One of the things I enjoy most about the harp is surprising my audiences with the repertoire that can be played on the instrument. Recently, The Harp Column, a national magazine for harpists, published an article on modernizing our performance repertoire. I was interviewed for the article about the music I have adapted for the harp:
“Love Story” and “You Belong With Me,” by country music sweetheart Taylor Swift, are recent additions by Devon Carpenter. “Every couple of months, I’ll go over the Billboard charts and see what has had some staying power and has been on the top 10 for over a month or two,” says the South Bend, IN, harpist. “If a piece seems like it might work on the harp, I buy a piano arrangement from musicnotes.com, and just play from that with a few changes to make it work better on the harp.”
In the last few months Carpenter has also added “Clocks” by Coldplay, “Irreplaceable” by Beyonce, “So What” by Pink, “You Want to Make a Memory” by Bon Jovi, and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. Most of the songs Carpenter picked herself, rather than waiting for a client to ask for them, but has been happy to discover that “I’m Yours” (a 2009 Grammy Best Song nominee) is a popular request for Spring 2010 weddings.
In addition to the pieces listed in the article excerpt, other recent additions to my repertoire include:
- Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Deep Blue Something
- Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift
Check my website for a list of other popular, rock, and jazz songs I can perform for your event. If you have a special request, I’m always happy to do my best to make it sound beautiful on the harp!