Erin Freund holds a Doctor of Music degree, Certificate of Performance, and Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, where she studied under Elizabeth Cifani. She received a Bachelor of Music degree at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music under Yolanda Kondonassis. Erin was a student of Alice Chalifoux at the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine. Erin is a faculty member at Augustana College, and has previously taught at Indiana University South Bend’s Raclin School of the Arts. She has taught at the Music Institute of Chicago, and maintains a private studio as a registered Suzuki teacher. Erin is a board-certified music therapist with training in neurologic music therapy. Erin has worked at Lyon & Healy’s factory as their harp tester, playing on every instrument to give it a final check before it reached customers. Her true zeal for the harp can be seen in her canon of transcriptions and compositions. She loves transcribing unusual pieces for harp, presenting beloved pieces of music in a new light and expanding the harp’s repertoire. She aims to create works that are challenging, idiomatic, engaging, and satisfying for harpists to play.
The Minstrel’s Adieu to His Native Land: For Lever Harp (LHS)
$8.00
John Thomas (1826-1913) was Welsh-born harpist who was also a prolific composer. His first harp as a child was a triple harp, and he regularly drew on his folk-music background in his compositions. The Minstrel’s Adieu to his Native Land is a is a theme and variations for solo pedal harp, wherein each variation demonstrates a different harp technique. The repeated-note effect with harmonics in the 2nd variation is suggestive of traditional Welsh harp style. This arrangement aims to make this beloved staple of the standard canon accessible to lever harpists, while preserving the integrity of the composition.
This arrangement is intended for larger lever harps spanning 6th octave C to 1st octave A, though can be adapted for smaller lever harps spanning 6th octave E to 2nd octave E with minor adjustments and requires G levers.
Changes to the original score are indicated in this arrangement, and include the following:
- Key change from A-flat minor to A minor
- Measures indicated with 1) have had lower octaves removed.
- Measures indicated with 2) have had a note removed to avoid lever changes.
- Measures indicated with 3) should be played one octave higher if these strings are missing on your harp.
- Measures indicated with 4) should be played one octave lower if these strings are missing on your harp.
- Measures indicated with 5) have had notes changed to avoid lever changes.
- Measures indicated with 6) have had notes changed to mirror the previous measures’ changes
- Measures indicated with 7) have had notes changed to create time for changing levers.
- Measures indicated with 8) have had notes lowered by an octave to accommodate smaller harps; if your harp is larger, they can be transposed back to the original register.
- Measures indicated with 9) have had a chord respelled to facilitate a more accessible shape
- Additionally, a simplified alternative to the left-hand harmonics in the 2nd variation is playing the left hand as non-harmonic regular pitches where printed, mirroring the fingering of the right hand and sounding one octave below the right hand.
Download and Read a Sample of The Minstrel’s Adieu to His Native Land
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