Interview

While at Somerset Folk Harp Festival, I took a workshop, Goal Setting at the Harp, with Cynthia Cathcart. It was enlightening. Cynthia led us through the process of writing down and articulating long- and short–term goals, including steps to achieve them. She shared anecdotes along the way to underscore the importance of setting attainable goals rather than continually raising the bar as one participant suggested. This interview focuses on her unique approach—beware! you may look at goal setting in a totally different way...

FHN: Cynthia, thank you for agreeing to share some of your insights with WAFHS FHN. During the workshop you encouraged us to view goal setting as a multi-step process--and got us to brainstorming. How did some of your own early experiences translate into goal-setting at the harp?

Cynthia: My early experiences were broadly shaped by the fact that there were no teachers available. While the Washington Area Folk Harp Society has many teachers in our ranks, in 1994 when I started to study harp there were no wire–strung harp teachers here. With no one to guide me, I had to be my own teacher, so the first thing I did was set a small goal.

The first goal I set for myself was to teach myself to play well enough that I could compete. I showed up at my first competition with my wire–strung harp not knowing anyone and wondering if I'd even be allowed to compete! Well, not only did I get to compete but I also got something priceless: the judges sheets.

By then, I knew that I wanted to be able to play the harp as well as I played the piano. So I set a goal that I would do that within 5 years. That was my long–term goal. The short–term goals I needed to get to that big goal came from the judges sheets. That first year I saw that I needed to work on my rhythm. The following year, the judges commented on the lack of ornaments in my playing. I took the negative comments and made those my short–term goals. The positive comments became my proof that I had achieved those goals.

FHN: You’re recognized as a leading authority on the wire–strung harp and have published two books, From My Music Stand and Traditional Beginnings for the Harp. Was this part your long–term goal, or did it evolve from one of the steps you took? [ed.: Since the time of this interview, Cynthia has written more books for the harp.]

Cynthia: Writing books was certainly not one of my goals! I think the books did evolve from my main goal, as you suggested. What started happening was people were asking me how to play the wire–strung harp. Finally, harpist Therese Honey simply told me to write a book. She said, Look, I'm teaching the wire–strung harp. But I’m not an expert. So give me some tools. Write a book. So, I guess the first book was Therese's goal!

The first goal–setting workshop I taught was about a year after I had completed my own goal of becoming a Master harper. I was a bit embarrassed, as I led the group, to realize that I didn't have a goal myself! What kind of teacher is that? When I brought this realization out to the group, someone said, Well, I think you have a new goal which you just haven’t written down yet. And that is to promote the revival of the wire–strung harp. The books certainly do go towards promoting the playing of the wire–strung harp.

FHN: You also briefly mentioned a short–term goal — one you articulated at Somerset 2001. Would you be willing to share more about this and talk about Alchemy of a Rose?

Cynthia: At Somerset 2001 I realized I needed to make a recording. For the wire harp revival to keep going, we need more recordings (and books, teachers, performers, but one thing at a time!) Harper Tasche and Zan Dunn of Ardival Harps cornered me and said, Do it. I think at first I said, I can’t. But they pushed me, and so on the way home from Somerset 2001 I wrote down my new goal in my goal–book. Make a recording before Somerset 2002. And I just made it, with Alchemy of a Rose being delivered to me from the manufacturer at 11:00 AM the morning of the opening of Somerset 2002!

At first, Alchemy was going to just be a solo recording of myself playing arrangements I had published in From My Music Stand. As I worked up the music for the recording, my husband Eric, who was the producer of the CD, started to hear more. Eric is also a professional musician, and the first thing we did was to add him on the bodhran (Irish frame drum.) The next thing we knew we were using whistles and flutes, and by the time the album was recorded we had Middle Eastern drums, gongs, bagpipes, fife and drum corps, children's laughter, marimbas and even cathedral bells!

FHN: Cathedral bells? Tell me more!

Cynthia: The last tune on the album has this wonderful descending line in the bass...bong, bong, bong... right down the scale. Eric said it reminded him of bells in a church tower, which isn’t a surprise since wire strings are often described as having a bell-like tone. Eric said, let’s see if we can record the cathedral bells.

We contacted the Washington National Cathedral and talked to the Washington Bell Ringer’s Society about doing the recording. We got permission, everyone was intrigued. I was intrigued! How would this ever work? By this time we had already recorded the harp part in the studio. The first problem would be getting the bells in tune with the harp! What a headache this was going to be.

We went ahead and recorded the bells, and brought that field recording into the studio. Our engineer put the track with the bells on along with the track with the harp, and we all got ready to cover our ears. We knew this was going to start out sounding awful.

You won’t believe this, but the bells were in perfect tune with my harp. In fact, the lowest bell, and the defining bell of the set, was G! And I tune in G! And this specific tune was in G Major! And our G’s were in tune with each other! We were dancing in the studio! Plus the parts lined up just beautifully, so that for a minute or two you can’t tell what’s going on. I mean, it sounds like suddenly I have this very low G sounding on my harp, until after about three rings you realize that it’s a Cathedral bell!

FHN: What affinity do you have with the pieces? Do any of them have special stories?

Cynthia: Oh, every song has a story. Some of them are very special though, and some of the stories I tell in the liner notes. I can share with you one story that I left out: there’s one tune, Sir John Fenwick, which is just the sweetest, most comfortable tune. It made me think of that comfortable childhood time in our lives, when others are caring for our needs and we only have to grow. My elementary school was a block from my house, and I have the dearest old memories of playing on the playground, sledding down the hill there with my dad and sister, hanging out in the summertime with my friends, running through the big field after piano recitals in the school gym. Just dear, old memories. And I thought about those memories as I played that piece in the studio.

The wonderful thing is, I was so happy and relaxed during that recording, I only played the piece through one time and it was perfect. One take, and we were done. That happened on three tunes in the whole recording, and I think it’s telling that it should have happened on that one.

FHN: Cynthia, Brian Boru has a unique interpretation and treatment on the album. What inspired this arrangement?

Cynthia: Brian Boru. Yes, well, you know who Brian was: King of Ireland, from the year 1002 until the Battle of Clantarf in 1014 where he met his death via treachery. This battle was against the Vikings, who had pillaged Ireland, burning buildings and killing the Irish people.

At that time in history, and up until the about the 16th century, the wire–strung harp was engaged to perform a special march on the morning of battle. This was the brosnachadh, or incitement to battle. I thought, since rian Boru is a march, and very ancient in its musical form, it was just possible that this was the very piece that was played on April 23, 1014 for King Brian Boru himself.

As I was preparing Brian Boru for the album, America was attacked. These attackers struck at some of our important buildings, burning them and killing lots of people. I was struck by the parallel to Brian’s situation some 1,000 years ago.

Then, as time passed, I began to see how there would have been, and indeed there still is, a need for a brosnachadh, an incitement to battle. I heard people on television as they said, Do we really have to go to war? Was what happened really that bad? Did it really happen at all? And I thought, goodness, time does heal all wounds! And would not the same thing have happened in Brian’s time?

And so, with all these thoughts and feelings—immediate, heartfelt feelings—inside me, I arranged Brian Boru as an incitement to the battle being waged today. We added military drums, and the drummer we chose is actually in the U.S. military. When we outlined this piece and its significance to John, he volunteered to bring his war drum into the studio, a drum that actually saw service in the American Revolution! Oh, we were all in tears when we finished making that track.

FHN: Many people have never heard a wire–strung harp, do you have any listening suggestions?

Cynthia: (laughs) How about Alchemy of a Rose? Seriously, it’s a neat recording for someone who has never heard wire–strung harp because there are three different sizes on it; from a tiny 19 string harp to one with 32 strings. And there’s a wide range of styles, from the brosnachadh to a love song.

Other suggestions I can offer are anything by Patrick Ball. Everyone loves his renditions of Turlough O’Carolan. Ann Heymann, most especially her Queen of Harps, which is so named to honor the 17th century Dalway/Fitzgerald harp on which that legend is carved. My good friend Bill Taylor, especially with the Rowallan Consort. And I just discovered an album by Paul Dooley, about whom I know virtually nothing, but his album Rip the Calico is just amazing. It’s hard to find, but well worth the search.

FHN: Since we have come full circle in the importance of goal–setting, what would you encourage readers to take away from this interview?

Cynthia: Set a goal. Write it down. Share it with family and friends and get their support and help. So many harpers just bounce from tune to tune, adding to their repertoire but not really growing at a deeper level. But of course, any goal is OK, so if that's your goal, write it down. And be specific! Write down, I will learn 40 new tunes this year so that when you learn your 40th tune you know you have won your goal!