Favorites from HCA Summer Camp Faculty

Harp Column Academy Summer Camp is happening Aug. 3–7, 2020. Our master teachers and expert instructors are also great arrangers too! Check out our favorite music from HCA faculty, and find out more about HCA Summer camp here.

Celtic and Folk

Kim Robertson

Shenandoah

$6.95

Rhett Barnwell

Lullaby

$6.00

Celtic Psalms

Sunita Staneslow

Four traditional Celtic melodies that are often paired with Psalm texts are included in this collection. Most often when harpists play sacred music, it is very soft and slow, but not with this book. Each arrangement is peppy and jolly, which makes it so refreshing. My personal favorite is “Praise the Lord! Ye Heaven Adore Him,” which is set to the hymn tune Hyfrydol.

Shenandoah

Kim Robertson

Everyone loves this folk tune and Kim Robertson has given it new life in this elegant arrangement! The accompaniment stays fresh and interesting throughout the entire piece. I especially enjoy her use of unique harmonies and her original interludes that she has woven between verses.

The Mountain Lark

Gráinne Hambly

Irish reels are always so much fun to play! As soon as you begin playing this one, you can imagine people wanting to clap and stomp their feet along to the beat. It has a great upbeat melody that you could “jam” on for hours without getting tired.

Lullaby

This peaceful work is so soothing to play. It can be used for sacred settings, therapeutic settings, background music, and more. I enjoy the simple melody that builds and the extra “harpy” arpeggio accompaniment. For other works in the same vein, see Rhett’s A Serenade for the Soul collection.

Jazz

When The World Paused

Amanda Whiting

Every piece in this collection is just so lovely and charming! Amanda Whiting sets you up for an amazing intro into the world of improv with easy chord changes, easy rhythms, and an array of beautiful and fun melodies. I love that there are small sections in each piece where the player has the opportunity to be creative and improvise over the chord changes/scales presented. This is a great beginning book if you are looking to add more jazz to your repertoire or learn to improvise! My favorites are “Blue Skies,” “Watching The Begonias,” “The Winter Trees,” and “Thinking.” All the pieces in this collection can also be purchased separately.

Nataliana

Deborah Henson-Conant

There is so much fiery passion in this piece! You really get entranced in it as both the player and the audience member. The recurring melody is filled with romantic, lush rolls and delicate moments that are offset with fast passion-filled arpeggio and chordal sections. The piece is printed in both C and E-flat for all to enjoy playing!

Lever Mania

Park Stickney

This upbeat piece is not for the faint of heart. Stickney himself even calls this work “non-stop chromatic mayhem,” but it sure is fun to listen to and play! The chromatic scales, lever slides, and improv section make it a one-of-kind piece in your repertoire.

Fin and Sarah’s Wedding Waltz

Maeve Gilchrist

Everything about this piece is truly unique. To me, it perfectly combines jazz and Celtic styles. It has dreamy melodies and harmonies with a waltz rhythm. What’s not to love?

Classical

Trois Gymnopedies and Gnosiennes

Maria Luisa Rayan

If you’ve not yet learned these six short pieces by Satie, now is the time! Maria Luisa Rayan has arranged them in such a way that they are gorgeously expressive and easy to read. She also gives suggestions for pedaling, fingering, and muffling. This is a great collection to add to your recital repertoire or gig book!

Ave Maria Collection

Jaymee Haefner

This collection is wonderful because it comes with a solo pedal harp version, as well as harp and voice versions (in four different keys)! This is so helpful to find the best key for your vocalist. The solo version is my favorite version I’ve played to date. It is a little more difficult than other versions out there with the left hand playing so many arpeggios, but it is worth your time to learn because it is so beautiful!

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