Encore, Encore!

Finale pieces to wow your audience!

Looking for the perfect encore piece for your concert? Check our list of lever and pedal harp pieces that are sure to wow your audience!

(Titles marked with an * are playable on lever harp.)

*New Blues

by Deborah Henson-Conant

I have used this piece by Deborah Henson-Conant as an encore, and it works perfectly! It’s bluesy, upbeat, and exciting—the perfect way to end a concert.

*Black and White Rag

arr. Angela Klöhn

There’s just something about a rag that always puts a smile on your face. This rag by Angela Klöhn keeps you interested in the melodies from start to finish. It’s short and sweet with a little ragtime spice! 

*Prelude (from Cello Suite No.1)

arr. Merynda Adams

I think you are bound to wow your audience if you present them with this Bach masterpiece. Rarely heard on harp, it’s a delightful work that allows the harpist to show off a lot of musicality. Merynda Adams’ version is shortened and simplified for lever harpists to enjoy. If you would like to perform the full piece, check out Maria Luisa Rayan’s pedal harp arrangement here. 

*Irish Whiskey

by Monika Stadler 

This original tune by Monika Stadler is so much fun to play! The melody keeps you hooked through each section of the piece. If you have a second harpist around, Stadler also has a duet version available.

*The Sparrows Are Building Their Nests

by Michelle Velvin

This mesmerizing original piece by Michelle Velvin uses arpeggios and soaring melody notes to depict sparrows as they flitter through a garden on a sunny day hunting for material for their nests. It reminds me of an indie movie score like Little Miss Sunshine.

*Lever Mania

by Park Stickney

Park Stickney’s Lever Mania is madness in the best way possible. If you want a flashy way to show off your lever harp skills, this advanced, chromatic, scale-packed piece is the way to go.

*Blue Monday

by Ailie Robertson

Blues tunes are just such a fun way to end a concert. This work by Ailie Robertson is a traditional 12-bar blues with lots of cheer!

*First Arabesque

arr. Tamsin Dearnley

You really can’t go wrong closing a concert with Debussy, and now this classic work is arranged by Tamsin Dearnley specifically for lever harpists. I always love ending concerts with a piece audience members will know and love. You can’t go wrong with this one!

Tico Tico

arr. Angela Klöhn

Encore pieces, to me, are a way to show off your skills or to play something your audience won’t forget. This work by Zequinha de Abreu achieves both. It’s a Brazilian choro tune arranged by Angela Klöhn with many virtuosic passages and is a ton of fun to play!

Passacaille

arr. Elizabeth Volpé Bligh

This piece evokes so much nostalgia for me as I played it on one of my first solo concerts (probably as the encore!). It is quite stately, like most music written by George Frideric Handel, and goes through different variations of the same chord progression. Each variation picks up in intensity throughout the whole piece. Elizabeth Volpé Bligh’s transcription uses enharmonics to make the chromatic sections more playable on the pedal harp.

Waltz from Sleeping Beauty

arr. Keziah Thomas

Even if you do not have classical music enthusiasts at your concert, many people will still know this familiar Tchaikovsky melody. Arranged by Keziah Thomas, this waltz is, simply put, spectacular. It’s gorgeous, melodious, and truly exciting thanks to Thomas’ arranging style. 

Asturias y Cuba

arr. Floraleda Sacchi

Asturias is a trance-like work from Issac Albeniz’ Suite Espanola Op. 47 and it is sure to turn heads. Its repetitive patterns are very impressive to the ear.

Au Matin

arr. Elzbieta Szmyt

In my opinion, this beloved work by Marcel Tournier is always welcome on any program. Its dreamy arpeggios will surely entrance your audience. Elzbieta Szmyt’s beautiful edition comes marked with pedals and fingerings.

Étude de Concert 

arr. Elzbieta Szmyt

If you caught my Harp Column instagram takeover, you may know that one of our followers suggested this piece to be on this list. I couldn’t agree more! It’s one of my all-time-favorite pieces, written by Félix Godefroid. After the impressive opening, the piece is quite ethereal with its melody and use of left-hand rolled harmonics.

Spring on the Taff

by Pedal Sliders

If you’re looking for a delightfully cheerful, whimsical, and “sunny” piece to end your concert with, this is it. The melody and harmonies are infectious.

Water Lily

by Aaron David Miller

I hadn’t heard this piece before working on this blog, but this work by Aaron David Miller is spectacular! I adore anything in an impressionistic style. This flowing piece would be a perfect encore—there are a lot of different things for the audience to listen out for.