BY CUTCOMMON
Earlier this year, we spoke to Andrew Rumsey — the musician who is introducing Australian players and listeners to the Veeh Harp. It’s an accessible instrument that uses a unique form of notation to allow almost anyone to start playing, regardless of their musical ability.
Now, a new suite of music has been composed exclusively for this instrument. Sally Greenaway has become the first Australian composer to write for the Veeh Harp.
Sally, who studied at the Royal College of Music and ANU School of Music, has won numerous awards for her compositions. She has given masterclasses and guest lectures, and toured Australia as a pianist. Her works to date have been performed by major ensembles and orchestras, and have featured on screen.
But the Veeh Harp is another world entirely — one in which she created her own form of music notation, and her own techniques for the player.
In this interview, Sally shares the story behind her original compositions for the Veeh Harp, and a journey that took her to Germany to learn how the instrument was made.
Sally, how did you come to write music for such a rare instrument?
Just before the COVID-19 chasm, my good friend Andrew Rumsey — a brilliant concert pianist who has championed Australian music globally — introduced me to a rather wonderful and fascinating instrument: the Veeh Harp.
Little did I know that in a few short years, I would have the honour as the first Australian composer to write a suite of pieces specially for this instrument.
What was immediately fascinating to me about the Veeh Harp, locally nicknamed downunder as the Harmony Harp, is that it’s the world’s most ‘accessible’ instrument – it can be played by anyone, regardless of age or musical ability. It is not a toy or a compromise: it is charming and full of atmosphere. And it has this ‘superpower’ of unlocking music’s beauty to everyone who hears and plays this instrument.
As the news spread across Australia about the Harmony Harp, Peter Archer — an avid music listener and appreciator — approached me about writing a celebratory piece as a surprise 60th birthday gift for his wife Joanne.
It made sense that I should write the music for the Harmony Harp, as Joanne has extensive experience in music education for young people, including those with intellectual and physical disabilities. The piece would become both a celebration of, and contribution to, her work’s passion – and a gift to make more music available and accessible for a diversity of people, regardless of their background or situation.
It’s a unique role — the first Australian composer to write for this harp. Take us through the process, and how your music introduces and showcases the capabilities of the instrument.
This project has brought so much joy, and it’s been a privilege to be trusted in creating the first Australian music for the Harmony Harp. Our initial meetings identified an important cornerstone: that this music should be adaptable for performers of varying skills, in a solo or ensemble setting.
Creatively, I was fascinated exploring the capabilities of the Harmony Harp. One of the interesting aspects of this instrument is that it’s chromatic — other harps are typically a standard major scale. You also cannot play too fast – it asks the performer to take their time, something not necessarily encountered with other instruments.
When deciding upon the structure for the music, Peter, the commissioner, suggested Christina Rosetti’s poem A Birthday, which directed my creative mind towards a collection of miniature musical scenes.
The suite is aptly titled Birthday Scenes, and each vignette brings to life the poem’s imagery. There are eight movements altogether, finishing up with Happy Birthday:
- A Singing Bird
- A Grove of Apple Trees
- The Halcyon Sea
- A Loving Heart
- Silk of Purple
- A Peacock with a Thousand Eyes
- Gold and Silver
- Happy Birthday
The pieces have an uplifting and meditative quality that makes use of the serene and atmospheric soundworld of the Harmony Harp.
I am passionate about cross-arts collaboration, and it’s common in my creative practice to foster interplay and exchange between visual art, music, and poetry — and other art forms. The ‘cherry on top’ for me involved commissioning local artist Dee Mcfaul who responded to each of the suite’s movements, creating a delightful collection of watercolour and pencil artworks.
It was an exceptionally memorable and special experience to gather with Peter and Andrew to surprise Joanne with a room brimming with framed artworks, a music stand with the sheet music collection, and a stunning Harmony Harp in the centre of the room.
The notation is one of the most unusual elements of the Veeh Harp. How did this factor into the way you composed for the instrument?
During the composing process, Andrew generously loaned me one of the concert-sized harps. They come in two sizes, and I got to borrow the big one! I got to work immersing myself into the instrument’s soundworld and exploring its character, capabilities, and ways of playing it.
The notation for the Harmony Harp is ingenious – and easy to master. It uses a straightforward combination of circles and lines. You slide the manuscript behind the strings of the instrument: wherever the dot is, you play that string, and you zigzag your way down the page from top to bottom following the lines.
Yet actually writing the music onto the manuscript is a laborious, carefully crafted process. You need an extra-long ruler to draw lines, like an architect or perspective illustrator, a top-notch eraser for the inevitable alterations without damaging the manuscript, and the right kind of pencil. Each vignette needed rewriting again and again until it was neatly laid out architecturally on the page.
It was an interesting puzzle box to imagine ways of inspiring or surprising the musician and listener as the music unfolds, and how I might notate some of my discoveries onto the manuscript. I invented my own notation to succinctly and clearly guide the player in performing various innovative techniques, like muting and glissandi – techniques that, as far as I’m aware, had not been utilised by other composers of this instrument before.
Tell us about your recent trip to Germany. What was it like to get to know the instrument from its origins and its makers?
In June this year, I travelled to Germany and visited the Veeh Harp factory and showroom! Imagine a beautiful little town in south-east Germany, surrounded by countryside, century-old barns and open skies. The Veeh Harp manufacturing company is a multi-generational family-owned enterprise, and I was given a guided tour by one of the family members, Stefan. I saw the variety of Veeh Harps they produce, their extensive library of pieces, as well as the actual factory where the instruments are created.
It was like a ‘paddock-to-plate’ experience unearthing how the instrument came about, all the way through to how they’re built, to what kinds of pieces have been composed. We also enjoyed a wonderful German tradition, ‘Kuchen Zeit’ – afternoon tea with coffee and cake, homemade of course!
This visit allowed me to share the Birthday Scenes suite and its story, setting into motion the possibility for publishing with them, and maybe even becoming part of their catalogue of repertoire, so that more people around the globe can enjoy the fruits of this project!
As a composer, why did you want to take a chance on a new instrument?
I feel a strong weight and moral responsibility of past composers — their legacy and contribution — and the power of music’s ability to contribute, give back, and connect communities.
The remarkable history of the Veeh Harp coupled with Joanne Archer’s work as a music educator resonated with me.
Through this project, we have brought to life not only a wonderful multi-arts birthday gift, but also contributed a work that encourages more people to make music — especially those who are perhaps excluded from music-making — and to explore their creativity on an inspiring instrument that evokes and stirs us as it’s played!
What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking of trying out some of your compositions on the Veeh Harp?
Go for it!
The Harmony Harp is such a joy to explore. It’s effortlessly straightforward to learn, and you can make satisfying and soul-nourishing music on it.
There are wonderful collections of music being published for it – and I hope my Birthday Scenes suite inspires you to play music for yourself and with others!
Listen to Sally Greenaway’s original compositions on her YouTube channel, and learn more about the Veeh Harp in Australia on the Harmony Harp website.
READ NEXT: How one of the “world’s most accessible instruments” came to Australia
Images supplied.
