
A typical Scottish
lever
harp
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Fullscore:
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Still
Beating is an intimate piece which draws warmth and subtlety from
the pulsations, or 'beats', caused by the slight de-tuning of selected
harp strings (an effect inspired by Indonesian gamelan instruments).
It was composed in response to a call for works from the SPNM, as
part of their ‘Solo Spotlight’ concert series and was
premiered by Ruth Wall on 6th March 2007 at Wapping Power Station
in London.
"Though
I was a newcomer to this instrument, I had had an idea for some
time to write a piece for the larger orchestral harp, involving
the microtonal de-tuning of adjacent strings. The opportunity to
try out this idea on a lever harp was too good to miss, though it
required a considerable re-think due to the instrument's radically
different design and range. Working with Ruth was hugely rewarding.
She took a little persuading before she would agree to meddle with
the finely poised tuning of her instrument, but after a number of
exploratory workshops and much rehearsal, our efforts began to reap
great rewards." |