SKU: UT.MAG-221

ISBN 9790215318625. 9 x 12 inches.

Martin-Pierre Dalvimare, born in 1770, in Dreux (Eure-et-Loir), from a distinguished family, learnt music as an entertainment art, and was obliged to make it a resource for his existence, after the troubles of the Revolution in 1789. He had acquired a remarkable talent for the harp; when he arrived in Paris he made a very good impression. Then, man of the world, knowledgeable in many fields, which is rare for a musician, he was welcome everywhere, and very soon came in friendly terms with some of the most renowned artists and men of letters of his times. The marriage certificate of the poet Legouve (15 pluviose of the year XI, or February 1803, 12th municipality of Paris), shows that Dalvimare was one of his best men and that at the time he was thirty-two years old. He became harpist of the Opera in the year VIII (1800), and was definitively confirmed in the month of fructidor of the year IX. At the time of the institution of the emperor Napoleon's private music, M. Dalvimare was appointed as his harpist. In September 1807 he obtained the title of harp master of the empress Josephine. A lucky change of his fortune allowed this artist to renounce to practise his talent for living, he resigned from all of his positions on March, 12th, 1812, and he retired in Dreux, where he still was living in 1837. For a peculiar weakness, he does not like to speak about his artist career, which had been entirely honourable, and he would like to forget his success too. His first composition was a symphonie concertant for harp and horn, which he composed with Frederic Duvernoy, and published in the year VII (1798); notwithstanding, he counted as his first opus a collection of romances with accompaniment of piano or harp, which he later published with Pleyel.

In 1809 Dalvimare composed, for the theatre Feydeau, a one-act opera-comique called The Marriage for Imprudence. The music was weak; the work did not succeed, and people used to say that the greatest imprudence had been the one of the authors who had it performed. Nevertheless, the score of this opera was published in Paris by erard. (Francois-Joseph Fetis).

SKU: HL.48181035

UPC: 888680787653. 9x12 inches.

French born harpist and composer, Marcel Grandjany (1891-1975) studied at the Paris Conservatoire before spending much of his working life in America. His Trois petites Pièces were composed in Grandjany's early career and are simple and enjoyable works, suitable for beginner harpists. Grandjany was a teacher of harp at the Julliard School for 37 years whilst also composing and transcribing many works for the instrument. Made up of three movements, Trois petites Pièces begins with a delicate Rêverie (daydream). The second piece, a Nocturne, contains variations in tempo, time signature and dynamics. The Barcarolle third movement is the most challenging of the three pieces, in 6/8 time signature and sixteenth-note flourishes. All these combined aspects of Trois petites Pièces by Grandjany make for a thrilling performance for beginner harpists.

SKU: HL.48180980

UPC: 888680878504. 9x12 inches.

Composed by the famous harpist Henriette Renié, Pine trees of Charlannes is an easy small piece for lever harp with piano or harp accompaniment. This piece for beginners is really nice to play and to start playing ensemble music. The principal harp sections feature some really melodious sections and some sections with quavers going up. It alternates these sections with the accompaniment played by the piano or a second harp. Henriette Renié was a virtuoso French harpist born in 1875. With professors such as Alphonse Hasselmans and Théodore Dubois, she received the First Prize for the Harp in 1887. She wrote numerous works for harp including chamber music, and a concerto.