Music Suggestions
I really enjoy discovering new repertoire, putting together interesting programs, and picking a piece that is a perfect fit for a student. Many people frequently ask me for music suggestions, in part because it can be difficult to navigate the online world of harp music. Below you'll find a list of some standout pieces, music that I come back to time and again in my teaching. These are pieces that I think are composed well, suit the harp admirably, and help develop a student's technical skills on the harp.
I've organized these by the same system that I (aspire to) use with my physical music: difficulty level, and then alphabetized by composer's last name. (Note: Each of the categories below contains a range of pieces within that difficulty level, so there is some variation within the level.) Most of the piece are linked to a corresponding video, primarily from my Inspirational Videos for Young Harpists YouTube Series, which is another way that I offer repertoire suggestions to student harpists. You can find more of these videos and a lot more on my YouTube Channel. Feel free to subscribe!
Beginning Music
All of these pieces are suitable for lever harp, but could be easily played on the pedal harp as well. Each one has a clear focus and is enjoyable to listen to and to play.
Marelles no . 4 (from Marelles Vol. I)
Marelles no. 7 (from Marelles Vol. II)
Marelles no. 8 (from Marelles Vol. II)
Just Walking (from First Grade Pieces for Harp)
Dancing Fingers (from Solos for Sonja Vol. I)
Elephant Parade (from Solos for Sonja Vol. I)
Moonlight (from Graded Recital Pieces, Vol. I)
The Purple Bamboo (from Fun from the First, Vol. II)
Waltz (from Fun from the First, Vol. I)
Lullaby for Violet (from First Grade Pieces for Harp)
Bernard Andrès
Bernard Andrès
Bernard Andrès
Marcel Grandjany
Ruth K. Inglefield
Ruth K. Inglefield
Susann McDonald
Samuel Milligan
Samuel Milligan
Betty Paret
Betty Paret
Jane Weidensaul
Beginning/Intermediate Music
These pieces could also be considered late beginning pieces or early intermediate pieces. (Different harp publishers and harp stores categorize their music differently and use different terms. Some just use a three tier system - beginning, intermediate, advanced - while some have more gradations.) All of these pieces are playable on lever harp, but again could easily be played on the pedal harp as well.
Aquatintes no. 3 (from Aquatintes)
Aquatintes no. 4 (from Aquatintes)
Ribambelle no. 3 (from Ribambelle)
Ribambelle no. 5 (from Ribambelle)
Polonaise in G Minor (from Classics for Troubadour)
Lament (from Solos for Sonja, Vol. II)
Nocturne (from Solos for Sonja, Vol. II)
Reverie (from Trois Petites Pièces)
Concert Etude (from Harp Solos: Graded Recital Pieces, Vol. I)
Reverie (from Harp Solos: Graded Recital Pieces, Vol. I)
Album Leaf (from Fun from the First, Vol. II)
White Gulls Flight (from Second Harp Book)
Siciliana (from Suzuki Harp School, Vol. II)
Bernard Andrès
Bernard Andrès
Bernard Andrès
Bernard Andrès
J. S. Bach, arr. Pearl Chertok
Alphonse Hasselmans
Ruth K. Inglefield
Ruth K. Inglefield
Marcel Grandjany
Susann McDonald
Susann McDonald
Samuel Milligan
Betty Paret
Mary Kay Waddington
David Watkins
Jane Weidensaul
Intermediate Lever Harp Music
The intermediate level is a really fun level, as there are so many great options for music. Frequently this is when students make a switch from a lever harp to a pedal harp (if they choose to make this switch at all). As before, all of the below pieces are written specifically for the lever harp, but could be played on the pedal harp as well. (Note: the Lyra edition of the Grandjany Barcarolle includes an optional pedal harp introduction, and there is a separate version of Bach's Prelude in C available specifically for pedal harp.)
Pistache (from Èpices, Vol. I)
Little Prelude in F (from Medieval to Modern, Vol. I)
Prelude in C, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
Le Roi a Fait Battre Tambour (from Dix Pièces Variées)
Matin d'Enfant (from Dix Pièces Variées)
Les Pifferari (from Medieval to Modern, Vol. II)
Barcarolle (from Trois Petites Pièces)
The Blue Rock (from Songs without Words)
Bernard Andrès
Bernard Andrès
Bernard Andrès
J. S. Bach, arr. Samuel Milligan
J. S. Bach, trans. Jacqueline Pollauf
arr. Louise Charpentier/Odette le Dentu
arr. Louise Charpentier/Odette le Dentu
Charles Gounod, arr. Samuel Milligan
Marcel Grandjany
Marcel Grandjany
arr. Marcel Grandjany
Nancy Gustavson
George Handel, arr. Samuel Milligan
Samuel Pratt
Henriette Renié
Intermediate Pedal Harp Music
This music is highly specific to the pedal harp and cannot be played on the lever harp. Again, there are many beautiful pieces of music here, including pieces written by harpists who have an excellent understanding of what suits the instrument.
Prelude in C, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
Aria and Rigaudon (from Music for the Harp)
Rouet (from Trois Petites Pièces Faciles)
After the Moon-Viewing (from Haiku for Harp)
Toccata (from Harp Solos: Graded Recital Pieces, Vol. IV)
Angelus (from Feulliets d’Album)
Esquisse (from Feulliets d’Album)
Invention dans le Style Ancien (from Six Pièces Brèves)
The Minstrel's Adieu to His Native Land
Processional (from Harp Solos: Graded Recital Pieces, Vol. II)
Two Guitars (from Harp Solos: Graded Recital Pieces, Vol. IV)
C. P. E. Bach, trans. Dominique Piana
J. S. Bach, trans. Jacqueline Pollauf
Gottfried Kirchhoff, trans. Marcel Grandjany
Marcel Grandjany
Marcel Grandjany
Marcel Grandjany
Alphonse Hasselmans
Susann McDonald and Linda Wood
Susann McDonald
Henriette Renié
Henriette Renié
Henriette Renié
Carlos Salzedo
John Thomas
Marcel Tournier
Linda Wood
Linda Wood
Intermediate/Advanced Pedal Harp Music
This is just a small sampling of all of the lovely works that could be included in this category. Many represent different times periods. Also transcriptions, as opposed to original works, become a larger part of the repertoire here.
Sarabande and Double, Violin Partita no. 1
Interlude (from A Ceremony of Carols)
Sonata in c minor
The Harmonious Blacksmith
Sonata no. 5
Siciliana
Seguidilla, Tango and Rumba (from Suite of Eight Dances)
Etude de Concert (Au Matin)
J. S. Bach, trans. Marcel Grandjany
Benjamin Britten
Claude Debussy, trans. Henriette Renié
Sophia Giustina Dussek
George Frederic Handel, trans. Carlos Salzedo
Alphonse Hasselmans
Alphonse Hasselmans
Alphonse Hasselmans
François-Joseph Naderman
John Parry
Ottorino Respighi, trans. Marcel Grandjany
Carlos Salzedo
Marcel Tournier
Marcel Tournier
David Watkins