HISTORY OF THE HARP The Harp is often considered one of the most, if not the most ancient string

instrument. It is also one of the most fundamentally based instruments. Regardless of the type of harp, the harp throughout its history has always had a base, a neck, and strings. The feature that truly defines a harp though, and makes it different than other stringed instruments is that the strings are perpendicular to a soundboard. The first recorded harp found was a bow harp in 2600 BC. The bow harp is the simplest form of a harp, and the formation was based off of a hunters bow. The first harps became common and beloved in the Celtic and Greek regions (much of Western Europe). In fact, the harp became so popular in Ireland that they made it their own by creating the Celtic harp. The harp often symbolizes an angelic, romantic, or even a beautiful figure and this is because there is evidence that the harp was often used in regards to the religious and secular cultural life of ancient Egypt. The harp was found to be the instrument of choice for an accompaniment to the monks voices. Furthermore, Greeks highly valued the harp for many reasons but especially because the Greek Gods; Hermes and Mercury were often shown playing the lyre harp. There are numerous variations of a harp (too many to list), but the lyre harp was the Greeks version of a harp. A lyre and a harp today are used interchangeably, but a true lyre has more of a guitar look than a harp look. In reference to variations of the harp the Celtic people even made their own version of a harp named the Celtic harp. The Celtic harp looks much more like a common harp though. There was a lot of oral tradition and mythology surrounding the Celtic harp in Ireland dating back to the 7th Century. The harp became so popular in Ireland that it became the national instrument. As with almost every other instrument the harp has greatly evolved throughout history. When comparing the first harp which was supposedly the bow harp made with essentially a couple of strings and a hunters bow to the double action harp of today with levers and 47 strings, the two are almost alien to each other. In regards to the most typical current concert harp, two manufactures have dominated the market. For the past 150 years Lyon and Healy of America and Salvi of Italy have produced the majority of concert harps that have been sold. Lyon and Healy began selling harps in Chicago, Illinois dating back to 1864. While the Italian harp company named Salvi actually originated in New York in 1954, but once business picked up, the owner Victor Salvi moved back to Italy and founded the company in 1956. "History of the Harp: Video Series | EHow.com." Harp History. Web. <http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_9854_history-harp.html>. "Harp History - The Early Harp and Lyre." Early Harp History. Web. http://www.alisonvardy.com/harp-info/early-harp-history.htm

FAMOUS COMPOSERS FOR THE HARP Carlos Salzedo and William Jackson are two composers from different eras of music that are well-known for their many brilliant compositions for not only the harp, but

other instruments as well. Carlos Salzedo would be considered the more famous composer out of the two, but William Jackson is not an unknown either. In fact, William Jackson won the Song for Scotland competition in 1999 which was created in order to find an anthem for Scotlands new era (2000 and beyond). I chose to research Carlos Salzedo because I wanted to research someone who composed music in a much earlier time. Additionally I wanted to research someone who currently produces harp compositions today which is why I am researching William Jackson. William Jackson has been a major music influence in Scotland by writing and producing music involving the harp for many years. In 1976 Jackson founded the Scottish band titled Ossian. Since then Jackson has gained a large reputation as a composer in Scotland by producing albums such as The Wellpark Suite, St. Mungo, Inchcolm, and A Scottish Island. Jackson is known for writing music that involves a combination of traditional and classical music with a sensitive touch to it. After winning the Song for Scotland competition one of judges said the following about Jackson, ...William Jackson has produced a noble and beautiful song, one which captures the atmosphere of our heritage and landscape, and which, at the same time, looks forward to the new Scotland that is, hopefully, around the corner... It has the pulse of the era. It deserves to become common currency. (Jackson Bio) Furthermore because of Jacksons sensitive style he has taken an interest in music therapy. His interest has led him to head a music therapy program at Mission Childrens Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina where he specializes in producing music for cerebral palsy and autism patients. Carlos Salzedo could be considered the Babe Ruth of harp composers. According to the biography provided by allmusic.com Carlos Salzedo has been considered as the single most significant composer for the harp to present time. Born in France Salzedo eventually made is way to the north eastern part of the United States by joining the New York Metroplitan Opera Orchestra. He started playing piano at age 3 and progressed his skills to the point where he graduated from the Paris Conservatoire with a 1st place award for both the piano and the harp on the same day. His compositions for the harp were French oriented, and technically demanding for the performer (Salzedo Bio). Salzedo made some serious groundbreaking advancement for the harp by providing magnificent compositions like Variations on a Theme in Ancient Style which is perhaps one of the most recognized works in the harp repertoire. The American Harp Journal in 1985 provided a statement that read Salzedo has done for the harp what Bach did for the organ, Paganini for the violin, Chopin, Liszt and Debussy for the piano, which is to enlarge the technical and expressive potentialities of their chosen instruments." Salzedo has also left behind a legacy for the harp by establishing the harp department at the Curtis Institute for Music in Philadelphia and he is also responsible for founding the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine. "William Jackson Bio." Harp - Dial - Pipex. Web. <http://www.harp.dial.pipex.com/jackson.html>. "Carlos Salzedo Biography." AllMusic. Web. <http://www.allmusic.com/artist/carlossalzedo-q5470/biography>.

FAMOUS HARPISTS (PERFORMERS) Harpo Marx and Elias Parish Alvars are two performers of the harp that I found to be the most interesting. Harpo Marx was loved by many as he was a mime, a comic, and a harpist. Elias Alvars however developed groundbreaking techniques for the many harp players to come. They are very different in how they performed. Marx was a Broadway actor playing the harp as part of an act while Alvaras became the first harpist to play with the Imperial and Royal Opera in Vienna. Both harpists made a huge impact for the harp and their effects are still felt today. When selecting composers and performers for the harp I found that almost every famous person involved with the harp was a composer and performer, not just one or the other. For Harpo Marx, this was not the case. Harpo Marx inherited a harp as a young boy and taught himself how to play the harp without reading any music at all. In the entirety of his life he did not read or compose any music, he simply performed. What makes this situation even more unique is that the compositions he blindly played have and still are being enjoyed by thousands of performers. Marx is such a famous harpist because he played the harp as part of a stage act called the Four Nightingales. The stage act appeared on Broadway and eventually on TV where he most famously made an appearance on an episode of the hit show titled I Love Lucy. His public figure introduced the harp to many, and he one of the most loved harpists ever. Elias Parish Alvars is a famous harp performer because he was an innovator for the harp. Not a physical innovator but a harp technique and composition innovator. After buying his first Gothic Model Erard double action harp he developed the new harp techniques including harmonics in double, triple, and quadruple, chordal glisses, and virtuosic enharmonic effects (Famous harpists source). Alvars also produced and played many harp solos, 80 to be exact. Of those 80 solos, many consider that some of those solos are among the most difficult pieces of harp music to play. He mainly performed in London with a study partner named Nicolas Charles Bochsa and in Northern Germany he performed at balls and parties to earn some extra money also as he was not a wealthy performer back then. "Famous Harpists." Famous Harpists - Harp Specialists: Vanderbilt Music. Web. <http://www.vanderbiltmusic.com/famousharpists.php>. (Alvars) "Harpo's Place - The Artist: Story." Harpo's Place - The Official Arthur Harpo Marx Family Online Collection. Web. <http://www.harposplace.com/Artist/ArtistStory.php>.

5 HARP REPERTOIRES 1. A Magyar Lament, by Nancy Gustavson 2. A Moorish Garden, by Nancy Gustavson 3. Automates, by Bernard Andrs

4. Danses D'Automne, by Bernard Andrs 5. Great Day, by Nancy Gustavson Nancy Gustavson published a book of compositions for the harp in 1972. She often performed at symphony orchestras, for weddings, and at restaurants. She started out as a young pianist, but after graduating from UC Berkley she became an adult harpist. The pieces listed above are among some of her most famous compositions. Bernard Andres was apart of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France as a soloist. Andres began composing at the age of 8 though, and went to study at the Paris Conservatoire. His aim was to relate traditional music with contemporary concerns. His compositions were influenced by French tradition.

FAMOUS ORCHESTRAS It was somewhat difficult to locate a prominent symphony orchestra that incorporates a harp because the harp is typically a solo instrument. After some searching though I discovered that the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in New York does in fact have a harp as a part of their orchestra. The person who plays the harp in this particular orchestra is named Grace Wong. She has been a principal harpist for the RPO since 1979 (32 years). The website of the RPO does have a pretty basic seating chart for the orchestra. Because there is only one harpist, the harp section is the smallest while the 1st violins look to be the largest section of the orchestra. Specifically the harp is located between the 1st violins and the percussion while behind the 2nd violins, the clarinets, and flutes. I also found it interesting that the website provides in-depth details about the orchestra. Each musician is provided with a page on the RPOs website which allows them to list fun facts about themselves i.e. where they went to study music, their first musical memory, their achievements etc. The website also explains that the process of tuning occurs right before concert begins and to do this the orchestra tunes to the note "A". The tuning begins by the principal oboe and then is supervised by the first-chair violinist also known as the concertmaster. I also found out that for this particular orchestra, a full symphony will usually contain 75-90 members.