Singing Hindemith to the Harp

Singing “Habanera” yesterday got me thinking about the different languages I sing in when I perform as a Harpist/Singer. “Habanera” is one of the few songs I do in French. German is the only other language I actually speak, so of course, singing in German is my favorite. Another song I recently added to my harp + voice repertoire is “Gebürt Maria” from Hindemith’s Das Marienleben. I studied Das Marienleben in Switzerland at L’Ecole Hindemith with the soprano Helen Boatwright, who was incredible. The piano accompaniment is extremely chromatic, so I’m admitting here that I simplified my harp arrangement in certain sections for my live performance. If I end up recording it in the studio, I’ll play the piano part on the harp exactly, but for a live concert, I decided that I would rather devote those brain cells to the vocal at that point (I think it still sounds pretty darn gorgeous). The entire Das Marienleben is so wonderful – if I had a few more lifetimes, I’d love to do the entire piece for harp & voice. My list is long, and time is so short!