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THE HARP-HOW TO PLAY IT. w…

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THE HARP-HOW TO PLAY IT. w o NOTHING TO EQUAL IT IN MELODY. By JOHN CHESHIRE, "AIIPIST BY APPOINTMENT TO H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH. At last it seems likely that the harp is to popular. It is the oldest known UsIcal instrument, and there is none to rival, et alone equal, it for sweet melody. The rationS of antiquity famed for their great O'\>'e of musio and the arts held it in high It is mentioned several times in the v.'d Teslament, Jubal, of the seventh genera- from Adam (B.C. 4000), is spoken of jr the fourth chapter of Genesis as" the of all such as handle the harp and or8an." When the children of Israel were **ried into captivity they sat down by the tiversof Babylon and wept, and," says David, *e hanged our harps upon the willows in midst thereof." The harp should be Pected for its ancient historical asso- tlatious, both religious and secular, for "ere the beautiful in art is the harp is allied to it,. have often wondered at the absenoe of JY Written history of the harp. All my life Qave been a student of the instrument. Its Ustory and development are lost in oblivion. '» undoubtedly Egyptian, and my researches convinced me that it bad its origin in Warrior's bow, whose string gave forth ttsio. It ig the most powerful of stringed foments. Just why the harp has never become very Popular I cannot understand. To be sure, at moment, one occasionally hears it in some aWIng-room in London or Paris, and occa- °nally in public, but it is not as popular as 'would be; first, I suppose, on aocoont of price of a good instrument—from £ 100 to -and, secondly, because it is thought to U6 hard to play. But to those who know its autie8 it is far and away the sweetest of all Instruments American ladies have begun to the harp, and soon it will become P°Pnlar in America. It is important to begin aright. The tone pr0(jU0e(j by pressing, not pulling or il*! J-D"' strings, the fingers being held Srtically or bent half-way to the palm1 « the hand, the thumb erect, and t wrist firm and steady, forming tone regulator." According to the tone so should the wrist be held firm or °«e. The movement of the arms should under any circumstance, alter the posi- °f either hand. I have made a life tnP^y of this and the proper production of tone, action of the hands must be quiet and easy. Any superfluous demonstrations, such eiJS030 players indulge in, are never made by harpists. The waving of the hands, Nourishing of the artns, and the swaying (■' the body are mere affectations, a waste of energy, and a display of the Orat possible taste. The proper manner of holding the hand £ on the strings—a matter of the very highest Importance — is as follows: — Let the extend the full length of the right and band, then bend the tips of Angers half way to the palm of the hand. ^Urn the hand over to the right, placing <dio-K^er8 uPon the strings, at the same time raising the elbow, always keeping the Ser1I&,) erect. The right elbow being raised „ "es to keep the strength of the hands and 8ers near the strings. If the elbow were Iowed to drop too low, this strength would va drawn away from the strings. While the right elbow is h¡.ld out the left *hoold be held in. The fingers of the left *|*Dd should be bent similarly to the right, and thumb should be quite erect. Hold the left hand a little above the right hand. A proper touch is absolutely neoessary to tttelligref)t playing. Let the fleshy part of *he finger near the tip be placed on the frings—never the finger-tip itself. One must iv0*'106 constant5y to acquire a good touch. a 18 (lueation of tone production is &Ppareilt.ly overlooked, for many pupils no Her see a harp than they imagine they can QP°n it. This is a great mistake. Unless e touch be properly acquired by diligent actice^ there can be no tone or colour to the Whfe|fS Pei'f°rmance. On the contrary, it feicf Monotonous to the ear, as a colourless in Qre *s tame to the eye. A remarkable thing ponneotioo with the tone of the harp is that ^18 the only tone which is produced directly the touch of the player without the aid intermediate agent. Hence arises the W2 imitating its tone, for the rp2|cati tones of the strings in an orchestra no more like the real tone of the harp fog ia like sunshine. at Ill is generally supposed that the harp is, of ^etruments, the most difficult to keep in co^'ti°n- It certainly ne^ds constant 0td • tuning and keeping the harp in j^18 bard, according to the way in which ne* if harpists will take pains to keep *&ti ff ^^rP8 trim they will derive more bat"faction from them, and find the work far ,er than if they followed an irregular 01 of tuning and kept their instruments varying tetiipei-atut-e. Lack of system o ves difficulty. the first place, the strings should be of best quality. A very good method ia ereby the staying power of the strings Uararteed -and excessive tuning HjJ is to let the instrument be over- "e 11& for several days prior to use. Pianos tho llev°r or used before they have been h4j.r°nghly tested and proved. Why, then, Jj ? The apparent indifference of many in this respect is one of the most to '•>US 'niPediments to their progress. The of a barp properly improves the ear to ^n<^erful extent. If a new string will ^0r one ^our, 't ought to remain in ^7°^ condition for one month, at least. There different ways of tuning the harp. Each r«Jer will have a peculiar method of his I have devoted muoh time and thought this branch of the art, and claim a special scientific mode of my own, by which I j*0 tune my harp in the most perfect t a^er: The more I put this system of v aiI1g into use, the more I wonder that it • 8 Remained undiscovered by others, for it re adapted to the instrument than any as method of tuning now in vogue. It is Xl 81lnpJe as it is natural, for I maintain that •on musical instrument has such re- fces for perfect tuning as the harp, te ^as ^een experience that there is ? little musical knowledge among the jtteral run of harpists. Nay, I will say th they understand the harp less the ecience of musio, and that they can other instruments with more satisfaction v their audiences. To be seated at a beautiful I .TTP and attempt pieces beyond their capa- Thtj seems to be the ambition of many. aim, first of all, to please the eye, '»ot the ear. This may do for some P|e; but to those who understand music, gj. ~"armony is better appreciated than a jU-5e^ul position and an exaggerated artistic of playing. In a harpist, as in a "ust, a violinist, or any other player of instruments, there is required simplicity, seriousness, and a fundamental knowledge of music. What makes a harpist ? I am often asked. The primal essentials are a good ear and steady nerve. To these should be added patience and unintermittent practice. One should practice regularly so many hours a day. During the two years when I studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London I practiced ten hours daily. I insisted upon it, and often had to fight for it. Others who did not love the harp so well as I, and who pre- ferred to chat, would try to drag me away from the instrument. I stuck to it) however, and to this habit of steady practice I attribute my success. I began to play the harp when I was four years old. I would climb on to the table, and, with my legs dangling over the edge, let my fingers roam over the strings. My mother tried to move the pedals for me, and I remember well that she moved the wrong pedal more often than the right one. one. Apropos of pedals, here is a good story which illustrates the great ignorance of many persons who pretend to the title of harpists. A travelling harpist" and a cornetist were playing on the corner in Eng- land, when a passer-by stopped and watched them awhile. At the conclusion of the per- formance the man (who, by the way, was a mechanic employed in the factory of Erard, the great harp manufacturer) remarked: You've got a good harp." Well, I should rather think I have," was, thfl reply. One of your own make," inquired the mechanic). What's that P My own make What do you take me for?" was the indignant rejoinder. Well," said the curious stranger, thought- fully gazing at the lower extremity of the instrument, I've seen some harps with treadles." Treadles You mean pedals." Ob, yes pedals. They are worked like those things on bicycles. But where are the pedals of your machine ?" Oh, I took 'em off," was the reply. The things wore out the bottoms of my trousers so that I had to get a new pair every week or two." Those who understand the harp will appre- ciate the humour of this story. To those who do not it may be well to explain that the pedals are to a harp what the black keys are to a pianoforte. Without them the player is limited to one chord, and if he should play The Last Hose of Summer," for example, where an incidental occurs in the second part of the tune, the result would be an ear- splitting discord. This is bad enough when the harpist is playing a solo, but when a cornetist joins in with him, the effect baffles description. While one plays the air correctly, the other plays it incorrectly, striking a note in the chord of C while the other is playing a sharp or a flat. There are seven pedals to a harp, one for each note. To detach them from the instrument would be to destroy its beauty and usefulness. It is the slow, careful,.and regular work that makes the player. First learn how to practice properly, and proficiency in playing will follow. Nothing is more conducive to the acquiring of a solid, firm, and indepen- dent touch than daily scale practising and general finger exercises. From a child I have had an incessant wish to work, work, woik. Now, after many years, I know my harp as well as my child. A lady with two hours' careful practice daily would speedily become an efficient player. The posit:on of the player at the harp is important. When seated at 'the instrument the pillar should be exactly opposite the right p shoulder. The performer should sit perfectly upright, never stooping, the feet slightly pointing respectively towards the right and left side of the instrument, which must be held in a perfect state of equilibrium, almost balanoing itself. How long does it fake to become a pro- ficient ? So I am asked over and over again by people who imagine that the harp can be learned in a single week. I have always said that one (especially a lady) should, with com- petent tuition, make more progress and play with more effect upon the harp after six months' study than upon any other instru- ment after six years' practice. This may sound chimerical, but I have seen it demonstrated very often. As Professor Herrmann would say, It is the way it's done." The harp is a fine medium for the expression of feeling, and a graceful and natural performance on that instrument charms the senses and touches the heart more surely than a pyrotechnic display such as many of our modern virtuosi regale their audiences with. What the oultured taste wishes is to bear a melody played which can touch by its charms, its phrasing, its simple yet telling effect. If all harpists would do this instead of playing what are called showy" pieces, the publio would appreciate the harp more and the player would be held in higher estimation. The general repertoire of the harp could well be extended, though there has been written for it much good music which has been either ignored or treated with indifference. Muoh bad judgment has, in consequence, been shown by teachers of the harp, w th the result that pupils have been more dis- heartened than encouraged. It is a remarkable fact that most modern writers for the orchestra when writing for the harp compose passages for four fingers and thumb, instead of for three fingers and thumb. The little finger is never used upon the harp. Wagner has given us an extraordi- nary instance of this at the end of his full orohestral score of Rheingold," where he writes for five or six different harps, not one passage of which can be rendered as writren. No instrument shows the good and bad qualities of a player more than the harp. No matter how yoo may endeavour to deceive the eye and ear, the harpist is so exposed to his auditors that detection is sure f his playing fails. Soloists who are seated when performing on other instruments can evade detection of wrong bass notes, &c. This is especially the case with the pianist. The violinist stands while playing, not requir- ing his feet for pedal work, but the harpist has an indispensable adjunct to his fingers in the pedals, and great skill and presenoe of mind are necessary to the best execution of passages. Here I must stop. You didn't think there was so much to be written about the harp, did you ? Did space permit, I might, however, pro- long it still further, as there s much to be said of which lovers of the harp would like to know,

Mendelssohn and the Trombone.I

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