Harp: Reference Books and Selected Bibliography

Contains over 5000 entries of works for harp in combination with up to eight other instruments, songs and other vocal and choral works with harp accompaniment, and harp concertos and other concerted works in which the harp plays a solo role. This chamber music volume contains citations of harp music published between 1800 and 2000 in a classified arrangement, with the first eight sections subdivided by original works and arrangements: 1) Duets; 2) Trios; 3) Quartets; 4) Quintets; 5) Sextets; 6) Septets; 7) Octets; 8) Nonets; 9) Solo voice with harp; 10) Solo voices (2 or more) with harp; 11) Harp with chorus; and 12) Harp concertos. Each entry includes information needed to accurately identify a work, including uniform titles when needed, publisher information, pagination when available, and complete contents listings for anthologies. Following the main sections is an index of names and titles. Finally, there is an index of music playable on non-pedal or "folk" harps. Designed to complement Harp Music Bibliography: Compositions for Solo Harp and Harp Ensemble (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995) and Harp Music Bibliography Supplement: Compositions for Solo Harp and Ensemble.

The harp is both the oldest and the newest of instruments. It has existed in some form in nearly all cultures since man has made music. The contemporary concert instrument has been known since the mid-19th century. This work is a compendium of the biographies of many notable harpists of the modern era. The biographies make clear how these performers shaped the contrasts in style and technique of harp playing that have developed over the past 150 years, as cultural, social, and psychological forces influenced individual performance. In addition to the biographical information, the A-Z entries include critical reviews, discographies, and selected bibliographies where possible. New material from the former Soviet states is included.