Description
Please note that this book was revised in September 2024, and the following changes were made:
- The addition of two more pieces, borrowed from The Elegant Wedding Book: Trumpet Voluntary by Stanley and Wedding Music Bourrée & March by Handel.
- Increase in font size from 12 to 14 on the lever/pedal change indications to make them easier to read from a music stand.
- Changes in some levers so that the entire collection is designed for harp tunings in F, Bb, or Eb.
- Larger table of contents, spread over two pages.
- Separation of a few additional pieces into a separate lever and pedal arrangement.
- Addition of measure numbers on all pieces.
- Rewriting of some note voicing (1) for more legibility and (2) to reduce lever changes.
- Addition of abbreviation V.S. on all page turns (volti subito) so it is very clear where the page should be turned.
- General updates on editing.
From the arranger:
“This collection contains arrangements of standard works suitable for use at weddings and other church festivals, for late intermediate to early advanced lever and/or pedal harp. All arrangements have been written, fingered, played, and edited by harpists. The pieces contained in this collection can be played on any lever harp having at least a 4-1/2 octave range above a bottom ‘C,’ as well as on any pedal harp.
“Pedal changes are listed below the staff, while lever changes are listed by octave number between the staves. Pieces requiring lever changes also employ diamond-shaped notes indicating the exact lever to be changed, adapting a system developed by harpist Dewey Owens in 1962. When any note is immediately followed by a lever change on the same string, damp the vibrating string with the side of the hand while simultaneously moving the lever with the thumb and/or index finger.
“In the case of multiple lever changes indicated by diamond-shaped notes stacked on top of one another, the harpist is to move two or more levers simultaneously until all levers have been changed. A few of the pieces, most notably Air on the G String and Prelude I, have challenging lever movements due to the chromatic nature of the original works. Just as rapid pedal movements must be practiced into a piece in order to play them fluidly, multiple lever changes must also be mastered thoroughly.
“The most effective lever harp tuning for playing this entire collection without having to retune any strings are the flat keys of F, Bb, or Eb major.
“Dragonflower Music publications attempt to retain the integrity of the original source melody and harmonization in all arrangements. However, a few minor alterations in melody and/or harmony are sometimes necessary to accommodate the particular demands of the lever harp. Pedal harpists who are bothered by these alterations are free to add any ‘missing’ notes or accidentals in order to tastefully ‘fill out’ the arrangements.
“Playing for weddings has become the ‘bread-and-butter’ income for most freelance harpers and harpists. Weddings may take place in the most austere, formal church setting, or at a very informal garden event. Wherever they take place, I believe that the role of the harp should be to lend an air of “simple elegance” to the ceremony.
“It has been my experience that the wedding harpist can never go wrong by performing the ‘classics’ at ceremonies. Some denominations have prohibitions against performing any type of ‘popular’ music during the ceremony. In a very formal, cathedral-type wedding, popular music often seems out-of-place and not in keeping with the ‘dignity’ of the ceremony.
“It is for this reason, that I have collected the most-requested festival prelude and postlude music into one volume. Once you have mastered the pieces in this collection, it may turn out to be your most frequently-used book for playing at formal weddings.”
Written in the keys of C, G, D, and A majors. Seven of the pieces have separate pedal and lever harp versions for ease of reading. As noted above, the arrangements are best suited to lever harps tuned in Eb, Bb, or F; however, nineteen of the pieces can be played on lever harps with a C tuning. This collection is comb-bound so that it stays open and lies flat. 84 pages of music. ALL HARPS, LATE INTERMEDIATE/EARLY ADVANCED.
Table of Contents
- Air on the G String – Bach (Pedal and Lever Versions)
- Arioso – Bach (Pedal and Lever Versions)
- Bridal Chorus – Wagner (Pedal and Lever Versions)
- Canon in C (“Alleluia”) – Boyce
- Canon in D – Pachelbel
- Fireworks Music: Minuets – Handel
- Fireworks Music: Peace, The – Handel
- Fireworks Music: Rejoicing, The – Handel
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – Bach
- Largo or Ombra Mai Fu – Handel
- Ode to Joy – Beethoven
- Panis Angelicus – Franck (Pedal and Lever Versions)
- Pictures at an Exhibition – Mussorgsky
- Prelude I – Bach (Pedal and Lever Versions)
- Psalm XIX – Marcello
- Rigaudon – Campra
- Rondeau – Mouret
- Trumpet Tune – Purcell (Key of C and Key of D Versions)
- Trumpet Voluntary (“The Prince of Denmark’s March”) – Clarke
- Trumpet Voluntary – Stanley
- Water Music: Air – Handel
- Water Music: Allegro Maestoso – Handel
- Water Music: Bourrée & March – Handel
- Wedding March – Mendelssohn (Pedal and Lever Versions)
- Where’er You Walk – Handel