The Latest News on My Harps Triplett Luna and Stoney End Rebecca
Time for an update on the latest from my harp studio: my beautifully rebuilt Triplett Luna harp arrived home safely in September after being masterfully rebuilt by Steve Triplett in his shops at San Luis Obispo, CA. This is a harp that I had accidentally knocked over while recovering from Covid and was still too […]
Playing Gregorian chant on wire harp (part 2) Comparing neumes to modern music notation
Medieval chant neums look very different from today’s music notation… until you get to know them better and discover they’re what made the language of modern sheet music possible. They do however, have their own arcane code, which has been left by the wayside, perhaps in part because few today write anymore with quill pens and […]
I wish I was the composer of this…
This extraordinary work is not a harp piece but is worth a listen. It’s by Vatican composer Father Marco Frisina, who has composed and recorded hundreds of organ and choral works over the decades. The first time I heard it, I wished I had written it. It is really that profound and that beautiful. A […]
Playing Gregorian chant on wire harp (Part I) Introduction and a little historical background
Every Sunday for our service prelude I play the liturgically appropriate Gregorian chant for the day from the Roman Catholic Liber Usualis (this is a fairly conservative traditional New England Episcopal church). I also play another one for the Communion, sometimes with husband George accompanying on the pipe organ. Usually I start out by playing […]
Willow Kitty March 2009 - October 6, 2024
On Sunday, October 6, 2024 our beloved 15 year old Willow Kitty passed away from kidney failure and complications of DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). She was the beloved feline sister of Toni and Daisy, the much-loved kitty of my late father (d. 2019) and favorite feline friend of Jasmine Kitty. She is also greatly grieved by husband […]
Update on my harp! Triplett Luna
My 15 year old Triplett Luna wire harp made the 3,000+ miles trip from Vermont to San Luis Obispo, California in July, back to the workshops of Triplett Harps for a much-needed rebuild. After I accidentally knocked over my harp while recovering from Covid this past winter, the instrument was severely damaged and needed major repairs. […]
Classical Church Musicians… Facing Extinction?
I was raised by my late Silent Gen parents to appreciate “good music”, meaning what we understand to be Classical, Romantic, Baroque, etc. They both had zero tolerance for rock music and my mother of blessed memory frequently referred to it as “just noise.” I like to think of it as akin to kudzu vine. […]
Harp Ornaments (the carved wood kind)
My Argent Fox double-strung harp was originally planned to have wood carvings added to it but that final touch was overlooked as other concerns took precedence preparing for the harp’s delivery in fall 2022. This spring I decided it was time to revisit that forgotten detail and complete the visual aesthetic of the harp. My […]
Lessons & Carols on double-strung wire harp
We’ve selected the carols and Christmas hymns we’ll be singing for Lessons & Carols at our church on December 31st. Most of these will be played on the pipe organ and I’ll be accompanying on my double-strung wire harp. The collection this year will be: (from the Episcopal Hymnal 1982) Once in Royal David’s City […]
Harps in memory of our beloved kitties…
After two months of carefully changing out my bronze wires for copper phosphor bronze ones and bringing my double-strung harp up to tension (currently at A=390, Baroque pitch), my newest wire harp is ready to make his grand appearance at our Christmas Eve services! In the harp world, we tend to give our harps a name. […]