To quote Hector Berlioz -"This man is a magician. In his hands the harp becomes a siren, with lovely neck inclined and wild hair flowing, stirred by his passionate embrace to utter the music of another world."Eli Parish was born in Teignmouth,England on February 28,1808. He studied with Flemish Harpist/composer François Dizi and worked with the foster brother of Napoleon III, Théodore Labarre. During the 1820’s Parish was employed in Soho Square by the harp manufactures Schwieso and Grosjean. While working for Schwieso and Grosjean, it is believed that Parish met A.Alvars, a mysterious person who dedicated a piece to Grosjean. Around the same time Parish added the surname of Alvars and changed Eli to Elias. This is the name that appears on his first published work. In 1830, after giving several concerts in Germany, Parish was mainly in Vienna. In 1833, he did a combined concert with John Field in Milan, Italy. In 1836, Parish was appointed principal harp for the Imperial and Royal Opera of Vienna. In 1838, Parish moved back to London and dedicated his Concertino in E minor op.34 to Queen Victoria. Also in 1838, Parish did some joint composition with Carl Czerny. The next couple years he spent touring the Eastern Mediterranean, which is depicted in his op. 62, Voyage d’un harpiste en Orient. In 1845, while on tour to Mount Vesuvius, Alvars fell and seriously injured himself. Due to his fall, he had to stay an extra two months in Naples to recover, however he never fully recovered which led to his ultimate demise. When he returned home from his little trip through the Mediterranean, he bought his first double-action harp from Pierre Erard. This opened up a whole new world of possibilities. He integrated new pedal and manual techniques, chordal glissandi with pedals (this is why harpist get paid the big bucks - that wonderful “angelic” sound), enharmonic effects ( use chromatics to have 2 pitches sound the same), combining harmonics and glissandi, and the use of double, triple and even quadruple harmonics. He opened up the possibilities of this new instrument to his contemporaries such as Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Berlioz. His skills as a harpist and composer were well past that of virtuosity with his ideas of preset pedals and use of the scordatura. In 1846, Parish was intent on settling permanently in London, but he found England to be against the idea of harp as a solo instrument (one has to remember that this was during the golden age of the piano as well as the dawn of the golden age for harp). Frustrated with musical establishment in England, Parish returned to Vienna, where in 1847 he became chamber musician to the emperor Franz Joseph. On January 2,1848, Parish gave his last major public appearance with a concert of his own compositions. He died a year later in poverty. His wife and daughter moved back to England after his death. His works include over 80 solo pieces for harp, 3 concerto, 2 concertino (one for solo and one for 2 harps), duos for Harp and Piano, a Symphony, 2 Piano concertos, an Opera, and an Overture inspired by Byron’s Manfred.
Today we will look at 2 of his pieces, Romance no. 93 and his op. 62, Voyage d’un harpiste en Orient. No. 6 “Chanson Grec de Santorino”. Let’s start with the Romance.
Alvar’s books of Romances are taken from different love poems. Romance No.93 is based on Lord Byron’s. The left hand opens the piece with this wilting arpeggio almost as if the two lovers are swaying in each other's arms. The right hand (the melody) is the man expressing his love to the woman in his arms. You have to remember this is the 1800’s - everything is over done like a bad romance novel. When we get to the middle section, it is the woman speaking. The melody is almost saying “Oh, my love! Oh, my love!” in that over dramatic Liszt like way. We then get the man soothing the woman once more with his love poem( a recapitulation of the beginning). We close the scene with this first ascending then descending arpeggiation into quiet with two chords as the lovers are lost in each other’s arms and words. Liszt and Parish were friends and often wrote to one another. They mentioned each other often in their books and both shared a style. When listening to this piece, see if you can hear any connections between the two and also attempt hearing the romantic style in which they both wrote.
Alvar’s op. 62, Voyage d’un harpiste en Orient. No. 6 “Chanson Grec de Santorino,” which translates to “Greek song from Santorini”, depicts the years Alvars spent touring the Eastern Mediterranean. opens with the famous Alvars “5 measure introduction”, when in reality the introduction is 6 measures long. The piece is divided into two main sections with a small section at the end, ABa. The first big section is where the main theme is introduced, expanded on and then the theme is repeated. The second section is where Alvars goes into the relative minor, introduces a new theme, and changes the entire feel of the piece. He then makes his way back to Bb major to repeat the theme from the first section and closes with a big, flashy cadence. The opening and first section of this piece are very lovely. One can imagine themselves in a sailboat in the Mediterranean or sitting outside of a cafe soaking up the sun and enjoying life to the fullest. As stated above, Alvars had a drastic fall at Mount Vesuvius. This fall can be seen in the second section with the descending scales and hectic bass. The bass pattern is reminiscent of the silent movie scenes of the girl tied to the train tracks and Charlie Chaplain trying to help her before the train comes. This sad, tumbly section clearly shows the upheaval Alvars went through with his fall and hurting his arm so much that he could barely play anymore. However, like all of Alvars pieces there is a light at the end of the tunnel and happiness and peace return to us in the form of the first theme. With the singable melody and the lush rocking of the bass, one can almost hear the waves crashing on the beach, the taste of orangina, and the smell of the salty air of the sea.
Croque-Monsieur
Ingredients:
* 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
* 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/4 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
* Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
* Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
* Cayenne pepper, to taste
* 8 slices white bread, each 1/2 inch thick
* 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
* 8 oz. thinly sliced Gruyère cheese
* 6 oz. ham, thinly sliced
Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When the butter is just hot, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells fragrant and nutty, like baked pastry and flour, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
In another small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until bubbles form around the edges, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk the milk into the butter mixture until smooth and lump-free. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Add the grated cheese, stirring until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Season with salt, white pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and let cool.
Preheat an electric croque-monsieur maker according to the manufacturer's instructions or oven to 350.
Brush one side of the bread slices with the melted butter and lay the slices, butter side down, on a clean work surface. Spread 1 Tbs. of the sauce over 4 of the slices. Top each with a slice of cheese, 1 or 2 slices of ham, another slice of cheese and one of the remaining bread slices, butter side up. Season the tops of the bread with salt and white pepper.
Arrange the sandwiches, 2 at a time, on the preheated croque-monsieur maker, close the lid and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until crisp, golden and heated through. If using the oven, arrange on cookie sheet and cook until crisp, golden and heated through. (about 7-10 mins.) Repeat with the remaining sandwiches. Serve immediately
Serves 4.
recipe from Francois Payard, Payard Patisserie & Bistro, New York City
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This is awesome!!!!!!
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