Ann Heymann: “The harp composes and the harp arranges and my hands are trained by it.”
My dad was a scientist and a genius, and I don’t use that term lightly. He always said that when it comes to truly intelligent people the more they learn, the more they realize how much they don’t know. It takes curiosity, humility, and a sense of awe to realize there is so much more to learn. When I think of Ann Heymann all of these ideals come to mind.
Even after her 50+ year career she is still finding new and exciting avenues of discovery and even rediscovering works that she has previously recorded.
While she was training horses a friend gave her a copy of The Bunting Manuscripts and she became enamored with how Bunting described the harp tradition as he witnessed it in the 18th century.
“Bunting’s discription of the harp and espeically O’Hampsy, facinated me.”
She studied dressage in horses and had a great respect for tradition and understood there were reasons for doing things a certain way that we might not be able to speculate on. And so, she thought, ok, they played on the left shoulder, I’ll do it that way.
Ann has strung many harps and she feels like a “harp midwife”. She experiments with different metals from red gold to yellow gold and sterling silver.
We discuss St. Bridget and the bees. Ann’s story, “The Ceremony of the Raising” When a harp maker makes a harp it’s finished then sent to a harp player for the ceremony of the raising then the harp is ready to be played on St. Bridget’s Day Feb 1st.
“When I play I feel like I am sculpting. I feel like a sculptor who is sort of finding the form in the tree or in the clay.
The voice of the harp very much directs me and says right or wrong and there is so much sensitivity in the playing. It is to allow the harp to speak. The harp directs me.”
Ann is extremely generous with her research and music. She is a firm believer that the center of research for the Early Irish Harp needed to be in Ireland so she inspired Siobhan Armstrong to start The Historical Harp Society of Ireland.
“The harp is not an instrument to me. The harp is an icon. It is like the Arc of the Covenant…It is my full joy and inspiration now.”
This interview is being split into two parts. There is just so much extraordinary information being shared that I want to make sure you get to hear it all and become inspired.
In editing this podcast I have listened to it many times and each time I glean something new. Check out the podcast notes for quotes from Ann and links to some of the books, albums, people and places mentioned.
“When I play I feel like I am sculpting. I feel like a sculptor who is sort of finding the form in the tree or in the clay. ”
A big thank you to the folks at Temple Records in Scotland for giving me permission to use some of Ann’s recordings on this podcast. Check out their website https://www.templerecords.co.uk/
Tracks played in the episode:
“Lament for the Harp” off of Ann’s album, Queen of Harps and “Kaniad San Silin” off of Ann’s album, Cruit go nÓr: Harp of Gold
LINKS:
Ann’s website: www.annheymann.com
Ann and Charlie Heymann’s band Clairseach: www.clairseach.com
Somerset Folk Harp Festival: www.somersetharpfest.com
The Historical Harp Society or Ireland: www.irishharp.org
The Bunting Collection at Queen’s University Belfast: digital-library.qub.ac.uk/digital/collection/p15979coll9
The Robert Ap Huw Manuscript: www.jstor.org/stable/841428?seq=1
St. Mogue Harp: www.earlygaelicharp.info/mogue
Temple Records: www.templerecords.co.uk
HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY THE HARP?
4 Week Beginner Harp Classes
Launches this June 21tst!!
Have you always wanted to learn how to play the harp, but have no idea where to start? I totally know that feeling.
When I first became interested in playing the harp I didn’t know where to start. I looked at teach yourself how to play the harp books, which were good, but I needed more guidance. I’ve been wanting to put together a course that would inspire lovers of the harp just starting on their journeys. the “Your Harp Adventure” series starts this June 7th with an Introduction to the lever harp.
I walk you through the basics of this 4 week class:
getting comfortable with your instrument
making music and improvising right from the start
you’ll learn tunes by ear, as well as basics of music theory, basics of reading music
you’ll also have access to a live FB group once a week where you can ask questions and meet up with other harp players starting on their musical journeys.
I know there is so much information out there and because I want you to feel the progress you will be making, the video lessons are no more than ten minutes each giving you bite sized chunks of information that won’t be overwhelming.
Plus you can rewatch any of the videos and learn in your own time, plus you will have access to a community of learners from around the world cheering you on with me.
All for $59 that includes pdfs of music and guides, templates for inspiration and practicing, and more.
Launches on Monday June 21st!
Partnership with One Tree Planted: I care deeply about the planet and creating a business that gives back to nature. That's why I'm thrilled to share that we are partnering with One Tree Planted/@ontreeplanted to plant a tree for every item sold or class purchased.
One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to global reforestation. They plant trees to restore nature and biodiversity. They also raise awareness about the importance of trees, offer businesses like ours a simple sustainability solution, and motivate younger generations to do something positive for the environment.