The Clarsach Society London Branch Newsletter
The Friars Harp Weekend October 21-23 2005

This was my first visit to Aylesford, and I look forward very much to returning. The mix and medieval and modern buildings set in a huge park on the banks of the river Medway is a welcoming and peaceful setting where all the cares and worries of the week, followed by some long-distance driving, or, in some cases, train journeys, disappear as one goes through the gates, carefully, to avoid a huge flock of Canada geese who choose early evening to leave their beautiful pond and process over to a field beyond the long-term car-park where they spend the night.

Conference and course participants, however, made their way into warm bedrooms, unpacked harps, and tried to understand the map of the layout of the buildings and chapels in order to find the way to the Pilgrims Hall for supper. Grace was said by one of the Friars, and we were indeed thankful by then for a copious and tasty meal eaten at refectory tables in a three-storeyed wood-galleried hall. Once assembled, we numbered 26 participants, (plus a few non-players, and parents of the younger course participants). As we relaxed we began to read each other’s name-stickers and make new friends as well as renewing old acquaintances.

Music had been sent to us well in advance, and a note of our allocation to groups for the following morning’s work. Our brilliant team of tutors, Isobel Mieras from Edinburgh, Janet Bennett from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Anne-Marie O’Farrell from Dublin were all with us on the first evening, and well-known to many of us either by the music they had previously published or from previous courses and festivals, and we were excited at the prospect of an enjoyable and hard-working two days ahead. However, the first evening offered a delightful recital of voice and harp offered to us by Jan Bennett, mainly from her own adaptions and arrangements of ‘Border’ folk songs, some claimed by both Scots and English as their own tunes.

Jan Bennett and Isobel Mieras

This lovely recital set the scene for our work the next day trying to improve our clarsach technique, get notes and rhythms absolutely right, and phrase and vary dynamics so that the harps would sing well together in both songs and tunes for two hands and in ensemble work, a selection of which was being prepared for presentation in the last session on Sunday afternoon.

For 1.5 hours before coffee, my group had Isobel Mieras coaching us, teasing us, telling us tales, and encouraging us, and the time went in a flash.

While welcoming the coffee break, we then had to say goodbye to Isobel who moved to another group, and Jan Bennett joined us to work on different music, add some different tips on technique, and above all to build on her recital, insisting that we listen to the tunes and phrase them well, thinking where the singer would breathe and be likely to pause slightly, and how to adapt this phrasing to animate the wordless harp music so that it is neither increased unnecessarily in speed nor loses interest for the listener.

After lunch, our third valiant tutor, Anne-Marie O’Farrell, brought us even tougher technical work, suggesting numerous exercises to get all the fingers working properly and with a smooth and even tone.

We were aware of a slight change of gear from the Scottish and English tunes to Irish rhythms and styles—Anne-Marie rightly expecting fast thinking and a grounding in chordal harmony in what was labelled an ‘advanced’ group, but perhaps beginning to realise that ‘advanced’ in benighted southern England, a long way from clarsach Celtic roots and teaching might just mean ‘ have been playing for a number of years, and may have grey hair’, though we did have some really competent players, including three who were already proficient on the pedal harp as well, two of whom are likely to give their lives to music.

But we all learnt a lot and saw by precept and example how much more there was to learn.

After a good day’s work it was wonderful to be able to wander out into brilliant sunshine and stroll in the ground, admiring the autumn colour, and maybe spending some money in the resident pottery and gift shop. This was probably the last weekend of the prolonged Indian summer of this year, and we were so lucky to catch and enjoy it.

Anne-Marie O'Farrell with Helen English

A Saturday evening ceilidh gave the brave an opportunity to play solos on both the clarsachs and the three pedal harps. Harp solos were interspersed with some Scottish dancing, very clearly explained and directly by Barbara Willis, and we were joined in the dancing by some members of the two church groups, attending events in other buildings, but who had heard strains of our harps, and had asked if they could come and listen—so we spread our love of the harp to new pairs of ears, who might well go home determined to ‘have a go’.

Sunday morning, after the Friars’ kindly care in delaying breakfast till 9am so that we could rest a little longer from our labours on Saturday, found us working all together on the ensemble pieces and the three Christmas carols arranged in several parts by Isobel Mieras. Again we were coached by our three tutors in turn, each contributing their own skills and chosen pieces for what is surely one of the most delightful ways to play—in consort.

The afternoon was scheduled for ‘master classes’, for volunteers, both clarsach and pedal harp players, to play pieces for our pleasure, and again the tutors took it in turn to be advisers and critics from whom both players and listeners could learn much in general
musicianship, and in detail if they also played or wanted to learn the same piece. In the brief remaining time before tea and departure, a few selected ensemble pieces were performed—and listened to by some of us who had decided to pack our harps into their covers and cars at lunch-time in order to take advantage of the remaining light for the journey home. But listening was also a good experience having only been able to practise one harp part at a time at home, and in groups at Aylesford.

And so, too soon, a very valuable weekend was over. Warm thanks were recorded to the three tutors who gave so much of their time beforehand in preparation, and in travelling, and such whole-hearted participation during the weekend. We were greatly enriched by their knowledge, their performances and their varied and great teaching skills.

Warm thanks also went to the Committee who had also worked so hard before and during the weekend– including our absent Convener, Danielle Perrett, who, if she could have cut herself in two, would certainly have been with us—Austria and Slovakia’s gain—our loss.

Lastly our thanks went to the Community, Friars and house-staff, who provided an almost invisible but continuous setting of efficiency and tranquillity. This is not a luxury, 4-star hotel, but a place where one can come, make friends, reflect, be quiet, concentrate, enjoy, and do some very good work.

Thanks also to those who volunteered, unasked, to contribute something extra to the weekend—Patty, who brought wine and cheese and cakes from France for us to enjoy on the Friday and Saturday evenings; Barbara, who organised the dancing at the ceilidh; and Helen, who encouraged some of us to get up early on Sunday morning and learn some beneficial Chi Gong exercises ! Thank you also to Lynne and Mike for providing transport for the tutors, and to Pauline and Amy, for loaning their harps for the recitals.

Thank you also to everyone who gave feedback on the weekend. We will be making a few changes to this year’s course as a result of the feedback—there will be more time scheduled for the teaching sessions, and, instead of the masterclass and ensemble sessions, there will optionally be time on the Friday afternoon for informal group-playing.

This year’s course will run from Friday September 1st to Sunday September 3rd, and tutors will include Grainne Hambley from Ireland.