Breaking News and Updates
Announcements of special interest and news that came in after the last newsletter are shown here. Information will be dropped from this space when no longer current or when incorporated into the next newsletter.
PERFORMANCES & CONCERTS:
Saturday 4 June 2011 (Barbara Ann Fackler, Renaissance harp, Renaissance music)
noon until 1:00 and 2:00 until 3:00 (two performances)
Renaissance Faire
Palatine Public Library District
700 N. North Court
Palatine, IL 60067
free
SPECIAL SALES:
Two Recommendations from Ben Brown:
Paola Chatelle's video
Ms Chatelle studied with her aunt, Odile Tackoen, [cross strung] chromatic harp virtuoso, at the Schaerbeek Academy, starting in primary school. Ms Chatelle completed her studies at the Brussels Conservatory, under Francette Bartholmee' on chromatic harp. She is among the most advanced chromatic harpists presently playing today having benefited from the best instructors of the Belgian school created under Jean Risler over 100 years ago. She has held positions with symphonies in Belgium and performed throughout Europe. She is also among the last instructors of the concert chromatic harp to come from the Brussels program. The recent economic downturn has affected cuts in conservatory programs, which included performance training on chromatic harp. It is my hope that as these examples of the achievement possible on the chromatic are shared through e-mail and networking, it may rekindle sufficient interest in concert and symphonic level training. - Ben Brown submitted 11/20/10
The cross strung chromatic harp is based on a keyboard modality possessing a pattern in real time with the complete chromatic scale. Musicians playing this category of cross strung learns fingerings for each scale much like a piano.
There are several other formats of cross strung harps. Pape', an instrument builder and theorist, suggested in the mid 1800's a simpler design of providing twelve tones used in Western music. He proposed leaving behind the keyboard format and base the harp on a whole tone scale, possessing the twelve tones in a cross strung format. In the 1990's luthiers in Europe built the first prototypes which proved playable and simple as Pape' predicted. These whole tone cross strungs have become popular in Europe among newer cross strung harpists, with a significant number of players.
Mirjam Rietberg, a concertizing pedal harpist, also plays the whole tone cross strung. Her YouTube video presents her playing JS Bach's Fugue from Violin Sonata Number 1.**
**For a comparison of pedal harp demands on this piece please see Jennifer Campbell's excellent presentation of the same piece on pedal harp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UbkVA50ylI - Ben Brown submitted 11/20/10