Gratitude
I’ve written about gratitude quite frequently and I post a gratitude list almost every month. Today my gratitude post is a little bit different.
Welcome Skye
There will be many things on my Happy Things July list at the end of this month. One of them will be Skye. I’ve shown her sitting on my seat next to my other harp so you can get a feel for the size comparison. Skye is a 12-string, fully levered, lap harp that arrived … [Read more…]
Song From A Secret Garden
Some pieces of music seem to flow or to touch my heart more than others. Song From a Secret Garden is one of those. Song from a Secret Garden, not to be confused with the children’s novel about Mary Lennox, was composed by Rolf Lovland and was released on the album of the same name … [Read more…]
Shenandoah
It seems I’ve known this song forever, as far back as my early Girl Scout years. It was something we would sing around the campfire. I can’t really say that I knew what it was about back then. I loved the melody, and really liked adding harmony with it. Recently I had the opportunity to … [Read more…]
Softly and Tenderly
Softly and Tenderly was written by Will Lamartine Thompson in 1847. It is a lovely song to sing and I also really like playing it on the harp. The verses flow easily, but I think my favorite part to sing is the chorus. I’m proud to say he grew up in my home state of … [Read more…]
Harp in Worship
I had the pleasure of attending the Harp in Worship Conference in Colorado in July. I admit to being more than a little nervous signing up for this with only about a year of harp experience behind me. Before signing up I did contact the organizers to make sure it was appropriate and also communicated … [Read more…]
Minuet in G Major
I have been determined to learn Minuet in G on my harp. The sheet music looks so incredibly easy, but is deceptive. I also started trying to play it long before I had developed enough technique to support this endeavor. First, a little background. Minuet in G Major was written around 1725 and was found … [Read more…]
You Raise Me Up
Although not original to Josh Groban, he made You Raise Me Up famous in 2003. The melody was written by Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham wrote the lyrics. Secret Garden first sang the song in 2001. I discovered an estimate stating that over 125 different artists have covered this song, but Josh’s is the one … [Read more…]
Caledonia
When I first started playing the harp about a year ago Caledonia was one of the pieces that was on my wish list. This folk ballad was written by Dougie Maclean in 1977. He reported that he wrote it in about 10 minutes while on a beach in France when he was feeling homesick for … [Read more…]
Handbells
I have had a lot of vicarious exposure to handbell music. Both of my sons played handbells as they were growing up. We were blessed to attend Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dayton, OH. That church had an outstanding music program for youth and adults. On occasion I would be asked to play a single bell … [Read more…]