Yvonne La Mothe Schwager H a Rp Competition

at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music for her Bachelor’s Degree. Having recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, Meredith has performed with a number of local symphonies, including The San Francisco Symphony. She played principal harp for the Oberlin Symphony Orchestra in a tour of China in January 2006, as well as in a performance at Carnegie Hall in January 2007 under the direction of Robert Spano. Over the years, she has played for a p r e s e n t s number of orchestras in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Nebraska and Texas. An avid performer of contemporary music, Meredith served as harpist for the prestigious Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, where she had the privilege of working with composer Helmut Lachenmann. In solo and chamber contemporary music, she has f o r t h e worked with the late Daniel Pinkham, performing his Vigils for solo harp. In 2007, composer Lewis Nielson wrote a chamber work for harp, cello and percussion expressly for Meredith, which she premiered in New York City in June 2008. After winning the Cynthia Mitchell Woods Young Artist Competition in 2007, Meredith was invited to perform at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, in April 2009, marking her international solo debut. As the winner of the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, she performed the Ginastera Harp Concerto during CIM’s opening orchestra o f t h e concert of the 2009-2010 season. Meredith has also been a prizewinner in the American Love String Teachers Association competition, and competed in the International Harp Contest in Israel and the International Harp Competition and Festival in the Netherlands.

C o m i n g i n Fa l l 2 0 1 1 : Harp A H A r p E X t r AVA G A N ZA September 11, 3 pm baritone Eugene Brancoveanu in recital featuring the winners of the November 20 Liszt Festival with 4 events from 2pm to 9pm Yvonne La Mothe Schwager h A rp Competition

Sponsors of the Firehouse Arts Center & Usher Appreciation Program C e l i a C h a n Va l e r i o in works by Jules and Félix Godefroid

3688A Washington St. M e r e d i t h C l a r k Pleasanton, CA 94566 in the Rhapsodie by Louis Vierne 739 Main St. Tel: 925 462-7650 Pleasanton, CA 4545 Chabot Drive Tel: 925.862.9006 Forno Vecchio Pleasanton, CA [email protected] 680 Main Street Tel: 925 730 0070 (Spring/St Mary’s) Pleasanton, CA S u n day, J u n e 1 2 , 2 0 1 1 , at 3 p m Tel: 925 425-0099 Grace Cross from Castro Valley, age 17, is a student of Jessica Siegel at Harps Etc. and has performed in the Windsong Harp Ensemble for the past seven years. She plays with the Las Positas College orchestra where last fall she performed the 2nd movement of the Dittersdorf P r o g r a m Concerto. In addition, she recently joined the Oakland Youth Orchestra. She performed with UC Berkeley Summer symphony last summer and will do so again this summer. She has also P r e s enting the winner s of the fir s t played the Waltz of the Flowers harp cadenza with the San Jose State University orchestra. Yvonne La Mothe Schwager Harp Competition Elisabeth Zosseder, from San Rafael, age 18, comes from a piano background and studies harp with Randall Pratt in the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley. She has pursued her love for harp in the Mill Valley Philharmonic, Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Young Concert Etude Susann McDonald Musicians Program at Berkeley. A three-time winner of the Marin Music Chest Award, she has Hannah Ewell: Preliminary Level, Gold attended summer programs and institutions such as the Salvi Summer Harp Camp in Fullerton and Chamber Music Camp at Schloss Weikersheim in Germany. She has been accepted with a full scholarship as a harp major to the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles. Bonjour, Mr. Rameau Marcel Grandjany (1891-1975) Madeline Claire Olson, from Ripon, age 16, is a student of Laura Porter and Linda Wood Kaitlyn Yau: Preliminary Level, Silver Rollo. Last summer she won First Place at the Young Artists’ harp competition in Georgia. She performs with the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Modesto Junior College community band and, more recently, with the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra in Berkeley. L’Egyptienne, tr. Renié Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) Elizabeth Vo-Phamhi: Level 1, Gold Vivian Hsu, from Saratoga, age 17, began the harp as a student of Sonya Yu, and currently studies with Linda Wood Rollo. Finishing third in the Intermediate II Division of the AHS National Competition in 2009, Vivian also won second in the New Artists’ Division of the Au Monastère Alphonse Hasselmans (1845-1912) Young Artists’ Harp Seminar Competition in 2008. That same year, she performed in the nd Tiffany Wong: Level 1, Silver World Harp Congress’s Focus on Youth program in Amsterdam. She has won 2 place in the Intermediate I Division of the 2007 AHS National Competition, 5th place in the Junior Division of the 2005 AHS National Competition, and 1st prize in the Inez Stafford Harp Competition Sun Dance Robert Litton (1978- ) of the Bay Area Chapter of the AHS in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Vivian was a semifinalist in the Junior Division of the 6th Lily Laskine International Harp Competition. She currently plays harp Fengyao (Diana) Ding: Level 1, Bronze in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Celia Chan Valerio is the Adjunct Professor of Harp for La Sierra University; Harp Alwa Esteban Benzecry (1970- ) Instructor, University of California Riverside, and former principal harpist of the Sarasota Wesley Hsu: Level 2, Gold Orchestra, Florida. She teaches privately and performs as a solo harpist in Southern California. Celia has been playing the harp professionally for 20 years. During this time, she La Source Alphonse Hasselmans has received many awards and prizes in various competitions including the Anne Adams Sunny Wu: Level 2, Silver Awards, American String Teachers Association State and National Competitions, American Harp Society Competition, Redlands Bowl Competition, and Music Teachers Association Competition. She has also been recognized on an international level in the USA International Harp Competition. Celia has released two solo CD’s: Favorites: Hymns and Classics and Rêverie, tr. Kondonassis Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Favorites: Christmas. She has performed as a soloist for the American Harp Society National Jenny Vo-Phamhi: Level 2, Bronze Conference, World Harp Congress Convention, Indianapolis Arts Council, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and Brandstater Gallery Concert Series. She has performed extensively around the United States as well as in Australia, Canada, France and Mexico. Sonata op. 2 no. 3 in C minor, Allegro Sophia Dussek (1775-1830?) Celia holds a Bachelor of Music from La Sierra University and a Master and Doctor of Emma Quinn: Level 4, Bronze Music in harp performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington where she completed her studies under the direction of Susann McDonald. Meredith Clark completed her Master of Music Degree in harp performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under Yolanda Kondonassis, with whom she also studied M eeting the performer s (in order of appearance) Hannah Ewell, age 8, from Saratoga is the student of Kristal Schwartz Barlaan and already performs at church and for retirement homes. Impromptu-Caprice, op. 9 ter Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937) Grace Cross: Level 4, Silver Kaitlyn Yau, from Los Gatos, age 9, is the student of Sonya Wu. This was her first competition. Elizabeth Vo-Phamhi, age 11, from San Bruno, is the student of Doug Rioth. She also Au matin, Etude de concert Marcel Tournier (1879-1951) studies piano with Kerrilyn Renshaw, and enjoys ballet, gymnastics, and knitting. This is her Elisabeth Zosseder: Level 3, Silver first harp competition. Tiffany Wong, from Milpitas, age 10, studies under of Linda Wood Rollo. She also plays the piano and won third prize in the Nineteenth Annual United States Open Music Competition- Vers la source dans le bois Marcel Tournier 2011 Showcase Piano Solo Junior Division. She placed as 1st alternate in Category III (ages10- Madeline Claire Olson: Level 3, Bronze 11) of CAPMT Bartok and Contemporary Music Festival 2010-2011 District II. Fengyao (Diana) Ding, from Albany, is the 12-year old student of Randall Pratt in the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley, where she also takes lessons in flute and piano. She plays Impromptu op. 28 no. 3, tr. Hainen Hugo Reinhold (1854-1935) flute in her school’s Symphonic and Graduation Band. Later this month, she will compete in Vivian Hsu: Level 3, Gold the National Competition of the American Harp Society, Junior Division, in Denton, Texas.

a kinship with Gounod’s Faust, and yet another likening it to a Concert Etude, Susann McDonald melodic symphony. It was clearly time to go back on the road – this time with violinists Léonard and Vieuxtemps and with singers Concert Etude was written by the world renowned teacher Susann Géraldy, Lyon and Viardot. McDonald, as part of a five-volume pedagogic collection of pieces for Beginning in 1857, Godefroid also produced a series of periodic beginners. It provides one of the earliest opportunities to experiment with publications under the general title L’Ecole Chantante du Piano, the rolling feel of arpeggios in triplets, so beloved on the harp. The Singing School of the Piano, consisting of methodic exercises and melodic etudes. Purported to bring the piano back from Bonjour, Mr. Rameau, Marcel Grandjany pyrotechnics to the art of melody, they were favorably received and praised for their artistry. Intriguingly, his oeuvre comprises many Bonjour, Mr. Rameau is a favorite piece out of Marcel Grandjany’s more works for the piano than for the harp, including numerous Little Harp Book. Having grown up in Paris during la belle époque, at Félix Godefroid melodies for voice and piano. Highly aware of the difference in voice the end of the romantic period, he turned towards neo-classicism after and character between harp and piano, Godefroid would also set down his approach to the moving from France to America. Here he plays fancifully with his true harp in Mes Exercices, Pensées mélodiques and Etudes mélodiques. What transpires is his “idée love, the baroque style, combining formal rhetoric and sweet phrasing. fixe” to make the harp sing. In the 1860’s, thanks to the new railway system, Félix was all over the place, seemingly L’Egyptienne, tr. Renié, Jean-Philippe Rameau in Paris and in the provinces simultaneously. He triumphs on every stage and in every salon, Grandjany’s French teacher Henriette Renié was a tireless transcriber of accumulating special honors in droves. In 1869, the city of Namur commissions a Cantate old master pieces. Rameau’s L’Egyptienne, excerpted from his second patriotique that celebrates the life of the Belgian people from its Gallic origins to the birth of book of harpsichord pieces, is typical of the genre pieces of the French the nation in 1830, which he conducts in a performance by 500 musicians before Leopold II Baroque in the tradition of the ordres by François Couperin, and can be and Queen Marie-Henriette. further defined as a character piece. The 1870 Franco-Prussian war put a dent in his concert activities, but worse, the Rameau’s famous 1722 Harmony Treatise revolutionized the musical following year, his promising 18-year-old son William died suddenly. Overcome by grief, he world; one of his leading theories was the building of chords in thirds, an threw himself back into touring and composing. Two large choir works are premièred in idea with which Grandjany greats us in the preceding piece. Boulogne. In 1873, he visits and performs with his friend Maurice Gillier, future father of Reinhold Glière, in Kiev. He goes on to demonstrate the perfected Erard harp at the World Au Monastère, Alphonse Hasselmans Exposition in Vienna. In 1874, his Italian tour creates a sensation; in Naples, he is forced to play 18 encores to satisfy the delirious crowd. Then, in 1875, he performs for Erard at the Paris Belgian-French Alphonse Hasselmans has been hailed as the father of World Expo, playing his concert five times. the French school. Indeed he taught all the early 20th century virtuosos More heartbreak follows: his English wife Elisabeth Bowles dies in 1877 and his daughter and pedagogues at the Paris Conservatory: Renié and Tournier, Grandjany Jeanne in 1881 at age 22. His Requiem Mass is performed for her funeral. One daughter, Julia, and Salzedo. Most of his pieces are pedagogic in intention, using remains and comforts him; eventually she will marry Adolphe Sax, Jr. For the while being, his sophisticated finger patterns and subtle harmonic shadings to bring out harp is silenced, and he returns to composition. the singing voice of the harp. In Au Monastère, he uses crossfingering In 1882, on a commission from Isabella II, the young Spanish queen in exile, Félix with a 4th finger melody; inLa Source, descending arpeggios with a completed an opera-oratorio of vast dimensions, La Fille de Saül, requiring a large choir prominent right thumb melody. and orchestra. After a successful première in Boulogne, it was performed again in 1886 at La Monnaie, the Brussels opera house and then as a benefit concert in Namur in 1887. Sun Dance, Robert Litton Godefroid conducted and was feted in every way, with speeches and performances of other works such as his Missa Alleluia for harps and orchestra and his own piano pieces, played by his was specially commissioned by JoAnn Turovsky for Sun Dance daughter Julia. the national harp competition. an emerging film Robert Litton, After those highlights, Félix eased gradually into retirement, residing in Paris during composer in Hollywood, actually grew up in the East Bay. He received the winter and staying at his villa in Villers-sur-Mer, Calvados, at other times. At his last his undergraduate and master’s degrees in composition and percussion performance, Easter of 1897, his Trois Fugues, which he considered his spiritual testament, were performance from CSU East Bay, then graduated first in his class from performed by his friend the organist Antoine-Edouard Batiste. He quietly passed away on July the prestigious scoring for motion pictures and television program at 7, 1897. the University of Southern California. He performed with most of the Dominique Piana and Celia Chan Valerio Bay Area orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, and his compositions have been performed as far away as New York. Alwa, Esteban Benzecry in Paris, then commissioned him to compose an instrumental work for Alwa means “dawn” in the language of the Aymará, a pre-Columbian the inauguration of the statue of Napoleon I, as mentioned by Fétis. culture that extended through Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and Given all this strife, his nervous system is shattered. The following northwestern Argentina. The work begins with a musical invocation of the year, to revive his spirits, he decides with Félix to seek solace in their Aymará culture by means of simple themes in pentatonic scales, which in native land. Together, they play to great acclaim in all the major Belgian the two following sections will be further developed in the rhythms of this towns: Namur, Huy, Liège, Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. It was during ancient culture. First is the rhythm of the baguala, a style characteristic this tour that he had his famous encounter with François-Joseph Fétis of northern Argentina; it is a howl of loneliness or a protest against one’s in Brussels, who encouraged him greatly. At the concert in Brussels, destiny or condition. Later one can hear a carnavalito (joyous dance) with a modified rhythm. their friend Servais also showed up, promising to help. True to his This work is not a re-creation of the pre-Hispanic music in South America, but rather a word, he accompanied them back to Paris, and from there, took them modern development of old roots which, through the expressive and technical resources of on extended tours throughout Europe, and after 1838, all the way to the noble instrument that is the harp, gives a current vision of a past still little known. Jules Godefroid Russia and the Middle East. Esteban Benzecry, an Argentinean composer born in Lisbon, received his diploma As Jules settles back in France, he is contacted by the author Saint-Hilaire who entrusts as professor of painting from the Buenos Aires Superior School of Fine Arts, then studied him with a new libretto, La Chasse royale, really a “divertissement” of country manners set under musical composition with H. Gerardi and S. Hualpa in Argentina and with J. Charpentier, P. the reign of the good king Henry IV. The work opens on October 29, 1839, at the theater “La Mefano, L. Naon and L. Cuniot at the Paris Conservatory. His most recent works attempt a Renaissance” in Paris. Unfortunately, one month before, Jules’s gifted seven-year-old son died fusion between diverse aesthetic currents in European contemporary music and rhythms and from typhoid fever. At the première, the moment the curtain rises, a political cabal against the folklore rooted in the Latin American tradition. In 1995 he was composer-in-residence at the writer Saint-Hilaire disrupts the proceedings. Thrown off, the actors lose their footing in the Yehudi Menuhin International Music Academy and in 2004 he was the winner of the Fondation confusion that ensues. To save the situation, Saint-Hilaire goes onstage to disavow his libretto, d’entreprise Groupe Banque Populaire. He was resident composer at the Casa de Valázquez and pleads with the audience to at least give the music and the musicians their due respect. in Madrid from 2004 to 2006 and in 2008 he received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Somehow, the audience accepts his request and calms down; by the end of the opera, Foundation Fellowship for Music Composition. Jules is warmly received. The press, led on by Hector Berlioz, again gave a scathing review. Nonetheless, two more performances of La Chasse Royale were given. Despite his personal Rêverie, tr. Kondonassis, Claude Debussy success, Jules is devastated and, in his discouragement, loses his mind. He dies on February 27, Debussy’s Rêverie lends itself naturally to the harp, with its enchanting 1840, at the early age of 29. simplicity and, along with his Arabesques and Clair de lune, has been Jules’s legacy for the harp survived through his brother Félix, born on July 24, 1818. He appropriated by harpists ever since Debussy himself invited Pierre Jamet, made it his life’s mission to vindicate his brother and continue his pioneering work, instigating the longtime teacher at the Paris Conservatory, to try some of his piano mechanical innovations and gaining acclaim for the harp and its music through his solo recitals. pieces on the harp… How Félix Godefroid finally conquered Paris is a true “who knows who” story. In 1847, he gave a concert at the Maison Erard, where he met the composer Spontini, who was Sonata op. 2 no. 3 in C minor, Sophia Dussek himself married to Sébastien Erard’s niece. Spontini put in a word for him with Auber – then the director of the Conservatoire and in charge of its concert series. Auber naturally refused, For most of the 20th century, it was believed that this Dussek Sonata, but Princess Adelaïde, the king’s sister and a former student of Dizi insisted that Auber organize made popular in the Zabaleta edition, was by Jan Ladislav, the famous a musical soiree featuring Godefroid at the Tuileries. In the presence of the whole royal family, Bohemian piano virtuoso. In reality, it was composed by his wife, the he performed his Trois Etudes caractéristiques to great accolades. Auber, now convinced, young prodigy Sophia Corri, as its first edition indicates clearly. Despite booked him for a special performance of La Danse des Sylphes. its minor key, the Allegro forges ahead in high spirits, alternating between From then on, his fame grew exponentially. The press proclaimed him “the premier chatty and more ponderous moods. harpist of Europe” and “the maintainer of an instrument that without him would die.” His compositions were praised for their rich and elegant ideas, his arrangements as models of craft Impromptu-Caprice, op. 9 ter, Gabriel Pierné and taste. Even Berlioz recognized that “the talent of Mr. Godefroid is comparable to Parish Alvars’, the king of harpists…” He gets to perform at the Salle Erard, Salle Hertz, Salle Pleyel A lot could be said about Gabriel Pierné’s beloved Impromptu-Caprice. and many private salons. The quintessential morceau de concours, meant to dazzle with technical Next, starting in 1853, Félix turned his attention to the salon opera, a new genre of which prowess and varied expression, it was commissioned for the yearly public music critics were rather leery. But what he really yearned for was success on the opera stage. exam at the Conservatory, in 1900 in this case. It has a longer history, In 1858, his comic opera La harpe d’or (The Golden Harp) debuted at the Théatre-Lyrique, though, starting out as a simpler salon piece written by a gifted 22-year-old eliciting a whole range of reactions: one critic finding it irreproachable, another acknowledging in 1885. Pierné subsequently became well known as an organist, conductor and composer, yet only recently has his music undergone a new evaluation and gained recognition beyond its “expert craftsmanship”. Pierné absorbed the best of past and contemporary French trends, ranging from lighthearted charm to mystical profundity with utter refinement. Au matin, Etude de concert and Jules and Félix Godefroid: Vers la source dans le bois, Marcel Tournier a s l i c e o f 1 9 t h c entury life Marcel Tournier became professor of harp at the Paris Conservatory in 1912, no doubt thanks to his second Prix de Rome in composition. During ules Godefroid, the eldest brother of esteemed harpist Félix Godefroid, was a his long tenure, until 1948, he exerted great influence over the image the virtuoso pianist and harpist, a cellist or violist—the sources differ, and composer. His harp, with his “painterly” focus on sonority and exact dynamics, perhaps J two harp works that we have been able to access, the Boléro Brillant for solo harp to the detriment of true sentiment. He created a very personal, misty, and the Grande Fantaisie Originale for two harps, are prime examples of an early romantic yet also stylized musical language with impressionistic pieces such as Au writing style pointing in a new direction, strikingly different from Bochsa, Dizi, Labarre and matin (In the Morning) and Vers la source dans le bois (Toward the Brook in the Woods), Parish Alvars. Most remarkably, some of Felix’s stylistic trademarks already appear fully transforming the vast imaginary canvas of nature into pure sound magic. Especially in the formed. latter work, he used technical devices combined with harmonic shifts to great enveloping and Born on February 23, 1811, in Namur, Jules was the eldest son of Dieudonné-Wéry caressing effect. Godefroid (1778-1836), a musician who had been active in Liège before the local revolution, and of Marie-Catherine Gobiet, herself a musician’s daughter from Namur. A child prodigy, Jules progressed rapidly under his father’s attentive care. Impromptu op. 28 no. 3, tr. Hainen, Hugo Reinhold By 1809, Jules’s father had successfully organized a pioneering public music school in The Viennese romantic composer Hugo Reinhold started his career, like some his more Namur, “Ecole d’Enseignement Mutuel”, that offered the kind of multi-disciplinary study still famous hometown colleagues, as a choirboy, then studied with Epstein and Bruckner at the available in the Belgian music academies and French conservatories of today. When, in 1825, Vienna Conservatory. He became a piano teacher at the Akademie der Tonkunst and is chiefly he ruined himself managing the new local theater, he sold his house and belongings and remembered for his attractive piano pieces and songs. Elizabeth Hainen, principal harp with moved the family to Paris. the Philadelphia Orchestra, fell in love with this breathless whirlwind of an Impromptu and Jules, and his younger brothers Alphonse and Cléophile, were enrolled at the adapted it felicitously for the harp. Conservatoire and supported themselves by playing in various Parisian orchestras. Meanwhile, his father moved the rest of the family to Boulogne-sur-Mer, a French resort Boléro Brillant, Jules Godefroid town on the English Channel, where he successfully reprised his music school experiment. Trois Etudes caractéristiques, Félix Godefroid (see next page for notes) After the three older sons rejoined him in 1829, the whole family became involved in the day-to-day teaching. At that time Jules taught his youngest brother Félix both harp and piano. Famous musicians came to town, among them Paganini, Bériot, and Malibran, often Rhapsodie, Louis Vierne collaborating with the Godefroids. Jules’s exceptional musical abilities were noticed and In 1911, it was the legally blind Vierne’s turn to write the morceau admired by the visitors. imposé for the Paris Conservatory, unfortunately at a time of great In 1835, both parents died, after a catastrophic bankruptcy of the theater, leaving strife in his life. Having studied with Franck and Widor, he served Jules in charge of the family’s fortunes. Jules decided to join Félix in Paris, who had left the as Widor’s and Guilmant’s unpaid assistant for 19 years. In spite Conservatoire and the class of F.J. Naderman, and they set out to give harp recitals in a of having won the most prestigious position as titular organist at flexible format, often in combination with friends such as violinist Bériot, cellist Servais and Notre Dame of Paris in 1900, he was passed over for the position of pianist Fauconnier – each one a virtuoso and leading pedagogue in his field. professor of organ at the Conservatoire in favor of the older Gigout. In the spirit of the times, Jules was bitten by the opera bug. In 1836, he was lucky He went on to teach at the Schola Cantorum, but continued to enough to have his opera Le Diadasté ou la gageure arabe performed at the Opéra-Comique struggle for the rest of his life with his personal and professional losses. through the support of family friend Auguste-Joseph Tolbecque, the concertmaster at the The Rhapsodie is dedicated to Michelle Kahn, the composer Jean-Michel Damase’s Opera and for the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. Yet, despite the public’s favorable mother, and exploits all the facets of the instrument in the free form yet highly charged style reception, it was lambasted in the Journal des Débats, (September 15, 1836) by Hector Berlioz, typical of this master improviser. He builds big emotional climaxes, in quasi symphonic ways, himself bitter over the rejection of the first draft of his own Benvenuto Cellini. “Mr. Godefroy, alternating between gentle effusion and virile eloquence. who already tried this music successfully on the elegant and spiritual idlers of Boulogne- sur-Mer, only wanted to attempt this on the Parisian public to ask for its opinion…” (!). “I have but one aim: to create emotion…” Nevertheless, the work was performed again on the following October 20th and November Louis Vierne 5th, including two small works composed for the family’s pleasure: La Fiancée and La Vieille et la Lettre de change. Jules’s loyal supporters in Boulogne, upset by the reception he received

Program notes by Dominique Piana contemporary French trends, ranging from lighthearted charm to mystical profundity with utter refinement. Au matin, Etude de concert and Jules and Félix Godefroid: Vers la source dans le bois, Marcel Tournier a s l i c e o f 1 9 t h c entury life Marcel Tournier became professor of harp at the Paris Conservatory in 1912, no doubt thanks to his second Prix de Rome in composition. During ules Godefroid, the eldest brother of esteemed harpist Félix Godefroid, was a his long tenure, until 1948, he exerted great influence over the image the virtuoso pianist and harpist, a cellist or violist—the sources differ, and composer. His harp, with his “painterly” focus on sonority and exact dynamics, perhaps J two harp works that we have been able to access, the Boléro Brillant for solo harp to the detriment of true sentiment. He created a very personal, misty, and the Grande Fantaisie Originale for two harps, are prime examples of an early romantic yet also stylized musical language with impressionistic pieces such as Au writing style pointing in a new direction, strikingly different from Bochsa, Dizi, Labarre and matin (In the Morning) and Vers la source dans le bois (Toward the Brook in the Woods), Parish Alvars. Most remarkably, some of Felix’s stylistic trademarks already appear fully transforming the vast imaginary canvas of nature into pure sound magic. Especially in the formed. latter work, he used technical devices combined with harmonic shifts to great enveloping and Born on February 23, 1811, in Namur, Jules was the eldest son of Dieudonné-Wéry caressing effect. Godefroid (1778-1836), a musician who had been active in Liège before the local revolution, and of Marie-Catherine Gobiet, herself a musician’s daughter from Namur. A child prodigy, Jules progressed rapidly under his father’s attentive care. Impromptu op. 28 no. 3, tr. Hainen, Hugo Reinhold By 1809, Jules’s father had successfully organized a pioneering public music school in The Viennese romantic composer Hugo Reinhold started his career, like some his more Namur, “Ecole d’Enseignement Mutuel”, that offered the kind of multi-disciplinary study still famous hometown colleagues, as a choirboy, then studied with Epstein and Bruckner at the available in the Belgian music academies and French conservatories of today. When, in 1825, Vienna Conservatory. He became a piano teacher at the Akademie der Tonkunst and is chiefly he ruined himself managing the new local theater, he sold his house and belongings and remembered for his attractive piano pieces and songs. Elizabeth Hainen, principal harp with moved the family to Paris. the Philadelphia Orchestra, fell in love with this breathless whirlwind of an Impromptu and Jules, and his younger brothers Alphonse and Cléophile, were enrolled at the adapted it felicitously for the harp. Conservatoire and supported themselves by playing in various Parisian orchestras. Meanwhile, his father moved the rest of the family to Boulogne-sur-Mer, a French resort Boléro Brillant, Jules Godefroid town on the English Channel, where he successfully reprised his music school experiment. Trois Etudes caractéristiques, Félix Godefroid (see next page for notes) After the three older sons rejoined him in 1829, the whole family became involved in the day-to-day teaching. At that time Jules taught his youngest brother Félix both harp and piano. Famous musicians came to town, among them Paganini, Bériot, and Malibran, often Rhapsodie, Louis Vierne collaborating with the Godefroids. Jules’s exceptional musical abilities were noticed and In 1911, it was the legally blind Vierne’s turn to write the morceau admired by the visitors. imposé for the Paris Conservatory, unfortunately at a time of great In 1835, both parents died, after a catastrophic bankruptcy of the theater, leaving strife in his life. Having studied with Franck and Widor, he served Jules in charge of the family’s fortunes. Jules decided to join Félix in Paris, who had left the as Widor’s and Guilmant’s unpaid assistant for 19 years. In spite Conservatoire and the class of F.J. Naderman, and they set out to give harp recitals in a of having won the most prestigious position as titular organist at flexible format, often in combination with friends such as violinist Bériot, cellist Servais and Notre Dame of Paris in 1900, he was passed over for the position of pianist Fauconnier – each one a virtuoso and leading pedagogue in his field. professor of organ at the Conservatoire in favor of the older Gigout. In the spirit of the times, Jules was bitten by the opera bug. In 1836, he was lucky He went on to teach at the Schola Cantorum, but continued to enough to have his opera Le Diadasté ou la gageure arabe performed at the Opéra-Comique struggle for the rest of his life with his personal and professional losses. through the support of family friend Auguste-Joseph Tolbecque, the concertmaster at the The Rhapsodie is dedicated to Michelle Kahn, the composer Jean-Michel Damase’s Opera and for the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. Yet, despite the public’s favorable mother, and exploits all the facets of the instrument in the free form yet highly charged style reception, it was lambasted in the Journal des Débats, (September 15, 1836) by Hector Berlioz, typical of this master improviser. He builds big emotional climaxes, in quasi symphonic ways, himself bitter over the rejection of the first draft of his own Benvenuto Cellini. “Mr. Godefroy, alternating between gentle effusion and virile eloquence. who already tried this music successfully on the elegant and spiritual idlers of Boulogne- sur-Mer, only wanted to attempt this on the Parisian public to ask for its opinion…” (!). “I have but one aim: to create emotion…” Nevertheless, the work was performed again on the following October 20th and November Louis Vierne 5th, including two small works composed for the family’s pleasure: La Fiancée and La Vieille et la Lettre de change. Jules’s loyal supporters in Boulogne, upset by the reception he received

Program notes by Dominique Piana Alwa, Esteban Benzecry in Paris, then commissioned him to compose an instrumental work for Alwa means “dawn” in the language of the Aymará, a pre-Columbian the inauguration of the statue of Napoleon I, as mentioned by Fétis. culture that extended through Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and Given all this strife, his nervous system is shattered. The following northwestern Argentina. The work begins with a musical invocation of the year, to revive his spirits, he decides with Félix to seek solace in their Aymará culture by means of simple themes in pentatonic scales, which in native land. Together, they play to great acclaim in all the major Belgian the two following sections will be further developed in the rhythms of this towns: Namur, Huy, Liège, Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. It was during ancient culture. First is the rhythm of the baguala, a style characteristic this tour that he had his famous encounter with François-Joseph Fétis of northern Argentina; it is a howl of loneliness or a protest against one’s in Brussels, who encouraged him greatly. At the concert in Brussels, destiny or condition. Later one can hear a carnavalito (joyous dance) with a modified rhythm. their friend Servais also showed up, promising to help. True to his This work is not a re-creation of the pre-Hispanic music in South America, but rather a word, he accompanied them back to Paris, and from there, took them modern development of old roots which, through the expressive and technical resources of on extended tours throughout Europe, and after 1838, all the way to the noble instrument that is the harp, gives a current vision of a past still little known. Jules Godefroid Russia and the Middle East. Esteban Benzecry, an Argentinean composer born in Lisbon, received his diploma As Jules settles back in France, he is contacted by the author Saint-Hilaire who entrusts as professor of painting from the Buenos Aires Superior School of Fine Arts, then studied him with a new libretto, La Chasse royale, really a “divertissement” of country manners set under musical composition with H. Gerardi and S. Hualpa in Argentina and with J. Charpentier, P. the reign of the good king Henry IV. The work opens on October 29, 1839, at the theater “La Mefano, L. Naon and L. Cuniot at the Paris Conservatory. His most recent works attempt a Renaissance” in Paris. Unfortunately, one month before, Jules’s gifted seven-year-old son died fusion between diverse aesthetic currents in European contemporary music and rhythms and from typhoid fever. At the première, the moment the curtain rises, a political cabal against the folklore rooted in the Latin American tradition. In 1995 he was composer-in-residence at the writer Saint-Hilaire disrupts the proceedings. Thrown off, the actors lose their footing in the Yehudi Menuhin International Music Academy and in 2004 he was the winner of the Fondation confusion that ensues. To save the situation, Saint-Hilaire goes onstage to disavow his libretto, d’entreprise Groupe Banque Populaire. He was resident composer at the Casa de Valázquez and pleads with the audience to at least give the music and the musicians their due respect. in Madrid from 2004 to 2006 and in 2008 he received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Somehow, the audience accepts his request and calms down; by the end of the opera, Foundation Fellowship for Music Composition. Jules is warmly received. The press, led on by Hector Berlioz, again gave a scathing review. Nonetheless, two more performances of La Chasse Royale were given. Despite his personal Rêverie, tr. Kondonassis, Claude Debussy success, Jules is devastated and, in his discouragement, loses his mind. He dies on February 27, Debussy’s Rêverie lends itself naturally to the harp, with its enchanting 1840, at the early age of 29. simplicity and, along with his Arabesques and Clair de lune, has been Jules’s legacy for the harp survived through his brother Félix, born on July 24, 1818. He appropriated by harpists ever since Debussy himself invited Pierre Jamet, made it his life’s mission to vindicate his brother and continue his pioneering work, instigating the longtime teacher at the Paris Conservatory, to try some of his piano mechanical innovations and gaining acclaim for the harp and its music through his solo recitals. pieces on the harp… How Félix Godefroid finally conquered Paris is a true “who knows who” story. In 1847, he gave a concert at the Maison Erard, where he met the composer Spontini, who was Sonata op. 2 no. 3 in C minor, Sophia Dussek himself married to Sébastien Erard’s niece. Spontini put in a word for him with Auber – then the director of the Conservatoire and in charge of its concert series. Auber naturally refused, For most of the 20th century, it was believed that this Dussek Sonata, but Princess Adelaïde, the king’s sister and a former student of Dizi insisted that Auber organize made popular in the Zabaleta edition, was by Jan Ladislav, the famous a musical soiree featuring Godefroid at the Tuileries. In the presence of the whole royal family, Bohemian piano virtuoso. In reality, it was composed by his wife, the he performed his Trois Etudes caractéristiques to great accolades. Auber, now convinced, young prodigy Sophia Corri, as its first edition indicates clearly. Despite booked him for a special performance of La Danse des Sylphes. its minor key, the Allegro forges ahead in high spirits, alternating between From then on, his fame grew exponentially. The press proclaimed him “the premier chatty and more ponderous moods. harpist of Europe” and “the maintainer of an instrument that without him would die.” His compositions were praised for their rich and elegant ideas, his arrangements as models of craft Impromptu-Caprice, op. 9 ter, Gabriel Pierné and taste. Even Berlioz recognized that “the talent of Mr. Godefroid is comparable to Parish Alvars’, the king of harpists…” He gets to perform at the Salle Erard, Salle Hertz, Salle Pleyel A lot could be said about Gabriel Pierné’s beloved Impromptu-Caprice. and many private salons. The quintessential morceau de concours, meant to dazzle with technical Next, starting in 1853, Félix turned his attention to the salon opera, a new genre of which prowess and varied expression, it was commissioned for the yearly public music critics were rather leery. But what he really yearned for was success on the opera stage. exam at the Conservatory, in 1900 in this case. It has a longer history, In 1858, his comic opera La harpe d’or (The Golden Harp) debuted at the Théatre-Lyrique, though, starting out as a simpler salon piece written by a gifted 22-year-old eliciting a whole range of reactions: one critic finding it irreproachable, another acknowledging in 1885. Pierné subsequently became well known as an organist, conductor and composer, yet only recently has his music undergone a new evaluation and gained recognition beyond its “expert craftsmanship”. Pierné absorbed the best of past and P r o g r a m N ot e s

Wesley Hsu, from Saratoga, age 15, is the student of Linda Wood Rollo. He is in his third Lucy Liu, the Level 4, Gold winner is not able to participate in this performance. season with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. He won 3rd prize in the Junior Division of the 6th Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in 2008. He won 2nd prize in the New Artist Division of the YAHS National Competition in July of 2010. Also in July 2010, he was invited to perform in the Stars of Tomorrow concert at the 8th USA International Harp v v v v Competition. He was a prizewinner in the Junior Division of the AHS National Competition in 2007, and placed 2nd and 1st in the Inez Stafford Harp Competition of the Bay Area Chapter of the AHS in 2005 and 2007. Wesley performed in the Focus on Youth Program at the 10th C e l e b r at i n g t h e World Harp Congress in Amsterdam in 2008. Godefroid Brothers Sunny Wu, from San Jose, age 14, began harp as a student of Sonya Yu and studies currently with Linda Wood Rollo. In 2007, she won the Gold Award in Level 1 of the Inez Stafford Boléro Brillant Jules Godefroid (1811-1840) Competition. In 2010, she received First Place in the New Artist Division of the international Young Artists’ Harp Competition in Georgia. She will be presented in recital with Focus on Youth in July at the 2011 World Harp Congress in Vancouver, Canada. Besides playing the Trois Etudes caractéristiques: Félix Godefroid (1818-1897) harp, she is also an exceptional “mathlete”, receiving first prize in Math Olympiads in fifth and Le Rêve eighth grades. La Mélancolie Jenny Vo-Phamhi, from San Bruno, age 14, is the student of Doug Rioth, harp, and Kerrilyn La Danse des Sylphes Renshaw, piano. She also studies ballet. Jenny writes, draws, and folds origami in her spare Celia Chan Valerio time. This is her first harp competition. Emma Quinn, 20, is a student of Doug Rioth at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has already experienced the full range of the free-lance harpist’s life. Originally from Reviving a 100-year old masterpiece Tamarac, Florida, she also studied with Joan Raeburn Holland at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She has played with the Broward Youth Chamber Orchestra and the American Rhapsodie Louis Vierne (1870-1937) Philharmonic. She grew up a ballet dancer and figure skater, played flute and bassoon, and Meredith Clark performed with her High School Wind Orchestra and in the pit for several musicals. Grace Cross from Castro Valley, age 17, is a student of Jessica Siegel at Harps Etc. and has performed in the Windsong Harp Ensemble for the past seven years. She plays with the Las Positas College orchestra where last fall she performed the 2nd movement of the Dittersdorf P r o g r a m Concerto. In addition, she recently joined the Oakland Youth Orchestra. She performed with UC Berkeley Summer symphony last summer and will do so again this summer. She has also P r e s enting the winner s of the fir s t played the Waltz of the Flowers harp cadenza with the San Jose State University orchestra. Yvonne La Mothe Schwager Harp Competition Elisabeth Zosseder, from San Rafael, age 18, comes from a piano background and studies harp with Randall Pratt in the Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley. She has pursued her love for harp in the Mill Valley Philharmonic, Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Young Concert Etude Susann McDonald Musicians Program at Berkeley. A three-time winner of the Marin Music Chest Award, she has Hannah Ewell: Preliminary Level, Gold attended summer programs and institutions such as the Salvi Summer Harp Camp in Fullerton and Chamber Music Camp at Schloss Weikersheim in Germany. She has been accepted with a full scholarship as a harp major to the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles. Bonjour, Mr. Rameau Marcel Grandjany (1891-1975) Madeline Claire Olson, from Ripon, age 16, is a student of Laura Porter and Linda Wood Kaitlyn Yau: Preliminary Level, Silver Rollo. Last summer she won First Place at the Young Artists’ harp competition in Georgia. She performs with the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Modesto Junior College community band and, more recently, with the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra in Berkeley. L’Egyptienne, tr. Renié Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) Elizabeth Vo-Phamhi: Level 1, Gold Vivian Hsu, from Saratoga, age 17, began the harp as a student of Sonya Yu, and currently studies with Linda Wood Rollo. Finishing third in the Intermediate II Division of the AHS National Competition in 2009, Vivian also won second in the New Artists’ Division of the Au Monastère Alphonse Hasselmans (1845-1912) Young Artists’ Harp Seminar Competition in 2008. That same year, she performed in the nd Tiffany Wong: Level 1, Silver World Harp Congress’s Focus on Youth program in Amsterdam. She has won 2 place in the Intermediate I Division of the 2007 AHS National Competition, 5th place in the Junior Division of the 2005 AHS National Competition, and 1st prize in the Inez Stafford Harp Competition Sun Dance Robert Litton (1978- ) of the Bay Area Chapter of the AHS in 2004, 2005 and 2007. Vivian was a semifinalist in the Junior Division of the 6th Lily Laskine International Harp Competition. She currently plays harp Fengyao (Diana) Ding: Level 1, Bronze in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Celia Chan Valerio is the Adjunct Professor of Harp for La Sierra University; Harp Alwa Esteban Benzecry (1970- ) Instructor, University of California Riverside, and former principal harpist of the Sarasota Wesley Hsu: Level 2, Gold Orchestra, Florida. She teaches privately and performs as a solo harpist in Southern California. Celia has been playing the harp professionally for 20 years. During this time, she La Source Alphonse Hasselmans has received many awards and prizes in various competitions including the Anne Adams Sunny Wu: Level 2, Silver Awards, American String Teachers Association State and National Competitions, American Harp Society Competition, Redlands Bowl Competition, and Music Teachers Association Competition. She has also been recognized on an international level in the USA International Harp Competition. Celia has released two solo CD’s: Favorites: Hymns and Classics and Rêverie, tr. Kondonassis Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Favorites: Christmas. She has performed as a soloist for the American Harp Society National Jenny Vo-Phamhi: Level 2, Bronze Conference, World Harp Congress Convention, Indianapolis Arts Council, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and Brandstater Gallery Concert Series. She has performed extensively around the United States as well as in Australia, Canada, France and Mexico. Sonata op. 2 no. 3 in C minor, Allegro Sophia Dussek (1775-1830?) Celia holds a Bachelor of Music from La Sierra University and a Master and Doctor of Emma Quinn: Level 4, Bronze Music in harp performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington where she completed her studies under the direction of Susann McDonald. Meredith Clark completed her Master of Music Degree in harp performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under Yolanda Kondonassis, with whom she also studied at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music for her Bachelor’s Degree. Having recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, Meredith has performed with a number of local symphonies, including The San Francisco Symphony. She played principal harp for the Oberlin Symphony Orchestra in a tour of China in January 2006, as well as in a performance at Carnegie Hall in January 2007 under the direction of Robert Spano. Over the years, she has played for a p r e s e n t s number of orchestras in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Nebraska and Texas. An avid performer of contemporary music, Meredith served as harpist for the prestigious Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, where she had the privilege of working with composer Helmut Lachenmann. In solo and chamber contemporary music, she has f o r t h e worked with the late Daniel Pinkham, performing his Vigils for solo harp. In 2007, composer Lewis Nielson wrote a chamber work for harp, cello and percussion expressly for Meredith, which she premiered in New York City in June 2008. After winning the Cynthia Mitchell Woods Young Artist Competition in 2007, Meredith was invited to perform at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, in April 2009, marking her international solo debut. As the winner of the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, she performed the Ginastera Harp Concerto during CIM’s opening orchestra o f t h e concert of the 2009-2010 season. Meredith has also been a prizewinner in the American Love String Teachers Association competition, and competed in the International Harp Contest in Israel and the International Harp Competition and Festival in the Netherlands.

Sponsors of the Firehouse Arts Center & Usher Appreciation Program C e l i a C h a n Va l e r i o in works by Jules and Félix Godefroid