Harfe

As Printed on a Score

The German name on harp staves (Harfe; plural Harfen for two or more; Hrf. later). The part is on a grand staff like a piano, with pedal settings printed as note names or a diagram; German instructions such as Flageolett (harmonics) appear where an Italian score would use Italian.

Abbreviations: Hrf.

Also spelled: Harfen

How Composers Use It

Writing Harfe rather than Arpa is a matter of language; the instrument and its pedal logic are the same. German Romantic composers often multiplied harps to make arpeggios and glissandi audible against a large orchestra — Wagner calls for six in the Ring — while Mahler uses a single harp as the strings’ only partner in the Adagietto of his Fifth Symphony.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, fourth movement (Adagietto), staff label: “Harfe.” — the only instrument besides the strings in the movement.

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