Harp and Piano

The piano and harp both have more strings than any other instrument in the orchestra

They’re not firmly members of the String sector and usually musicians accord them a special place in the orchestra. Both are family member of the orchestra .The harp appeared   regularly in music composition in the 19th century, the piano in the 20th.

The harp is well-known as “instrument of angels”, which is why many listeners are amazed when they hear just how power  is harp sound in the concert hall. All those beautiful chords ring out clearly above even an orchestra of a hundred musicians. And when you put four of them together in a piece like Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique, the sound is unique!

In Bach and Mozart's day you'd often see a keyboard in the orchestra - a harpsichord or one of the early pianos or fortepiano. Those keyboards would have been satisfying a kind of "rhythm section" function in the music. Then keyboards disappeared, with the exception of special effects instruments such as the bell-like celesta that Tchaikovsky uses in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The modern piano has connected to the orchestra more lately, sometimes as a featured instrument and sometimes as part of the overall orchestral colors. A lot of composers of the past century have used the piano and harp for their percussive potential, and some people even believe of it as a percussion instrument, because the piano's hammers strike the strings.

Harp Piano music instrument

Harp-Piano An extraordinarily curious harp-piano by Dietz, Austria or Germany,. 1840. The strings are plucked as on a harp, operated through a piano keyboard.   The piano harp has Bb strings in the melody range, allowing for playing in both the keys of C and F. And the bars offer a generous and versatile pallette of seven chords, (top to bottom): Dm, Am, Bb, C7, F, G7, and C.
	The piano harp

Another exclusive instrument was Pianophone. The difference between the piano harp and the pianophone below is that the melody strings of the former are single-strung; those of the latter are paired. Nonetheless, some examples of the single-strung variety bear an inside label proclaiming the identity "Marx Pianophone".
	Pianophone

Elena Katygorokh - harp, piano teacher

"I would like to open the amazing world of harp, piano lessons for everyone" "I wish that every parent would open the amazing world of music for their kids as my mother did for me . Having music in my heart has shown me that I can be myself and live happily. If you want to laugh often, win the respect of nice people and the affection of children, appreciate beauty, find the best in others, let music enter your soul."

For all other enquiries, including weddings functions, performances, lessons , please e-mail Elena on

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