Michelle Velvin HARPIST
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Compositions

Buy Nature Nurture for two harps
A short duet about nature and our connections to the environment.
Suitable for lever or pedal harps. No lever changes or pedal changes.
Suitable for advanced beginner.
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Buy Harakeke for two harps
Harakeke for two harps is a duet about the New Zealand native flax harakeke, used for many things including weaving. 


Suitable for advanced beginner or intermediate harpist.
Suitable for pedal or lever harp, there are no chromatic changes in the music. 


Please note this PDF is PDF stamped and it may take a few minutes for the download link to appear in your email inbox. 
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Buy Passing Days harp duet
'Passing Days' is a duet for either lever or pedal harps.

​Suitable for advanced beginner to intermediate ability.
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Buy Melodies of Summer
'Melodies of Summer' is a set of two short and easy pieces suitable for either lever or pedal harp.

1. The Last of the Sweet Summer Cider
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2. Under the Silver Ferns
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Buy When I Was a Bird
for solo soprano saxophone
When I was a bird for solo soprano saxophone is inspired by the poem of the same name by Katherine Mansfield. It was first performed at the International Melbourne Saxophone Festival, June 2019 by Genevieve Davidson, in a programme based on the idea of the unifying and universal influence of birds and birdsong in compositions for saxophone.


Commissioned note: Commissioned by Genevieve Davidson
Performance history
30 Jun 2019: Performed by Genevieve Davidson at Melbourne International Saxophone Festival
22 Sep 2019: SMP Ensemble | Reflections
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Buy Oruatua: Songs for Tauranga Taupo (for solo lever harp)
A collection of 10 pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, inspired by my favourite childhood summers.


Contents
1. Floating Down the River
2. Haze
3. Looking Down Through the Still Water
4. Tickling Fish
5. Skimming Stone
6. Oruatua
7. Fetching the Milk
8. Shaping Pumice
9. Tui in the Red Hot Pokers
10. Under the Milky Way
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Buy Three dances of the Ocean, Sky and Forest for harp ensemble
Three Dances of the Ocean, Sky and Forest is a suite of three dances to be performed by harp ensemble, with live dancers interwoven into the performance. Each movement has a unique character for the musicians and dancers to explore:


Contents
I. Of the Ocean (A lyrical dance)
II. Of the Sky (A slipjig)
III. Of the Forest (A tango)


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Buy Five Short Tunes for Lever Harp Ensemble
A suite of five short tunes written for the Wellington Harp Orchestra in 2018. Each tune was created to capture a snippet of a mood or a feeling.


Suitable for beginner to intermediate ensemble.


Dedication note: for the Wellington Harp Orchestra
Contents:
1. A Quiet Morning
2. Clockwork
3. Catch the Ice-cream Truck!
4. Wavelet
5. Look Through the Rain


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Buy Dawn Till Dusk – Three Short Pieces for harp ensemble
A suite of harp ensemble music to capture the journey of a misty morning.
Suitable for beginner to intermediate harp ensemble.


Contents:
I. Dawn: Droplets of water fall into a clear pool
II. The Changing of the Tides
III. Dusk: Everything stills
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Buy Daydream for harp duo or harp ensemble
Daydream is a short and bittersweet composition suitable for beginner harpists in a duo or ensemble.
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Buy Into the Forest for harp duo or harp ensemble
Into the Forest is a short piece for harp duo or harp ensemble. 
Suitable for beginner and intermediate harpist.
Into the Forest evolved from musing upon the following words while they were swirling around and around in my mind:
"Light came out of the forest
One more step
You and I;
I wanted to see you
I wanted to see you"
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Buy Under Watchful Eyes - A Walk Through the Tudor Gardens for Harp Trio
Under Watchful Eyes – A walk through the Tudor Gardens, for harp trio, was written for Harpenz 2015. 
Suitable for intermediate harpists. 
Harpenz is a four day harp ensemble workshop which is run every odd-numbered year in Auckland. Run since 2001 (when it was known as 'Harp Weekend'), it has survived the hatchings, matchings, and dispatchings of the organisers and attendees and has organically grown into an exciting event on the NZ harp calendar.


Commissioned note: written for Harpenz 2015
Dedication note: for Harpenz 2015
Performance history: 18 Apr 2015 - Performed by Harpenz 2015 participants in Auckland
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Buy The Willow, (for harp trio or ensemble) by Michelle Velvin
The Willow is a short care-free tune, originally written for the Wellington Harp Orchestra (also available in a version for solo harp).


Performance history
02 Jun 2015: Performed by the Wellington Harp Orchestra in Wellington, NZ
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Buy The Willow, (for solo harp) by Michelle Velvin
The Willow is a short care-free tune, originally written for the Wellington Harp Orchestra (also available in a version for harp ensemble).
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Buy The Happiness Collection: Volume 1
​51 solo harp songs for beginner harpist, arranged from easiest to hardest.
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Inspired by past and present students.
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Buy 10 Preludes for Harp: Volume 1 by Michelle Velvin
​This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists. 

Contents:
1. Mood
2. Reflections
3. Meditation
4. Ebony
5. The Texture of Trees
6. Dust on the Fireplace
7. Underside
8. Origami Cranes
9. Underground
10. Garden of Green


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Buy 10 Preludes for Harp: Volume 2 by Michelle Velvin
​This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists. 

Contents

1. Droplets
2. Stepping on Mossy Rocks
3. The Night is for Dreaming
4. Light
5. Nym
6. Sinking
7. Porcelain
8. Tauranga Taupō in Summer
9. Shimmer
10. Catching Fish Under the Bridge

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Buy 10 Preludes for Harp: Volume 3 by Michelle Velvin
​This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists. 
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Contents
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1. Floyd the Budgie
2. Hail on My Window
3. Arrow
4. Travelling down the Old Road
5. Opening Spaces
6. Feathering
7. Swirling
8. Cathedral
9. Catching the Lambs in Springtime
10. Digging in the Sand
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Buy 10 Preludes for Harp: Volume 4 by Michelle Velvin
​This collection consists of 10 short solo harp pieces for beginner to intermediate harpist, which are set to capture a snippet of time and a moment of feeling. Based around modes and delicate motifs, each piece is entirely different in character and style. Inspired by a favourite composer of mine, Bernard Andres, I have tried to capture a sense of colour and light into each piece, whilst also keeping the technical difficulty suitable to beginner and intermediate harpists. ​

Contents
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1. Don't Look Behind
2. Plants on my Windowsill
3. Vessel on the Water
4. Gentle Breeze
5. Stars in the Sky
6. No Clouds Today
7. Translucent Veins
8. Scrape
9. Black & White
10. When it Never Arrives
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  • Home
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  • Harps of the South