music in a pinch, or play from fake books.
So what songs specifically are you thinking about?
Well, my Lyon and Healy Folk Harp is almost 20 years old. It has traveled coast to coast and has its fair share of bangs and dings. It is the material definition of well worn.
It has loveland levers, which have been regulated a couple of times but none have ever needed to be replaced. The sound board is slightly raised but not too much. It actually sound Much better than it did when new, and even better than it did 10 years ago.
I have do doubt that it has many good years left.
I have a older harp from the 70’s. It has seen better days and I have to treat it with kids gloves although it is still very playable (it doesn’t even have blades. It has hooks). But the L&H is build like a rock.
Certainly how long a harp lasts will depend on a lot of factors, but 5 years? That seems pretty short lived to me. That is how long many warranties are, certainly, but most harps outlast their warranties by a long margin. You just have to maintain them well.
I’m definitely interested. I actually just got a copy of the Dewey Owen’s biography and need to start reading that. Also my teacher occasionally relayed stories about him.
And what is fascinating is the CD set Salzedo On the Air, which are a collection of Radio programs he appeared on which include him playing (including a couple of pieces he did on piano), and being interviewed. In addition there are interviews with various people who knew him on the second CD. It really does give a better sense of who he was to hear him speak himself and talk about his music in his own voice.
I’m definitely interested. I actually just got a copy of the Dewey Owen’s biography and need to start reading that. Also my teacher occasionally relayed stories about him.
And what is fascinating is the CD set Salzedo On the Air, which are a collection of Radio programs he appeared on which include him playing (including a couple of pieces he did on piano), and being interviewed. In addition there are interviews with various people who knew him on the second CD. It really does give a better sense of who he was to hear him speak himself and talk about his music in his own voice.
I’m definitely interested. I actually just got a copy of the Dewey Owen’s biography and need to start reading that. Also my teacher occasionally relayed stories about him.
And what is fascinating is the CD set Salzedo On the Air, which are a collection of Radio programs he appeared on which include him playing (including a couple of pieces he did on piano), and being interviewed. In addition there are interviews with various people who knew him on the second CD. It really does give a better sense of who he was to hear him speak himself and talk about his music in his own voice.
I have to second your comments about Peter. I purchased a Camac from him several years ago and he was incredibly helpful and accomodating. A similar situation. The harp I was interested in they didn’t have in stock in their CA location so he had it shipped to me from New York to try. I ended up buying it.
I would not hesitate to do business with them again. They are a great resoruce.
