Here are some of the PDFs I've added to harpcenter.com this past month.

Celtic Christmas 1: Yuletide carols from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany

Celtic Christmas 2: Yuletide carols from Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and Galicia

Incremental Trill Exercises - for lever or pedal harp

Pedal Exercises for Harp - obviously, only for pedal harp

Jacqueline's next three selections have separate arrangements for lever and pedal harp

Season of Comfort and Joy - 20 easy Christmas carols

Simple Comforts - easy music for therapeutic situations

Please note: The PDFs in this section are not part of the monthly sale.

William Jackson is our featured arranger this month. Here's what he has to say about himself and his music.

My family background was Irish, and I spent most summers at my grandmother's house in County Donegal. I am pictured in the bottom of the doorway here in 1958. I started out on piano at age 11 and tinkered with a few instruments like mandolin and fiddle until, eventually, I found myself being the bass player in a folk band when I was 15. I continued to play double bass and electric bass in bands until I was 20. I was with a band called Contraband in London for a while and made one LP on Transatlantic Records.

While in London, I often passed a music shop with a small harp in the window, and I used to stare at it for a long time, fascinated by its construction and beauty. After hearing some recordings by Derek Bell and Alan Stivell, I sold my bass equipment and bought my first harp in 1975! It was made by Breton maker Gildas Jaffrennou, who had written a book on how to make a Folk Harp.

Not long after, in 1976, I was a co-founder of the Scottish band Ossian. I continued to play bass a little, as well as harp and pipes.

With Ossian, I toured extensively in Europe and USA for 14 years. We made six LPs/CDs and formed our own label, Iona Records. I was also involved with some theatre productions with Ossian. The third photo below shows me with my harp during a production of Rob Roy on the Isle of Barra. I had a small knee harp at this time made by Derrick Sanderson of Alva.

I have had quite a few harps, including ones made by Pilgrim Harps, Jack Yule, Triplett, and Fisher. I would usually tour the US with my own harp, but it was always difficult at airports, etc. The alternative of borrowing harps had mixed results.

In 1993 I trained as a music therapist at the Guildhall School of Music in London, and have worked in that field for 30 years now, using a small harp as well as percussion and piano.

I met Irish Harper Gráinne Hambly in 2003 at Harpcon in Indiana and again at a few other harp festivals. We started touring together soon after, and we now live in Co Mayo, Ireland, with our 2 children. We are co-directors of the Music Generation Mayo Harp Ensemble and have 30 young people rehearsing regularly and performing with us in Ireland.

Over the years, I have composed many pieces for solo harp and for larger ensembles. I usually try to write in a traditional style and get my inspiration from Scotland’s history and landscape. I have written commissions for The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Cape Cod Symphony, and Asheville Symphony. I have also written music for TV and radio productions over the years. A few years ago, I put all my compositions together in one 4-CD package entitled “Composition.“

15% off with William code

arranged by Gráinne Hambly

15% off with William code

arranged by Gráinne Hambly

15% off with William code

15% off with William code

15% off with William code

15% off with William code