"Baltimore Rhapsody" Block #18 - the harp...

The harp is the next orchestral instrument in my "Baltimore Rhapsody" quilt (click here to find out more about the project).  It is one of the most ancient stringed instruments - pictures on vases show that it was used in the ancient courts of Babylon four to five thousand years ago. 

There is a harp in the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art that is over 2500 years old.  It was found in an Egyptian tomb and looks as though it could still be played.

Harps were used in both Ancient Greece and Rome.  In Ireland and Wales, it is the national instrument.  A well-tuned harp was one of the three necessities for a Welshman in his home (the other two things were a virtuous wife and a cushion for the best chair).
  

The beautiful, unusual shape of the instrument is due to having to accommodate strings of different lengths.  The most primitive harp would be several strings tied to a hunting bow. 

As the harp got bigger, the strings were attached to two separate pieces of wood, with the lower piece also serving as a sounding board to amplify the sound.  A third piece of wood, the pillar, connects the other two.  In the modern harp, the pillar serves as a sort of pipe that connects the pedals at the base to the mechanism that changes the length of the strings, thus changing the pitch of the strings.

Until 1810, harps had no way to change the pitch of a string, so they could only play music in one key,  With the modern pedals, a harpist can play just about anything.

The person playing the harp tilts the instrument until it rests on the right shoulder.  The strings are played with both hands (one on each side of the strings) and eight fingers/thumbs (the pinkie fingers aren't used).

The modern harp has 47 strings and seven pedals.  The strings are colored so that the harpist can orient themselves - all the C strings are red, all the F strings are blue.  With the pedals, the strings can be set to play either chords or scales.

Notes are played in rapid succession (a glissando) where the strings vibrate until dampened or plucked to produce short notes/chords.

The harp can accompany other instruments, be featured as a solo instrument, or add beautiful flourishes to orchestral music.  As a piano player, I have always wanted to try and play the harp - I think it has the most beautiful sound.

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

Fine-tuning the string section...

As I am getting closer to putting the "Baltimore Rhapsody: Symphony" quilt top together, I am starting to trim down the blocks to their final unfinished size, 15-1/2 inches.

Before doing this, I want to be completely through with any stitching or embroidery so that I wouldn't be handling the blocks too much before seaming in all the raw edges (I hate all the messy strings when blocks start to unravel from being handled too much).

I looked at them with a much more critical eye than when I first finished them.  I saw some things that needed to be tweaked or fine tuned...some more outline embroidery, a French knot here or there, a few more "safety" applique stitches on pointy pieces.

First I tuned up the string section.  Here are some before and after pictures so you can see the difference.  Some of you may think I am being fussy, but after all the work that has gone into this project, I want it to be as  good as it can be.

Violin before fine-tuning...

Violin after fine-tuning...

I had used a slightly darker fabric for the side of the violin to help with the perspective, but it needed a little darker outline stitching to look right.

I went back and added this to all stringed instruments.

Cello before fine-tuning...

Cello after fine-tuning...

I also added some outline stitching to the lighter fruits of the violin block where there wasn't enough contrast between the pear fabrics and the background fabric.

Pears before fine-tuning...

Pears after fine-tuning...

It is a subtle change, but I like the result.  I also made similar adjustments on the viola and double bass blocks.

Now the string blocks are all tuned up and ready to be trimmed!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

"Baltimore Rhapsody" Block #17 - some percussion, the timpani...

Block #17 of "Baltimore Rhapsody," the timpani represents the percussion section (see more here).  Percussion, though sparsely scored, is the perfect punctuation for orchestral music. 

Timpani are sometimes called 'kettle drums' due to the bodies being made of shiny copper which makes them look a little like large cooking pots.  Each drum has a covering, or head, that is stretched very tight.  

By either tightening or loosening the head, the drum can be tuned higher or lower, respectively, to play in the same key as the other instruments of the orchestra.  This tuning used to be done quite tediously by turning several screws, one at a time, until the desired tuning was achieved.  Modern timpani are fitted with a foot pedal mechanism that allows uniform, quick tightening or loosening of all screws simultaneously.

Timpani originated in India and came to Europe around 1300.  Crusaders came across them being played by Turks in the Holy Land where they were played on horseback to encourage the soldiers.  European kings and nobles would thereafter have them at court where they played fanfares along with brass players, providing the tonic, bass notes of each chord.

They became part of opera and symphony orchestras during the classical period.  Some say that Haydn wrote the first solo part for timpani in his Symphony Number 103.  The effect was so startling that the work was nicknamed the "Drum-roll" Symphony.

Classically, there were two drums played together, tuned to the first and fifth of the key signature.  When the key changed, the player would rest and/or tune the drums to the next pitch by putting his/her ear to the head and change the pitch while playing very softly.  Early calfskin drum heads would stretch and change pitch while playing, so the player was constantly listening between passages and making the appropriate changes to stay in tune.  Large orchestras can use up to 5 timpani of varying size, arranged in a curve around the player.

Timpani are played by making quick, staccato strokes with a felted mallet, each strike landing between the center and the edge of the drum, then the head is usually damped with the butt or side of the palm to make the sound stop.  

The most characteristic sound made by timpani is the drum roll where each mallet is used evenly in a rapid back and forth pattern...this can be a very exciting effect if it gets louder as it is done. It's too bad that the percussion instruments are behind the other instruments...they can be very entertaining to watch.

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

"Baltimore Rhapsody" Block 16 - the viola block

After the holiday block drought, here is the viola block, the last of the string blocks for "Baltimore Rhapsody" (see background story here).

The viola is the alto member of the string section with its tuning being a fifth below that of the violin.  It is very similar to the violin in appearance, with the body being slightly bigger thus producing a deep, warm tone.

For a long time, the viola was simply used by composers to "fill out the chord," or double the parts of the cello or double bass an octave higher.  CW Gluck finally freed the instrument to more interesting parts, and Haydn and Mozart followed this trend.  

Mozart was fond of the instrument and played it himself in quartets during his later years.  He used two violas in his string quintets and wrote two beautiful duos for violin and viola, as well as a Symphonie concertante for violin, viola and orchestra.

In Strauss's Don Quixote, the viola represents the voice of Don's attendant, Sancho Panza.

The viola is no longer an orchestral drudge played by not-so-good violinists; it has a distinctive voice with a demanding repertoire. 

To be honest, I had not intended to do an individual viola block for this first quilt.  Being so similar in shape to the violin and not a very showy instrument in most works, I, like others, mistakenly considered it sort of "second fiddle" until I did more reading.  I should have known better because I sing alto and know how important that part can be ("anyone can play/sing the melody...").

I know a viola player who is an excellent musician and conductor of the local university orchestra (was it he who asked me if I knew the difference between the violin and the viola?  the viola burns longer...yuck-yuck-yuck...).

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

Downton Abbey and Sunday night stitching...

Who else was stitching/sewing while watching Downton Abbey last night (besides me and Weasley)?!?

Poor Edith!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

Tie on those drool bibs, my dears...

January can be a mixed bag:  

• The holidays are over and you could be either satisfied, filled with regret, and/or just happy to be alive (or all three?).  
• If you traveled, you could be behind on laundry, sending Christmas cards, taking down holiday decorations, etc.  
• If you were making gifts for others and unable to sew much on your own projects, you could be way behind your goals.  
• In some places, the weather could be gloomy and yucky. 
• If you spent too much, you could be budgeting yourself, especially on fabric (Move over Greece, here comes quilting "austerity!").   

What do you do when you are temporarily overwhelmed by the new year and isolating in your quilt cave??

ROAD TRIP!

Yep, when I need a close and quick fix, I head for my favorite quilt haunt in southeast lower Michigan...Jennifer's Quilt Shop in Pinckney, Michigan.  

But if I want to get the Hell out of the state, but not go TOO far, I head to The Door Mouse in Bettsville, Ohio.  It is especially fun to make the trip with friends who have never been before and watch their eyes bug out.

It is, literally out in the middle of NOWHERE, east and slightly south of Toledo, Ohio.   When you get out of the car and scan the horizon, this is what you see...

...absolutely NUTTIN' for MILES AND MILES!!  I mean, facing a vintage barn surrounded by corn fields, it's hard to believe what is hidden inside.

Blues...

Greens...

Purples...

Pinks to the right, Reds to the left...

Yellows...

Oranges...

Neutrals...

Batiks on both sides...

Oh my goodness, the reproduction SECTION...

(you have to just dig in and root around to see all the bolts, they are stacked 3 rows deep in some places...excuse me why I wipe the drool from my chin)

...30's fabrics...

It is a 2+ story barn, the second story mostly containing abundant samples, but on the front end there is a loft containing Christmas florals, some of their kid collection and novelties, fruits and veg, and the most flannel I have ever seen in my life!

I LOVE this view from the loft...

Some of their novelties, fruits, veg (there's a whole, long row of them downstairs as well)...

...Christmas florals...

And flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...flannels...

...and more flannels...

There are also "modern" fabrics, patterns, books, bundles, kits, classes (the classroom in impressively huge, but there was a class in session so I didn't take pictures...).  

When you enter, you are greeted by samples of the season and a cute bathroom (it is a bit of a drive)...this time there were Valentine quilts and car quilts (maybe commemorating the Detroit Auto Show?), and Irish fabrics ready to get you in a St. Patrick's Day mood (with enough time to do a project before the green beer appears).  

They have gifts, bag patterns and samples of all kinds, and a very pleasant and efficient staff.

They have about 14,000 bolts.

The store has been in existence for 32 years and is owned by Mary Ann Sorg.  The barn is old and original ("there were actually cows...right here...at one time"), but it has been lovingly restored and maintained.  Moo-moo, I approve!

This is the best place I have found to buy the tone-on-tone fabrics I like to use in my applique.

The one drawback would be the closest eatery between the store and Bettsville.  There's a restaurant a few miles away in the opposite direction, toward Fostoria, that is better.

Hang in there...January will be over before you know it!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

Thank you for the question about prices, Kathie.  They are good!  I primarily bought tone-on-tone greens and purples yesterday, with a couple of cuts from a current music fabric line.  Some of the older bolts were $8.00/yard with nothing that I selected over $10.50.  Most were around $9 and $9.50 per yard.

I stayed out of the repro section yesterday (can you believe it, Kathie?!?), so I can't be specific about that.  One of my companions was in the repro section QUITE A WHILE, and she was like a hungry dog in a fresh bone pile!  She was rooting around and finding the usual lines from mainstream companies, some older things she had not seen in a while, and some things she had not ever seen before from smaller companies.

The trip is worth it for the shirting selection alone.