[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< One of the things I really like about harpers/clarsairs is the
incredible variety of approach and repertoire you get to hear from them. >>
What a nice thing to say, thank you David! I think one reason for this is
precisely that our tradition *has* been broken. Because we don't know the
"historically proper" way to play, and much of the repertoire was lost or
subsumed into the pipe/fiddle tradition, and all we have are tantalizing
clues like the Bunting ms, we must create our own approach. Certainly there
are schools of thought about how and what to play, but each harper is free to
borrow what he or she wants from each and create a unique style.
I for one love to go through piping or fiddle collections, looking for tunes
that fit perfectly on the harp. Sometimes I wonder if I've re-discovered an
old harp tune buried in the repertoire of another instrument.
Sometimes, it's a brand new tune written for fiddle or pipes that works so
well as to belong to the harp. One recent discovery for me was Jack Daniels
by John Morris Rankin. It plays itself on my 19-string clarsach.
I suppose, in a way, our broken tradition has given us freedom.
--Cynthia Cathcart
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