Fantasy for Harp, Op. 35
by Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr composed his Fantasy for Harp Op. 35 in 1807 during his travels through Europe, when he was closely associated with the Bohemian harpist Dorette Scheidler, whom he later married. The work is one of the finest harp compositions of the early Romantic era: a free-form fantasy that moves through contrasting sections with improvisatory ease, exploiting the full range of the pedal harp from whispered harmonics to powerful chordal passages and brilliant ornamental runs. Spohr's idiomatic writing — informed by intimate daily collaboration with an exceptional harpist — gave the instrument a new degree of musical prestige and helped establish it as a respectable concert and chamber instrument in an era that still often regarded it merely as a drawing-room novelty.
Editions
Edition Peters
Editorial staff, 1880
19th-century practical edition, long the standard text for this work; based on the original published edition of 1808.
Sikorski
Eduard Schulze-Hagenest, 1965
Revised performing edition with updated pedal markings and contemporary fingering suggestions; the most widely used modern performing text.
International Music Company
Carlos Salzedo, 1950
Edition by Carlos Salzedo, the 20th century's foremost harpist-pedagogue, with revised technique markings reflecting modern harp technique.