Donemus Webwinkel — Six easy studies for harp

Bevat:
One voice, two hands
Canon (Two voices, two hands)
Two voices, one hand
Allegro moderato (Fingers running, feet resting)
Tranquillo (Harmonics and glissandi)
Maestoso (Chords)
Toelichting:
Program note (English): At the 2nd World Harp Congress in Israel, 1985, the American harpist Susann McDonald expressed the desirability of having students play a simple piece well. But simple pieces by contemporary composers are rare. There are plenty of virtuoso pieces and also works that are artistically more demanding, such as the Hindemith Sonata and the Fauré Impromptu but easy pieces seem to be lacking. I promised Miss McDonald to present her with some "easy pieces" before the next Congress (Vienna 1987) would take place. This series of Easy studies is the result. When writing these pieces, I was guided by two principles: 1) the pieces should be short; 2) each piece should deal with possibly only one aspect of harp playing.
Nr. 1 uses both hands but presents only one melodic line. Here the requirements are: quality of tone and strict observation of the dynamic shading. Nr. 2, a canon, presents two melodic lines, played by both hands. It is to be played piano throughout, with means that evenness of tone is the principal requirement. Nr. 3 focuses on polyphony: two melodic lines are to be played by one hand. This certainly is not the type of writing harpists will be frequently confrontated with, but this may change since they are more and more turning to "early music". Besided, certain 20th century works contain passages of this kind, e.g. the second movement of Stravinsky's Symphony in three movements. In this piece the dynamic shades are to be chosen by the student, who, of course, should be aware of the fact that a short piece allows for smaller contrasts in dynamics than a long one. Nr. 4 is a study in agility. The position of the pedals does not change throughout the piece. Nr. 5 is the only piece in
which two aspects of the harp playing are being combined: harmonics and glissando. The range of the glissandi can be modified according to the indications in the footnotes. Nr. 6 deals with chords, to be played both unbroken and arpeggiated. As, in the opinion of Miss McDonald, these pieces are also suitable for sight reading examinations, I have included indications for the pedals: both diagrams at the beginning and changes of the pedals in the course of each piece. Needless to say, these pieces are not meant for public performance, nor should they be considered as "suite" - each piece can stand on its own. Few things are as difficult as to write easy music. I therefore want to express my sincere gratitude to Susann McDonald, whose encouragement and critical remarks have been an essential contribution to giving these Studies their final shape. - MARIUS FLOTHUIS

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