BACKSTAGE WITH… Harpist Catrin Finch
You’re taking part in Ensemble 360’s series focusing on La Belle Epoque. Was that an important era for the harp?
In my opinion, La Belle Epoque (1871-1914) was the best era for harp music, partly due to the development of the instrument at that time. The instrument maker Sébastian Erard had just invented the double-action pedal system – still used today – to make the harp fully chromatic. He was doing that just as Debussy and Ravel were writing, and they were the first composers to use that chromatic ability.
What inspired Debussy and Ravel to write for the harp?
It’s partly that the instrument was naturally suited to the impressionistic soundworld they were trying to conjure up in that era, in both music and art – it has that slightly magical, ethereal and mystical quality. In the case of Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet, though, the work was actually commissioned by Erard to show off his new system.
To what extent do harpists have to write their own arrangements to give themselves something to play?
Composers have shied away from the instrument a bit as it’s slightly more complicated than other instruments to write for, so we’ve taken it on ourselves to do a lot of arranging. In my concert, we play Ravel’s Sonatine, arranged for flute, viola and harp by my former tutor Skaila Kanga. She’s contributed a lot to the repertoire.