There are certain tunes that you must have in your repertoire if you want to stay current with popular requests. If you’re not up on some of the current hits, Sylvia Woods will help you stay hip!

All of Me

One of those must-have hits is “All of Me.” Not the 1931 jazz standard by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons and recorded by Frank Sinatra and dozens of other legendary singers. That one is a good tune to have in your pop repertoire and my fellow fossils probably already have it on their play lists. The current hit, “All of Me,” was recorded by John Legend in 2013 and co-written with Toby Gad.

Sylvia Woods has recently published an arrangement in the key of G for lever or pedal harp that is available either as a printed or downloadable version. It is suitable for advanced beginners or intermediate players and can be played on many small lever harps. Lyrics are included on this six-page arrangement, as is fingering. It is a frequent request for weddings and it’s much simpler to play than the 1931 song of the same name, as it has no accidentals. Chord symbols are also included so you can embellish as desired.

A Thousand Years

Ms. Woods has also published another popular wedding request, “A Thousand Years,” made popular by Christina Perri who co-wrote it with David Hodges. It is much like the previously mentioned tune in that it has no pedal or lever changes, includes the lyrics, chord symbols, and fingering, and is accessible to the same level of player. It is in the key of C. It is also six pages in length.

If you aren’t already playing these pop tunes, it’s only a matter of time until you’ll be asked to play them for a wedding. Ms. Woods has made it easy for you.

Say Something

Yet another recent hit that Sylvia Woods has arranged is “Say Something.” When Christine Aguilera recorded this in 2013 with the duo A Great Big World, it became an international hit. You shouldn’t get asked to play this at a wedding since it is a song about breaking up, but you may be asked to play it in another setting.

This music features a pedal point or constantly repeated note. Usually, this is found in the bass, but in this piece, it is in the middle register. Almost every measure has a middle C played in either the right hand or the left, usually on the downbeat. Ms. Woods says this pedal point harmony is what originally drew her to the music.

No pedals or levers are required to play this piece and it can be played on a 24-string harp with a C as the lowest string if you play both hands an octave higher than written. As with her other arrangements, lyrics, fingering, and chord symbols are included. The music is suitable for the advanced beginner to intermediate level. The biggest stretches are some ninths in the left hand. It is four pages long and, like the other pieces mentioned, it is available as a downloadable PDF or printed music. Each arrangement is $7.95.

Debussy Sonate

Carl Fischer has recently published the Debussy Sonate for flute, viola, and harp. This is the first time an exact copy has been made from the manuscript in Debussy’s hand.  It was researched and prepared by Carl Swanson but without editing, meaning it has no pedaling, fingering, and no musical indications added.

Mr. Swanson documented and corrected nearly 300 discrepancies between the composer’s intent and the 1916 Durand edition. The discrepancies from the printed version include such things as wrong notes or notes in a slightly different place, musical indications that are not in the manuscript, differ from the manuscript, or were omitted from the individual flute or viola parts, and dynamic markings that were omitted, among other things. As Swanson points out in the preface, reading a score “with missing, misplaced, or wrong musical indications is as significant as reading a score with missing or incorrect notes.” This edition is purely Debussy.

Included in this publication is an early history of the Sonate, explaining in fascinating detail how Pierre Jamet came to be the first (and probably only) harpist Debussy ever heard play his Sonate on pedal harp.

There is a useful glossary of some of the less familiar terms and phrases as well as footnotes to the full score, broken down according to the movements. This 9 x 12-inch edition is quite readable, which is important since harpists play from the full score. However, an 11 x 14-inch version is available that is a little easier to read and gives the harpist more room to write in pedaling and fingering.

This publication was a huge undertaking and we are grateful to Carl Swanson for researching the manuscript from the National Library of France. His painstaking work will benefit anyone who plays this piece now and for generations to come. •

Jan Jennings is the music review editor for Harp Column and is the author of The Harpist’s Complete Wedding Guidebook and Effortless Glissing. You can email her at mail@harpbiz.com.