HARP MUSIC for YOU!

Dear Wedding Planners!
Dear Bride, Dear Groom!

Music brings a special occasion – in this case your wedding – to life more immediate and profound than any other service!

In this article I want to give you a few ideas on how you can create a musical program that expresses your wedding–ceremony–vision:

Music For Your Wedding

For this very important day my guidelines should give you some help, so YOUR DAY also becomes an unforgettable »musical« experience…

Plan Your Wedding Ceremony

Planning your wedding ceremony and choosing a meaningful music selection for your marriage is the kind of help a professional musician offers.

Hiring a professional musician for your wedding ceremony is a wise choice, because:

• (s)he will show up in time,
• (s)he will be accurately dressed and
• (s)he will make a dedicated contribution so your wedding ceremony flows pleasantly.

Choosing Your Wedding Music

When planning your wedding ceremony there are five important musical choices to make:

1) Pre-Ceremony and Prelude Music

This music selection should create the mood for your wedding ceremony, which is usually quiet, content and magical, preparing everyone for the graceful vows.

Your musical choices can reach from:

• religious,
• classical,
• romantic,
• popular love songs,
• folk,
• celtic

or any combination.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Tell the musician if you have any favorite music pieces and/or special wishes! A professional musician(s) will select other appropriate music to match your basic choice.

2) Solo Music (if any Solo Music)

Solos are usually installed just before the processional or during the ceremony. Shorter ceremonies usually don’t require solo music. Oftentimes a friend of the bride and groom is asked to sing during the ceremony.

3) Processional Music for the Bride

When the groom and the officiant come to the altar the Processional starts.

Both may enter to the same music as the parents, if any music at all. Then the groomsmen enters usually with the bridesmaids.

Traditionally the processional music is glorious, monumental and slow-moving. The bride’s entrance is announced by a fanfare and everyone’s standing.

The bride generally enters to the “Bridal Chorus” from Richard Wagners “Lohengrin” (i.e. “Here Comes The Bride”) — however the choice is up to you. A professional will help and guide you to make a good choice.

4) Recessional Music

The Recessional takes place at the end of the wedding ceremony, usually after the kiss or after the officiant introduces the couple.

5) Music for the Bridal Party

There is a vast universe of music depending on what you want for your wedding party. Normally a Band or a Disc Jokey are the better choice to carry out this job, because people want to dance and celebrate!

However, depending on the size of your party venue and your budget, it is also possible to engage the harp for a more cocktail-style indoor event — which can be an amazing experience — especially for those people who prefer more tranquil music.

What’s next?

I am glad if I could provide some helpful information for those wedding couples and wedding planners seeking out some guidelines for getting started with their music plans.

To see a list of my stock wedding music please check out my harp music wedding play-list.

Further you can sneak in to the »COMMENT AREA« below to see comments (testimonials) on this article or write your own comment if you like. Just click on the comment link below to reach the comment box!

Also feel free to Email me if you have any questions or want further information about harp music and weddings.

My contact information can be found on my Contact Page.

At the time of writing this article my services are primary available in the area of the Canary Islands: Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerte Ventura.

You can also subscribe via RSS to this article or website.

Hello Harp Lovers!

Finally you can now listen to some tunes of my latest CD-Project! I have set up an own page called “Music Samples” which can find in the top navigation panel — next to the Contact button — just below my picture!

Or just click HERE

Have Fun!

R.R.

Welcome to my personal website!

I am delighted that you surfed your way to this homepage which is 100% dedicated to HARP MUSIC!!!

Since I have started playing my harp again in 2005 – and still love to spend as much time possible with my little daughter Sofia – I will try to keep this Website as up to date as possible and post new articles once or even twice a month.

If you want you can add a live bookmark to your browser or even subscribe via the RSS function of this site so you’ll be notified whenever I post a new article…

For now – have FUN strolling through my little harp universe and please make use of the comment function which can be found at the end of each post!

Yours

Rocío Rodríguez Manrique

P.S. More Information about myself can be found in the PAGES section under ABOUT ME!

This is a very personal view about my favorite harp players and why I especially like to listen to their CDs all the time — the ones I love the most. Nevertheless when I want to compare various interpretations, I listen to different harp players and I choose the ones I find the most inspiring.

I am far from being a critic so I just want to share my opinions with you, other colleagues and harp music lovers from all around the world.

First of all I classify the different harp music styles because I think that the irish folk harp is not comparable with the classical pedal harp. They are totally different instruments with their own unique structure.

Let’s start with pedal harp music.

One of my favorites CD’s is ”The Genius of Salzedo” by Judy Loman. I simply love this CD. I admire her brilliant playing, expression and also the round sound of her touch, the clarity of every single little note. I especially like the original pieces of Salzedo. I believe that no one else than Judy Loman has played this masterpieces with such greatness. She is not only a great harp player but also an incredible teacher.

The next harpist could not have been better described than by Robert Sherman from the New York Times:

“Nancy Allen is a major artist, with virtuosity all the more impressive for being incidental to the projection of expressive values…”

Nancy Allen has recorded many brilliant CDs. I think she should live at least 300 years to record every possible writing for the harp. I simply love her musicality and her incredible technique. In my opinion she can really sing through the instrument. I especially love her transcriptions of Debussy and Ravel.

Now let’s switch to the Celtic Harp:

From the Celtic Harp I have a special CD that my daughter loves when she goes to bed. Carol Thompson “The Enchanted Isles”. I am not very familiar with all the good Celtic harp players but indeed this is one I love to listen to often.

Also from the celtic harp Kim Robertson is also my favorite. I have no idea where to classify her? You can find her because you can find her in the new age section as well as the celtic one. Her original compositions are gorgeous. I like the way she improvises. We somehow know that improvising with the harp is not always easy and I think that Kim has a very beautiful way of doing it. She’s so expressive that even the simplest song sound outstanding. I admire how she made her own way being a successful harp player.

My next favorite harp player is the outstanding Andrew Laurence King. He plays the double harp (Arpa Doppia). His arrangements of antique and renaissance music are simply amazing and unique. He is a true creative harpist. I specially like the “Art of Ludovico” CD. He brings the renaissance music to a delightful listening experience.

To finish my essay about my favorites harp players, I could never exclude the fantastic South American harp player Alfredo Rolando Ortiz. He plays the paraguayan harp absolutely gorgeous. I’d like to tell him: Thank you for existing Rolando! and for writing the most beautiful south american music, that we classical harp players are now able to play.

Presently I am working on his music and it’s not only a challenge to play these pieces but a true rhythmical and emotional experience.

Here are some thoughts and tips about practicing I’d like to share to harp students who want to improve ways of playing this wonderful instrument. Often we take for granted the time we spend in our studio trying hard to learn our music.

Well in my experience I have realized that the word »hard« it is to avoid. And another fact: It is not only the quantity of time you spend practicing but the quality of your practice routine.

Here are some tips I have discovered through out all the years by practicing the Harp. I have found that this time is very important to achieve a good performance. We all know of course that the way we prepare our selves for any performance is important to get good results.

To begin I think that the practicing time it is like a Ritual. I think that is a moment to enjoy and love as well as concentrate all our efforts to be able to have solutions for all our technical difficulties and to make the best out of the expression of the music. I Personally always have something hot to drink on my little table, air the room while i am stretching and little things, decorations to make the ritual a comfy place to be.

All this will help to relax our body and mind so this time will be very productive. It is the moment of being connected completely with the music and let our selves go to be able to express the emotions that every piece of music can give us. Isn’t this the purpose of playing an instrument? the music will help us to overcome the technical problems and not the opposite!

Even before sitting down I strongly recommend to take a few minutes to stretch our arms, back and neck. Also I think that the forward bend is important to bring more blood and oxygen to the head – this will help our concentration. At the same time relaxing our minds by breathing . Like this we will avoid tensions and physical problems that can led to panful results. We are now prepared to learn faster and more efficiently.

Taking also a few minutes of your favorites fingering exercises will help you relive some tense muscles and help to warm up a little. I sometimes warm up by playing some difficult passages very slowly so at the same time I can memorize tricky parts. I remember my wonderful teacher Judy Loman who was always saying: Practice L and S! Loud and Slow! It is this moment when we can strengthened our fingers and think about the structure and harmony of the piece.

Being aware of the body’s position all the time is crucial. The positioning of the hand is very important so is the one of the shoulders — don’t screw your back — feel comfortable.

During my song studies I usually rotate the music so I at least play the same piece every second or third day. And when I think that some piece is pretty ready to play I start to play it as I would play for someone or in public. Like that your mind gets the habit of picturing the audience. In the practice room we usually play for our selves and we forget that the main objective is to transmit the music to the audience. Once I heard: The interpreter is the bridge between the composer and the public. So it is good that we think about playing for someone while we practice. Make it also a routine.

One tip that has help me to overcome memory blanks is to play the piece with a lot of interruptions. I mean that when you stop or interrupt for a few seconds any passage you must be able to know how to continue, so you know exactly the notes and the pedals you need to be able to continue. This is a good training for the performance.

If you want to write your comments about this subject you can write me an email

Here are two very interesting books I recommend to read:

The Confident Performer By Dr. David Roland
The Inner game of Music by Barry Green

Under this article you will find all pieces I play on my harp. For now i present this list in an unsorted order, which I will change later for better search results. If you are looking for a song which you cannot find here, please drop me an email and I’ll see what I can do for you?!

Nr. | Style | Composer | Name of Piece | Instrumentation

01 | classical | Bach | Air | Hp, Fl Hp, vl
02 | classical | Schubert | Ave Maria | Hp, Fl Hp, voice
03 | wedding | Wagner | Bridal Chorus | Solo Harp
04 | wedding | Pachelbel | Canon in D | Solo Harp
05 | classical | Satie | Gymnopedies | Hp, Fl
06 | worship | Bach | Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring | Hp, Fl Hp, voice
07 | classical | Liszt | Liebestraum | Hp, Fl
08 | classical | Beethoven | Ode to Joy | Solo Harp
09 | classical | Faure | Pavane | Solo Harp
10 | classical | Bach | Prelude in C | Solo Harp
11 | classical | Dussek | Sonatina No. III | Solo Harp
12 | wedding | Purcell | Trumpet Voluntary | Solo Harp Hp, Fl
13 | wedding | Purcell | Trumpet Tune | Solo Harp Hp, Fl
14 | wedding | Mendelssohn | Wedding March | Solo Harp Hp, Fl
15 | wedding | John Newton | Amazing Grace | Solo Harp Hp, voice
16 | classical | Schubert | Serenade | Hp, Fl Hp, cello
17 | wedding | Giordano | Caro mio ben | Hp, voice
18 | worship | Bach | Bist du bei mir | Hp, voice
19 | worship | Andrew Lloyd Webber | Pie Jesu | Hp, voice
20 | classical | Jiulio Caccini Amarilli | Mia Bella | Hp, voice
21 | classical | Giovanni Paisiello | Nel cor piu non mi sento | Hp, voice
22 | popular | Michel Legrand | Les uns et les autres | Hp, Fl Hp, voice
23 | popular | canto popular espanol | Del Cabello mas sutil | Hp, voice
24 | worship | Cesar Franck O Lord | Most Holy | Hp, Fl Hp, voice
25 | wedding | Bach-Gounod | Ave Maria | Hp, Fl Hp, voice
26 | classical | Bach | Largo | Solo Harp
27 | classical | Handel | The harmonious Blacksmith | Solo Harp
28 | classical | Beethoven | Moonlight Sonata op.27 | Solo Harp
29 | irish | Turlough O’Carolan | Carolan’s Drought | Solo Harp
30 | modern popular | Kim Robertson | Gratitud | Solo Harp
31 | classical | Handel | Sarabande | Solo Harp
32 | wedding | Handel | Cantique Nuptial | Solo Harp Hp, voice
33 | classical | Jules Masenet | Meditation from “Thais” | Solo Harp
34 | classical | Hasselmans | The Brook | Solo Harp
35 | classical | Debussy | Claire de Lune | Solo Harp
36 | classical | Debussy | Premiere Arabesque | Solo Harp
37 | modern | Salzedo | Quietud | Solo Harp
38 | popular | Marvin Hamlish | Through the eyes of love | Solo Harp
39 | popular | Andrew Lloyd Webber | All I ask of you (Fantom of opera) | Solo Harp
40 | popular | Michael Masser | Didn’t we almost have it all | Solo Harp
41 | irish popular | irish | Lark On The Strand | Solo Harp
42 | irish popular | engish | The grenadiere and the Lady | Solo Harp
43 | irish popular | scotish | Farewell | Solo Harp
44 | irish | popular scotish | Arran Boat Song | Solo Harp
45 | irish | popular irish | Chanter | Solo Harp
46 | irish | popular scotish | Skye Boat Song | Solo Harp
47 | classical | Ravel | Pavane | Solo Harp
48 | popular | Stephen Sondheim | Send in the Clouds | Solo Harp
49 | jazz | George David, George Shering | Lullaby of Birdland | Solo Harp
50 | jazz | George and Ira Gershwin | But not for me | Solo Harp
51 | jazz | George and Ira Gershwin | Embraceable you | Solo Harp
52 | jazz | George and Ira Gershwin | Bidin’my time | Solo Harp
53 | jazz | Cole Porter | I get a kick out of you | Solo Harp
54 | modern popular | Kim Robertson | Moonrise | Solo Harp
55 | modern popular | Kim Robertson | Rain | Solo Harp
56 | modern popular | Kim Robertson | Water Spirit | Solo Harp
57 | irish | wales | Ash Gove | Solo Harp
58 | irish | popular scotish | Wild mountain Thyme | Solo Harp
59 | irish | popular irish | Southwind | Solo Harp
60 | classical spanish | Albeniz | Sonata en re | Solo Harp
61 | classical spanish | Granados | Danza espanola N 5 | Solo Harp
62 | classical spanish | Chavarri | El viejo Castillo Moro | Solo Harp
63 | classical spanish | Manuel de Falla | Spanish Dance N 1 | Solo Harp
64 | classical spanish | Albeniz | Recuerdos de viaje | Solo Harp
65 | classical spanish | Granados | Orientale | Solo Harp
66 | classical | Salzedo | Chanson dans la Nuit | Solo Harp
67 | classical spanish | Lecuona | Malaguenas | Solo Harp
68 | south american | Fernando Giron | Un arpa y un bambuco | Solo Harp
69 | south american | Alfredo Rolando Ortiz | Llano | Solo Harp
70 | south american | Alfredo Rolando Ortiz | Ecuador | Solo Harp
71 | south american | Alfredo Rolando Ortiz | La Guabina | Solo Harp
72 | south american | Alfredo Rolando Ortiz | Seis por derecho | Solo Harp
73 | south american | Alfredo Rolando Ortiz | Atardecer | Solo Harp
74 | south american | Alfredo Rolando Ortiz | Una Luz en el mar | Solo Harp
75 | south american | Orlando Brito Angustia | Boleros | Solo Harp
76 | south american | Alfredo Rolando Ortiz | Una Noche | Solo Harp
77 | classical | Ravel | Pavane | Hp, Fl
78 | classical | Scarlatti | Sento nel core | Hp, Fl
79 | classical | Handel | Silent worship | Hp, Fl
80 | classical | Handel | Largo | Hp, Fl
81 | classical | Saint saens | Romance | Hp, Fl
82 | classical | Ravel | En bateau | Hp, Fl
83 | classical | Yamada | Japanes melodies | Hp, Fl
84 | classical | Bach | Siciliana | Hp, Fl
85 | classical | Bach | Sonata | Hp, Fl
86 | classical | Saint saens | Fantasie | Hp, Fl
87 | classical | Ravel | Piece en forme de habanera | Hp, Fl
88 | classical | Faure | Sicilienne | Hp, Fl
89 | classical | Ibert | Entracte |
90 | classical | Saint saens | The Swan | Hp, cello
91 | classical | Villa Lobos | Song of the black swan | Hp, cello
92 | classical | Gluck | Orphe | Hp, Fl
93 | classical | Massenet | Elegie | Hp, Fl
94 | classical | Bizet | Carmen | Hp, Fl
95 | classical | Korsakow | Chanson Indoue | Hp, cello
96 | classical | Carl Nielsen | The fog is lifting | Hp, Fl
97 | classical | Cesarani | Orientale | Hp, Fl
98 | classical | Absil | Sicilienne | Hp, Fl
99 | classical | Spohr | Fantasie | Hp, vl
100 | christmas | Carols | Solo Harp