I don’t know a lot about famous harpists except for possibly Harpo Marx, who I have featured here before playing an ethereal Take Me Out to the Ballgame. To tell the truth I can’t think of another harpist at the moment except for Joanna Newsom. My nephew introduced me to her music a few years ago and I have to admit it has taken some time for me to warm to it. It has not been the harp playing, the sound of which I really love.
No, it was getting past her voice.
It’s a high, flat voice that some have called childlike, a term to which I understand Newsom objects. Others have said it is reminiscent of the voices of the Appalachian hill folk and their traditional songs. I kind of find it in somewhere in between and had a tough time hearing it set in contrast against the beautiful tones of the harp. But I keep listening and there are now many moments when I really see the beauty in her truly unique talent. The Sprout and the Bean is such a moment.
Have a great Saturday.
Redtree Times 