Harp Music

[VEGANGELICA]

Share and discuss, if you wish, your favorite music composed for the harp or simply played on the harp.

I realized today that I haven't heard much harp music at MusicBanter. "How can this be?" thought I. "Isn't the harp supposed to be one of the most beautiful instruments in existence? Where is all the harp music??"

I then became curious if many contemporary, original harp songs exist. So far this composition is one of the few I've found:

Phamie Gow - "Dancing Hands"
Phamie Gow is a Scottish harpist, pianist, singer, and composer.



I also found a few videos of the harp being used to play other non-classical music, with the following being one of the more interesting since I never expected to hear someone playing a boogie song on the harp:

Adele Girard Trio - "Harp Boogie"
A "pop video" from the late '40s and intended for some sort of juke box that must have been common then but I'd never heard of before. Includes dancing woman in short skirt.



What are some of your favorite harp compositions or performances?

[SATCHMO]

Does this count?

[VEGANGELICA]

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

Does this count?

Yes. Yes, that does count, SATCHMO. I hear a harp.

Thievery Corporation ( Thievery Corporation - Biography ) ...so I take it they mash up music from records to create new songs? Or is this an original song by the duo? I was a little confused by their website.

But they definitely have a harp involved! Nice addition to this fledging thread.

[SATCHMO]

Originally Posted by VEGANGELICA

Yes. Yes, that does count, SATCHMO. I hear a harp.

Thievery Corporation ( Thievery Corporation - Biography ) ...so I take it they mash up music from records to create new songs? Or is this an original song by the duo? I was a little confused by their website.

But they definitely have a harp involved! Nice addition to my fledging thread.

They are what you might call... curators, okay, well they're DJs.

[Engine]

I think I need to get more involved in the current harp scene.

[VEGANGELICA]

Originally Posted by Engine

I think I need to get more involved in the current harp scene.

Exactly what I thought, Engine: there appears to be a harp scene out there, simmering slowly under the burning lava flow of music, and if there is a harp scene, by golly, I want to be part of it.

And nice picks, too...especially Star Wars.

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

They are what you might call... curators, okay, well they're DJs.

Ah, thank you. That explains the thievery in their Thievery Corporation music then.

[skaltezon]

.

Bach's 'Arioso'
Harpists: Noa Gabay and Megan Morris

This is the same melody as Bach's Keyboard Concerto No.5 in F Minor (BWV 1056) II: Largo .
The harp gives it a whole new character, I think.


Harp Duet - Arioso by J.S. Bach - YouTube

.

[jackhammer]

Maire Brennan from of one of my all time favourite bands Clannad is a fantastic harp player.

I can't find a live version of this but hopefully you can hear the harp work.


Their music from the definitive version of Robin Hood:

[VEGANGELICA]

Thanks for adding the harp duet, skaltezon, and the two Clannad videos, jackhammer.

I have been trying to find more harp music that is interesting enough to share. I was hoping to discover some metal band that uses a harp, so far without success. During my searching, though, I learned about a band, Art in America, which "was the first known rock band featuring a pedal harp to appear on a major record label" and released only one record, in 1983 (Harp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Here's an example of their music:

Art in America - "Undercover Lover" (1983)
A pretty, albeit simple, love song in which the harp is the best part, in my opinion.

[Guybrush]

Seems strange to have a thread on contemporary harp music without any mention of Joanna Newsom considering she's quite famous and been mentioned quite a lot on musicbanter, so I'll just get that over with!