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Xtend          |
 The
Harp .
Even nowadays, it can be found in the folk
music
of many peoples in Africa,
Asia and Europe.
The number of strings grew (to a total of 47 strings on the modern harp),
and along with those also grew the player's ability to produce sounds in
a larger range
and in diverse keys;
in the past the player could only produce one scale,
and if he wished to play a sharp or a flat note, he had to press the string
in a way that was inaccurate and that made playing difficult. These improvements,
that came thanks to the pedal mechanism invented by Sébastien
Érard, made the harp, since the time
of Beethoven,
a permanent member in the symphonic orchestra.
(who wrote the Concerto
for flute and harp in C), almost no solo parts
were written for the harp. However, composers
of the impressionist
school, like Debussy
(Arabesque No. 1)
and Ravel,
made extensive use of its gentle, almost-floating sounds, in order to emphasize
the "colors" that are so central in impressionism.
Ravel wrote his
introduction and allegro for a harp,
and Debussy composed
a sonata for flute, viola and harp.
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 Mozart  Beethoven |
