The other Harper's Index: International harp contest returns to Jerusalem
Fifty years ago, when bureaucrat A.Z. Propes was looking for a one-of-a-kind event to bring to the then-fledgling State of Israel, he found that lo and behold, there was no international competition for harp players. After pulling some strings, he was able to bring a world-class gathering of string pullers to Israel to show off their harping skills. Little did he realize that decades later, the event he founded would still be the world-class event in the now-modern State of Israel.
This month the competition is celebrating its jubilee year with the 17th International Harp Contest. The event opened last week with a gala concert in Tel Aviv, featuring two new harp compositions written especially for the contest, and will close next with a performance here in Jerusalem. Sandwiched between the two events, the harp playing will continue, featuring the world's best 35-and-under harpists from as far a field as Hong Kong, Moldova and Australia, as well as a good smattering of local talent.
Israel's becoming the home of the world's premier harp contest seems nearly pinely inspired. Harp playing is considered Biblical in nature, probably because it is one of the world's oldest instruments and popular stories of King David, as depicted by the picture above with an actor playing the famous monarch outside the Old City with his legendary harp, tell of him being the harp player for King Saul before he ascended to the throne himself (though in actuality, the original Hebrew refers to him being a violin player). But Israel's connection with angelic instrument doesn't end there, as contest director Esther Herlitz explains on harp blog.
"At the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, there is an ivory engraving, found in Megiddo, showing harp players. Israel's half-Shekel coin features a harp copied from a coin of Bar-Kochba's vintage. The harp is mentioned numerous times in the Bible; it was used by priests and prophets and was part of the service and ceremonies in the Temple in Jerusalem. Josephus talks about 10,000 harp players in the Temple built by King Solomon."
And lets not forget the angels that play your way up to heaven with harps in popular Christian folklore.
"It was a very Jewish instrument," Herlitz told GoJerusalem.com. "We have no idea what they played in the Temple, but it has pushed Israeli composers to write a great deal of music for the harp."
On October 20, the finals for the harp contest will take place at the Jerusalem Theater, with one harpist walking away the king of all harp players, with a special Gold Concert Grand harp to show off for their efforts. And though the losers may think they have something to ... er, harp about, the contest's international exposure is no small runner-up prize itself.
Check out all the details on the harp contest at their website here.
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