This Sunday afternoon I will be performing harp on the “Russian Easter Overture” for the third time. I love it when I get to repeat an orchestral work because I always play better the second or third time. Not just the second or third performance, but the second or third time I’ve laid a piece aside and come back to it. Maybe orchestra parts have a way of developing a more nuanced flavor over time.
In the case of the “Russian Easter Overture,” I didn’t have much time to learn the part the first time, and didn’t have much time to relearn the part the second time.
Now, the third time, I had all the time in the world to get it right! (By which I mean, finally figure out the most efficient fingering for page four.) And since I engraved the whole page in Musescore to test if my new fingering approach was feasible, and found that it was, I have decided to share.
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- Original engraving
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- New engraving
I prefer to divide the top and the bottom line horizontally rather than splitting chords between the hands the way it was originally notated. Right hand takes the top note of every chord; left hand takes the bottom notes. You can’t connect everything because the hands overlap a bit, but I still think this way is much easier. Also, visually I like to have all the notes on one staff.
Note that I didn’t change any notes, just the way that they were written.
Click the image below to view and print the entire re-engraved fourth page of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Overture.”
Feel free to share this PDF. If you notice any errors or omissions in the page, let me know and I will fix them!
The entire public-domain harp part to “Russian Easter Overture” is available on IMSLP.
Stephanie Claussen is a professional harpist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She performs on her harp throughout Minnesota in various concerts, recitals, and collaborations with other musicians. Sign up for her e-mail newsletter to receive important announcements and notifications of upcoming performances.