The History of the Harp - Part 3

[pheona1000]

May I very gently pose a question?

My understanding is that the Welsh Triple Harp like the Scottish and Irish Clarsachs were played on the left shoulder and indeed Robin Huw Bowen continues with this tradition. Is there a particular reason why Llio Rhydderch, who is one of the foremost exponents of the Welsh Triple Harp today, is playing with the harp on her right shoulder?

[pheona1000]

Are these nails Andrew's own nails or is he wearing 'ping-pong' nails?

[djypsydjazz]

Is that a vihuela de mano that the dancer is playing and holding?

[parkerharps]

Doppia never meant big or extended.. Double in this context either means playing at the octave below or literally doubling the bass. Doppia specifically means more than one row of strings here. As for Welsh, why does Talbot call the triple harp the English harp, and say that the Welsh harp has one row of strings and brays???

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK actually, Parkerharps has hit on a really valid point. Doppia in modern Italian can refer to size, but there is no indication this is what it meant in musical terms historically... if it meant big harp, would it not be more likely to be arpone (as in chitarone and violone)?

[KaterinaLK]

@brayharper I predicted your question :-). I asked the person, who is competent in 15-17th century Italian. Doppia can mean "twice bigger" or "twice more" in early Italian.

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK ... so where is the 'lauto doppia, or the basso doppia, or the viola doppia... I suggest you read Dr Parker's article on the baroque harp... he examines the use of words very carefully, and compares ranges of instruments with works, and extant instruments with period usage...

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK As far as Andrew Lawrence-King is cncerned, his status as 'the best early harp player in the world' is very debabtable... he has a great reputation,in some circles, but I consider his historical performance very questionable... and his statement in his harp methode that what he teaches is historical technique is tantamount to fraud... it is what he does but has little to back it up. I also question his use of a large Italianate instrument to play almost everything on... cont

[KaterinaLK]

@brayharper can you name somebody better or brave enough to go onto the same stage with him?

That is really interesting about your historical performance thoughts - silienta@mail.ru, I would love to contunue. I play triple harp.

The use of Italian harp to play French and Spanish (sometimes) baroque music, actually pretty authentic, if you look deeper into sources. There were some Italian harpists working in Spain, for example. There were lots of tunes, transferred from one country to another.

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK I can think of many players I think better musicians than him, and asking who is brave enough to appear on the same stage as him is ridiculous... he in one exponent amongst many, but he is not infallable, or oracular, and I think anyone who will dect anyone simply because they like what one player does is not realistic. A lot of what he does is not based on history (there is no evidence for the use of 'thumb under', and his use of 5th finger is unsupported, especially om singleaction

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK we know French harps and German harps and Italian harps existed, but Andrew has used the same harp type and the same ornamentation in all his recordings that use parallel chromatic gut strung instruments. This is hardly scientific, and cetainly does not deserve to be blindly accepted. Try Mara Galassi, Cheryl Ann Fulton and Frances Kelly if you want to hear this music given some historical validity

[KaterinaLK]

@brayharper Well, first, he uses different ornamentation, according to the manuals of the time.

Second, all mentioned players are good specialists, but they play in pretty much like pedal harp technique with not much use of historical fingering. That is different. They are good, sure, but in different style and different approach.

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK if you listen to his recordings, you would be hard pressed to say which works come from where based on his ornamentation and phrasing. I can cite evidence of the same ornamentation in several recordings, and none of it based on actual ornament praxis I have seen in historical sources. Yes, Frances and Mara play pedal harps, but to say their playing has no validity because of this is highly insulting to people who are committed to historical research and interpretation (cont)

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK Andrew is fundamentally an organist who transferrd to the harp and made up his technique. He may have informed his playing by research, but what he does is no more or less historically valid than that of any other player, and it is delusional or dishonest to say what he does is historical, because we just don't know... not you, not me, not him. (cont)

[brayharper]

@KaterinaLK Andrew is one proponent, not the only source, and like many subjects, research moves study on, and we are allowed to say that something is perhaps not as accurate as first thought. I am not aware of one of Andrew's chromatic instruments that has a historical range, and yes, tunes did travel about, but if you are making a CD of French baroque music, would there not be an argument for using a FRench baroque harp to indicate what the composer wanted?

[rakkav]

It's great to see harpists I've read about for years on these videos!