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The reason the cadenza in Lucile Lawrence’s edition is short and not showy, is because she determined that the practice of the time was to make a simple expository statement, rather than a suspenseful climactic one. I have composed my own cadenza that is just a little longer and I think satisfies both desires. I like to think of it as being in the style of about 1790.
I want to say about Andrew Lawrence-King that I kind of resent an organist who teaches himself to “play” the harp so he can cash in on recordings as a “period instrument” player. I heard him in concert as well as a recording and it was the ugliest playing I have ever heard. He could have at least paid some harpist for lessons so he would have contributed to our community, and learned something about how the instrument likes to be played. He may know a lot about finding repertoire, but I won’t consider him a real harpist. Osian Ellis may have been self-taught, but he was pretty good and was part of our world. I have met several musicians over the years who thought we made lots of money and barely learned how to play so they could take our gigs. And they did. Not behavior I can respect.Folks, could we accept that there are tall, short, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, handsome, white, black, red, blue, green harpists, and that we all are pretty daggoned lucky to have such a variety of harps to satisfy the desires, wishes, wants and needs?
Is Venus as good as L&H?
I don’t know if you found Singaporean harpist by now, but you can always contact Ms Katryna Tan, Singaporean based harp artist and teacher. You can get more information on her website katrynatan.com .
Both Thormahlen and Dusty Strings are excellent harps with high quality tone and solid construction. I own a double strung Thormahlen Swan. Thormahlen is one of the few companies that build a full size double harp, and these harps are solid and stable in their construction even when they are subjected to twice the string tension. The lower tension of the Dusty Strings harps result in the base wires ringing for a longer period of time which is aesthetically similar to a wire harp and they generally have a brighter tone. The moderate tension on the Thormahlen allow for a wider dynamic range and more clarity in the base, which is more akin to a pedal harp, but it still has a folk harp tone quality. When choosing between harps of such high quality, you can’t really go wrong.
I heard a new caddy has been launched very recently. The Primo, as it is called looks very practical and beautiful as well. The company is called Muzzace (www.muzzace.com)
J.
My feeling is, you should return the music she loaned you, with a letter stating how sorry you are that things apparently didn’t work out. But then describe succinctly how it affected your daughter, so this teacher can learn from her actions, else she may do it again. Why keep something around that will remind your girl of this event? Why keep that connection? I don’t know how old your daughter is, but I hope you can get her started again. She certainly needs to get past this lest it become a major obstacle to her entire life. She may feel guilty that she didn’t practice enough. Can you reduce her commitments? Studying harp is a major activity. With homework I don’t see how there could be time for any other activities. Harp takes a good two hours a day after the first year or two. The teacher may have gotten the impression that she wasn’t at all serious, and just didn’t have the time. She still should have found a way to tell you.
Singers never stop coaching and taking lessons. Why should we? I can’t think of a student more rewarding than a colleague. It’s also true that, like a singer, it’s hard for us to hear exactly what sound we are projecting from where we sit. It’s so beneficial to have another set of ears. I often wish I had someone to play for.
If you visit the VR place please leave a note here with additional web links or comments to improve the site….thanks…or email to VR4YourPC@aol.com
Hola: Soy paname?o. Resido en Asunci?n -Paraguay y vine a aprender a
tocar el arpa enso?ado por los dulces pero alegras acordes de las
composiciones como Cascada y el P?jaro Campana.Perhaps you could if you were only studying medieval and renaissance music. Some school have early music programs, like St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.
There are so many harpists in New Jersey. Beth Schwartz Robinson is a very popular teacher in Livingston.(973) 716-9571.
Ammonia toughens the skin. Avoid washing dishes by hand, swimming, and soaking your hand in the bath. If you practice when your skin is wet the callouses can tear off. Keep them dry, apply lanolin to keep them from cracking, play a lot of glissandos (not loud) to help build them up, and brush them with ammonia once a day maybe. If you are practicing every day, this should work.
