another opera/harp
Sheila Schiferl (sks@xdiv.lanl.gov)
Thu, 29 Aug 1996 13:10:41 -0600
In Puccini's "Girl of the Golden West" (Fanciulla del West), there's a
banjo playing in the saloon. The banjo part is scored for a harp; I
guess neither Puccini nor his acquaintances were well-acquainted with
real banjos. At the Santa Fe Opera, the harpist (my teacher) has used
a slightly buzzy lever harp, played in the wings, with an opera
apprentice as a helper for changing levers. That way the big harp(s)
can stay in the pit.
- Sheila