Harping

[resonant]

Last night we spontaneously went to hear some Mozart (because that's the kind of wild family we are), and we were about six feet from the harp player.

A harp, seen from the end rather than the side, is a strange-looking thing. It looked like a newel post standing in a small boat.

The harpist looked fannish to me -- a beaming, bespectacled, dumpling-shaped woman with one long braid of silver hair.

It was the least I-dreamt-I-wandered-in-a-misty-glade harping I had ever heard -- clear, ringing notes, melody and counterpoint, no long sweeping chords.

And when the harpist rested her hand on the strings to damp the sound, I had a sudden powerful image of the woman in the Strength tarot card shutting the lion's mouth.

Comments

[auroramama]

That description... oooh. Awe-inspiring. From the weird and fannish to quiet control.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_swallow/]

This is a great description!

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

This is just very cool writing--I particularly love the "misty" description of usual haprping. Yum, you.

[kupukello.livejournal.com]

My younger daughter, all of seven years old, has been adamant about wanting to play harp for at least a year now. "Um. Dear, how about some nice piano lessons instead?" "NO! HARP!"

I'm sure there are harps in size teeny-tiny a-plenty, and even more harpists willing to teach pint sized people, right?

[aunty_marion]

Depends on what *type* of harp she wants to play! A concert grand upright harp - I don't know if they do those in smaller sizes. But 'folk' harps (google 'harpsicle') do come in small sizes, even the upright ones rather than the lap ones.

Yes, I have several friends who play harp...*g*

[kupukello.livejournal.com]

Oh, now THAT I have to admit is a pretty thing! I was stupid enough to show my daughter my google results and heh, now she's willing to settle on harpsicle for now, as long as she gets the BIG HARP eventually *head desk*

(And, so much for not finding any teachers, I just googled one quite close to us. I'm so NOT telling this to my daughter!)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

We were among a bunch of people who went up at intermission to look at the harp; she demonstrated the pedals and let the kids play the strings. The cellist (who was the harpist's sister; I wonder what Christmas was like at their house growing up?) came to us afterwards and said, "My sister was about your daughter's age when she saw a harp and said, 'Mom, this is what I have to play.' So be careful."

[kupukello.livejournal.com]

she demonstrated the pedals and let the kids play the strings

Aijaijai!!! That's SO VERY DANGEROUS!! What happened with your daughter then, she didn't write a letter to Santa right away?

I'm not sure I get my daughter's logic: she already has five (!!) violin lessons a week, three hours of theory and home practise on top of that (plus ballet and art school), so why on earth does she want to add another instrument to that? The lure of HUGE and beautiful instruments is apparently too strong...

[sadiane.livejournal.com]

Yes, teeny sized aplenty - my partner is a classically trained harpist/harp teacher. She claims that it teaches a lot of the same basic skills as a piano. IDK. I'm musically hopeless.

On the downside, it's the most obnoxiously large and expensive instrument that anyone is ever going to expect you to show up with. But a lot of teachers do offer rentals, at least to start out with, since the instruments are pretty expensive.

Wow, I feel like I should hand you my wife's business card or something :)

[kupukello.livejournal.com]

LOL! Maybe I should have mentioned that we don't exactly live in a harp country. The daughter in question already plays violin, which she loves with all her heart, but in addition to that, she would like to play harp (and now harpsicle as well as I was stupid and showed her how it looks like *head desk*). I've no idea how many harpist there are in our teeny tiny country, and how many of them teach, but my guess is "very few".

For some odd reason the one harp-like instrument we DO have, kantele (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantele), with plenty of teachers all over the place, doesn't do at all. The logic of seven year olds, I have a suspicion that she just loves how a harp looks, big and majestic, and so very very girly!

[sadiane.livejournal.com]

I poked at your profile (not in a creepy way *g*), and The World Harp Congress (http://www.worldharpcongress.org/associations.html) does list a Finnish harp association. Of course, my Finnish language skills are pretty close to nill, though kat_lair has sent me a few Apulanta albums of which I am fond. The page may very well say "Ha, ha. Yeah right! Play this kantele instead" for all I know. Though I will add that most performers also teach (full time harping, not especially lucrative or easy to come by), and most teachers are very exited to find new students that have any musical background.

And the harp thing is usually ALL ABOUT the girly princess dress and an excuse to play something pretty and shiny. Even with the pros - I've been to more bridal shops for gown fittings than I care to remember! My wife's been playing since she was four (I know!), and it was a decision made mostly on the basis of it looking shinier than a cello (she's got one of those, too! And an upright base. And the biggest hammered dulcimer anyone's ever seen. The girl needs to take up the flute or something!).

[chrissie-m.livejournal.com]

What a cool image!

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a description. Was this harpist a Mary Sue come to life?

[stultiloquentia.livejournal.com]

I like this post. :)

[strangerian.livejournal.com]

This is a beautiful description! Were you hearing the Flute and Harp Concerto, by any chance? I have a recording of it that's very striking, and also not "misty-romantic" at all.

[pauraque]

Beautiful writing, brought a tear to my eye. :)

I feel Strength can often be read as opening the lion's mouth, as well as shutting it. Certainly your harpist had the power to do both!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Interesting -- I found two representations online, and one of them could definitely be seen that way.

This experience made me rethink the card in a different way -- as being not about defeating an enemy or nullifying a threat, but just about bringing a sound to an end when its note is over.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

*♥ you*

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

aren't you glad you caught the spontaneous-Mozart-bug?!

and it made me smile when you said the harpist looked "fannish" to you--I can totally see that. and I bet she had a certain happy gleam in her eye as well...

[darklock.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. That hit the right note. Instant calm. Thanks. I needed that. ;-)

[maya231.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought of a "fannish" look. *muses*

I took harp lessons, briefly, as a child. Very fun.

[sadiane.livejournal.com]

I married a fannish harpist. They do, in fact, exist. And most of them get rather sick of the "sweeping cord" style music (which is comparatively easy) and long to rock out, just a little. (Refers you to Harptallica (http://www.harptallica.com/), the Metallica tribute harpists. Classical music has some STRANGE offshoots...)

And if those things look strange head-on, you should see what they look like inside! Or, upside down, as you attempt to hoist a couple of them into the back of an SUV.

Um, I wandered over here for some reason or other. Hi!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

you should see what they look like inside! Or, upside down, as you attempt to hoist a couple of them into the back of an SUV.

I love fandom because it makes me picture things I would never have thought to picture!