Special Effects for Harps Across the North

On this page there are videos demonstrating the special effects used in Lauren's harp ensemble piece Harps Across the North.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers

Inspired by the poem by Emily Dickenson, Hope is the Thing with Feathers is a Round in four parts and incorporates preparation with cardboard in the middle octave to create the effect of pitched drums. Inspired by the sense of 'ritual' and 'power' behind the New Zealand Haka, the Maori word for "hope" - tumanako - is broken up into separate syllables and woven into the Round so that the word in it's entirety is chanted three times throughout the piece. 

Hope is the Thing with Feathers was written for the Old Malton Harp Group in North Yorkshire and funded by PRS Foundation Women Make Music.

Instant access PDFs of the sheet music for Hope is the Thing with Feathers is available to download now.

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Freshwater Tears

Inspired by the Rain Stone poem by Simon Armitage,
​Freshwater Tears is written in four parts and uses various extended techniques to create the effect of raindrops including xylophonics, percussive tapping on the harps and a special tremelo xylophonic glissando technique which Lauren has developed. This piece is inspired by the joy of rain which is so beautiful demonstrated in the poem,
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Freshwater Tears was written for Harps North West in Cumbria ​and funded by PRS Foundation Women Make Music.

Instant access PDFs of the sheet music for Freshwater Tears is available to download now.

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the sun and her flowers

Inspired by a short poem by Rupi Kaur, the sun and her flowers is written in four parts and uses various preparations including paper woven between the strings to make the sound of a Kalimba, paperclips & coils placed on the base of strings to make the sound of buzzing bees, and clips placed on a bass note to sound like a joyous and raucous rattle in the final part of this piece. After a calm introduction of short cadenzas the sun wakes up and the sound of the kalimba creates a groove over which the flowers dance.
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the sun and her flowers was written for Harps of the North directed by Anita Aslin and funded by PRS Foundation Women Make Music.​

Instant access PDFs of the sheet music for the sun and her flowers is available to download now.

DOWNLOAD