Germaine Tailleferre - Le Petit Livre de Harpe de Madame Tardieu (1913-1917)

Germaine Tailleferre - Le Petit Livre de Harpe de Madame Tardieu (1913-1917)

Germaine Tailleferre has long been known as an important composer of music for the harp, with her Sonata and Concertino being well-known concert favorites of both harpists and audiences alike. Her love for the instrument dates back to the period between 1913-1919, when she was a student at the Paris Conservatory. She became friends with the assistant professor of harp, Caroline Tardieu, who had been a student of Hasselmans and had become a well-known harpist in the best Parisian Orchestras as well as a sought-after teacher of harp. The Daughter of composer and conductor Alexandre Luigini, Caroline Tardieu was always interested in new works for the harp both for her students and her own concerts. Madame Tardieu asked a number of her friends, including her father, Saint-Saens, Moskowsky, Pierné, Tournier and Hasselmans to write short works for her. It was only natural that she also explain to her friend the young composer Germaine Tailleferre the various techniques of writing for the harp which lead to this series of 18 short pieces. While they are relatively early works in Tailleferre's career, one can still hear the freshness, the energy and the gaiety of her musical style. Several works have a certain exotic quality to them while others are influenced by the works of Fauré, who was The Director of the Paris
Conservatory during Tailleferre's studies.