Paul Lewis

Girl with Harp and Roses

In December 2018, browsing in an antique shop, I discovered a hand-coloured photographic print, dated 1900, of a loosely attired maiden with long wavy pre-Raphaelite hair bearing roses and gazing languidly into the air by a harp remarkably similar to the 1887 Erard Gothic harp I had recently purchased.
Is she Erato, the Muse of Love Poetry, more often portrayed with a lyre? Is she Ophelia contemplating a watery grave? Or is she the spirit of the harp itself? Whatever or whomsoever she is, she is made all the more alluring by the presence of the harp, that most seductive of musical instruments. Together, maiden and harp inspired this composition.
The original version of Girl with Harp and Roses for solo harp (GM267) is dedicated to harpist Alexander Rider because he loves the picture too.
The version with added string parts was made for Israeli harpist Rachel Talitman and the Hatikva Quartet for a recording due to be released in 2021. Paul Lewis

Duration 4½ minutes
Score and all parts are included.