Dear colleagues and friends,
thanks for the possibility of further communication through this discussion forum. I would like to point out to all people who are interested a new article about Erard Harps in the Collection of the Czech Museum of Music Prague
https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/muscz/10/1-2/article-p85.xml
https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/muscz.2018.10.issue-1-2/muscz-2018-0003/muscz-2018-0003.pdf
The article details are: Daniela Kotašová: Erard Harps in the Collection of the Czech Museum of Music, Musicalia 10, 1-2, 2018, ISSN 1803-7828, pp. 85-114.
At the same time I would like to discuss my next project. We have more musical instruments in our collection that are related to their owner, resp. interpreter. The collection contains two keyboard stringed instruments, which Mozart played during his stays in Prague, pianos of significant Czech composers such as Antonín Dvořák ect., violin owned by František Ondříček, who became famous worldwide ect. Knowing these facts, I gradually reveal harpists, who once played instruments from our current collection of musical instruments. I write about the owners of Erard harps in my last year's article (page 94-98).
In the next article I would like to reconstruct a "story of harp No. 2284" (double-action pedal harp Erard, Gothic model, Paris, 1892) from its creation in 1892, till its donation to a collection of National Museum in 1984. Based on the preserved sources (archives, contemporary photos, literary adapted harpist memories, etc.) I can assemble this "biographic" as a puzzle.
Concerning the fact that I would like to extend my research to a wider context, I need to find out if and in what form, the relationship between the harp and its performer was dealt with abroad. If somebody has an idea or a comment to this question, I would be grateful for it.
Best Regards,
Daniela Kotašová
National Museum Prague - Czech Museum of Music
Dear Dr Kotašová,
It was a pleasure to read your fascinating article. I have discussed the relation between harp and performer with respect to a Naderman harp from 1780 in my article:
« The Viscountess de Beaumont’s Harp and Music Album (1780) », Galpin Society Journal LXII (2009), pp. 159-166;196-197.
Kind regards,
Robert
Dear Dr. Adelson,
Thank you very much for appreciating my article about Erard's harps, it is a great honour for me.
I already ordered your article ("Viscount de Beaumont's Harp and Music Album (1780)", Galpin Society LXII, 2009), through the interlibrary loan service and I look forward to it.
I had already spoken about the relation between the performer his harp before with Mrs. Fanny Guilaume-Castel, who reminded me, among other things, of the other text you wrote with Jaqueline Letzer ("For a woman when a young and beautiful" harp in the 18th For centuries France "dans history, Herstory: Alternative Musikgeschichten, édité par Kreutziger-Herr, Annette et Losleber, Katrin, sl, Böhlau, 2009, pp. 314-335). But Mrs. Fanny pointed out that this work is more likely to focus on the issue of gender in playing the harp.
Thank you again and have a nice day,
Daniela
Dear colleagues,
I am currently reading Nancy Hurrell’s excellent new book: The Egan Irish Harps, Tradition, patrons and players (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2019). At numerous points I thought of Dr Kotašová’s query about scholarly literature that discusses the relation between musicians and the harps they played. Hurrell discusses several Egan harps that have been preserved in the homes of the original owners, alongside printed music and other documentary evidence. (See for example, her fascinating chapter on the instrument that belonged to Lady Alicia Parsons (c. 1815-85) of Birr Castle, County Offaly.) .
Kind regards,
Robert