Steven L. Rosenhaus

For the Gipsy in My Soul

For the Gipsy in My Soul for harp quartet was commissioned by harpist Emily Mitchell for the New York University Harp Ensemble and premiered by that ensemble at NYU's Frederick Loewe Theater on April 21, 2007. The music is mostly based on a modal D scale - D, E-flat, F-sharp, G, A, B-flat, C - which we hear in indigenous music from Spain through the Middle East. The rhythmstoo have Spanish and Arabic elements. Harmonies derive from the scale, as expected, but also from other sources. In writing this work, the composer often thought of the four harpists as playing rather large guitars in a flamenco setting. This is a great work to begin or end a concert, or just to liven things up! Ms. Mitchell later commissioned the composer for a two-harp version to make it accessible to audiences in smaller venues, which is also available from the publisher.