Put the pedal to the floor: Bob the harp rocks the Library

If your impression of a harp conjures images of cherubs, sitting on a cloud, harp in hand, Gianetta Baril is the ambassador you need to update your opinion. 

Guests  who enjoyed the latest concert with CBC's Instrumental Stories learned so much about the harp: how a harp is built, how it's played and its surprising diversity. All at the hands of renowned harpist, Gianetta with her harp, "Bob."

A passionate musician for over 40 years, Gianetta has recently traded concert halls for a self-contained concert hall/van and has toured all over North America in the Harp to Heart tour. Although she calls Calgary home, she's spent very little time at home in the past few years. Instead, she brings the beauty and comfort of live harp music to audiences feeling isolated and anxious, in response to the challenges of COVID-19. 

For the seventh concert of the Instrumental Stories season, CBC was lucky to secure Gianetta for the final performance, before she continued her trip across Canada.

"I fell in love with the harp when I was three," says Gianetta, speaking with Tarik Robinson, the host of CBC's Key of A. "It's been part of my history through my whole life. I speak several languages, yet my best language is the harp. Playing and conveying through the language of the harp is one of my favourite ways to communicate."

While her beloved harp, Amadei waits for Gianetta in Newfoundland to continue the tour, "Bob" the harp was an able stand-in. Even though Amadei and Bob are the same model and originate from the same manufacturer in Chicago, no two harps are the same. Bob the harp was "a nice boy," yet Gianetta spent two days practicing and adjusting to the brightness of his timbre.

Hands dancing on the strings, Gianetta shared both her skill as a harpist and the vast repertoire available for the instrument. Officially a percussion instrument, the harp has a tremendous capacity for unique sounds.

Her concert combined elements of learning, with examples and stories showing off the surprising diversity of sound made with a harp: Knocking on the side of the hollow body of the harp; plucking and strumming with fingers, as well as hitting the strings with her fingernails. Gianetta recreated familiar sweeping stroke sounds (think: cherubs on their harps), then shared plucking techniques reminiscent of church bells and then more ominous plucking, reminding listeners of the "Jaws" theme song.

See a YouTube version of one of the songs from the concert, an excerpt from Chanson dans la Nuit by Charles Salzedo which profiles the many different sounds that can be achieved on a harp. 

"Imagine a piano keyboard as a series of strings," says Gianetta. "The harp's 47 strings are essentially the white keys on a piano. The red strings (C note) and black strings (F note) acts as markers to help get your bearings."

A concert harp has more moving parts than a car and although the music is ethereal and beautiful, the harpist works hard to manipulate the instrument, playing musician and sometimes mechanic. The Instrumental Stories audience learned just how physical a harpist's job can be. Throughout the performance, Gianetta shared how the different elements in the harp's construction led to different sounds and features, making the harp a voice for various styles of music.

Innovations like pedals have increased the repertoire for harpists. Gianetta, shifting the seven pedals (one pedal for every note in the scale) modulated Bob's sound, from natural to sharp. "Watch my feet," Gianetta encourages audiences to look out for her feet and wears vibrant, brightly coloured shoes to draw eyes to the floor where her feet change the various pedal changes.

Starting with Gregorian chant music, Gianetta and Bob's concert quickly moved to more modern and familiar music. She played a loving tribute to Canadian legend Gordon Lightfoot, then a dance-in-your-chair theme song, "The Girl from Ipanema," by Antônio Carlos Jobim, and an "Edelweiss" sing-along as the final piece.

As guests enjoyed Gianetta's music, many closed their eyes as if letting the notes wash over them. Some, at the end of the concert, had tears in their eyes and described the experience as magical.

That's what makes Instrumental Stories special. It's an exploration of music, with a depth and complexity that gives our audience an opportunity to learn, and personally engage with the musician. After the performance, most of the children from the audience were invited to take a seat at the harp and with Gianetta's encouragement, take triumphant strums on Bob.

An ongoing partnership between CBC Calgary and the Calgary Public Library, Instrumental Stories offers an intimate and unique perspective for music enthusiasts, beginners and curious individuals, to delve into the history, culture and music of various communities and peoples. Since September, audiences are invited to experience a new genre, expanding their musical and cultural horizons. We're delighted to see sold our performances and the support of the program grow through the year.

Instrumental Stories will return this fall.