The final movement of the Sonata in A major KV 331 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Rondo Alla Turca, is one of the most famous piano pieces of all time. Once only familiar to musical experts, later a universal piece for all piano pupils, its opening melody is now even omnipresent as an alienated sinus tone-like mobile phone ring tone.
Fazil Say\'s arrangement, originally created as an effective encore, follows on from this popularity. After the first eight bars have been presented in original form, typical elements of jazz superimposed on the still recognisable classical foundations can be discovered, such as syncopation of the top notes and ornamentation through chromatic blue notes, embedded in the at times frenzied chains of semiquavers. In the spirit of the work\'s improvisatory character, Say likes to perfom his Alla Turca Jazz in different combinations, for example accompanied by jazz singers of with orchestra.

It may appear strange that Fazil Say, who was born in Turkey and - when not on tour - is still resident in that country, does not bring back Mozart\'s interpretation of genuine Turkish music closer to its own roots, particularly as many of his compositions such as Black Earth or the Violin Sonata are characterised by a subtle amalgamation of the Classical-Romantic tradition, Turkish folk music and elements of jazz. In a further Mozart arrangement, the ballet music Patara premiered in Vienna in 2006, composed on the basis of the Rococo-like theme from the first movement of the same A-major Sonata (wich enjoys almost as great popularity as the Alla Turca theme), Say utilised the connection which was absent in Alla Turca, albeit in the opposite direction. In the ballet music, the piano symbolises Western culture and the Ney flute Oriental culture, communcated atmosperically by austere percussion instrumentation and soprano vocalisation.

The very popular piece was now arranged for harp by Ekaterina Afanasieva.

Your audiences will love these popular classics! These beloved melodies have been arranged in progressive key order so that the book can be played as a continuous set of background music at a gig. However, individual tunes may be selected as separate musical renditions and selections omitted as desired. These arrangements strive to capture the "flavor" of the original source works and yet retain a strong melodic component. The selections are derived from orchestral, opera, operetta and art song compositions. Attempting to transfer them to the harp is a challenge due to the unique characteristics of the instrument. Some liberties had to be taken in order to avoid unusual key modulations or chromaticism of the original works. In some instances, a separate pedal and lever harp arrangement are provided for a more satisfactory performance.
Contents:
Porgi, Amor (Le Nozze di Figaro), Jupiter Theme (The Planets), Musetta?s Waltz (La Bohème), Egyptian March (Aida), La Donna è Mobile (Rigoletto), Va Pensiero (Nabucco), Waltz and Cradle Song (Brahms), Toreador Song (Carmen), On Wings of Song (Mendelssohn), Surprise Symphony Theme, Moderato Cantabile (Fantasia Impromptu), Song to the Moon (Rusalka), Minuetto (Don Giovanni), The Swan (Carnival of the Animals), Mio Babbino Caro (Gianni Schicchi), Polovtsian Dance Theme (Prince Igor), Barcarolle (Tales of Hoffman), Meditation (Thaïs), Largo (New World Symphony), The Merry Widow Waltz.

Your audience?s memory of this Eighties rock anthem by Journey will be playing along in their head?from the original album, a live performance, The Sopranos, Glee, karaoke, or all of the above. But they?ve never heard it before on a harp.

This arrangement makes good use of the double-strung by using both sides for repeated notes and letting the accompaniment hand overlap the melody. The result is beautiful but still ballsy.

Range and key: F major (one flat). 23x2 strings. C below middle C through D.
Lever changes: None.

Good for: Weddings, parties, performance, therapeutic settings.

Double-strung effects: The LH accompaniment frequently overlaps the RH melody range. Finger placements are suggested for playing echoed notes with alternating hands to work around or emphasize ringing strings. Since the alternate-hand echoing is not required, it?s a great piece to learn this technique on.

Characteristics: Arpeggios and a syncopated melody. The RH never places more than an octave spread; the LH places 1-9 twice. There are a few four-note chords (LH 1-3-5-8); the rest of the chords are three notes, usually not inversions. The RH has almost no chords. There are two bars of sixteenth notes that can easily be substituted for eighths. The LH has two long-run patterns (1-5-8-9-10 and 1-5-8-9) which can be played with cross-unders or a wandering thumb. The RH has only two cross-overs.

Finger placement: Finger number suggestions are provided for key phrases. Numbers above the notes are suggestions for the RH (marked with ?R? or ?R#? when they occur in the bottom staff). Numbers below the notes are suggestions for the LH (marked with ?L? or ?L#? when they occur in the top staff). To see what I mean, view the PDF of finger placement examples in ?Don?t Stop Believin?: www.EnjoyTheHarp.com/s/dont-stop-believin-notes-enjoy-the-harp.pdf

Notation: Chord symbols and lyrics are provided. Treble clef in both staves. To avoid switching between bass clef and treble in the accompaniment, 8vb lines are used for the low Cs, Ds, and Es (which means that you play an octave below what?s written). Low Fs use 8vb sometimes, so if you see a lot of low ledger lines, don?t worry: it?s that F below middle C. Instead of counting the lines, you can look at the chord symbols to confirm.

Length: 6 pages. 106 measures. 4:00?5:00 minutes, depending on tempo.

Page turns: If you are printing, double-side pages 2-3 and 4-5 to minimize page turns. Line breaks have been made with printed or single-page-tablet turns in mind; you can pick up some accompaniment notes in the RH to turn with the LH.

Analysis and performance notes at www.EnjoyTheHarp.com/dont-stop-believin

This hauntingly beautiful three-part harp ensemble was commissioned for the opening of a new 2000-seat concert facility, Strathmore Music Hall, in Bethesda, Maryland. Dance of the Harps is presented with an underlying 3/4 accompaniment of swaying rhythm. The melody is shared between the first and second parts, while the third part provides underlying rhythm. The melody develops and expands and is followed by a sharply contrasting middle section, which is much faster and jig-like. In this section, the harps let loose in their dance, which has become spirited and playful. Following this faster middle section, the ensemble returns to the original melody, but with greater intensity and rhythmic vitality. As the piece comes to its dramatic conclusion, layer upon layer of rich harmonies unfold and become increasingly intense, culminating in a bell-like explosion of syncopated celebratory sound. The piece can be played by an ensemble of all level intermediate lever or pedal harpists, as each of the three parts is written with a different degree of technical difficulty.

Moon River by Henry Mancini arranged for solo harp in C
No levers required
There have been some changes to the original harmony make this happen
Has chords
Simple, beautiful and elegant