Barcarola / Chanson des souvenirs

The two pieces for solo harp presented in this publication are suited to two different types of performer. The first, Barcarola, is very simple and can be considered by a harpist who is not yet fully trained: the technique is straightforward, involving minimal use of pedals, and both the form and expressive content are easy to grasp.

The second piece, Chanson des souvenirs, on the other hand, is a work that aims to highlight many of the harp’s unique timbral characteristics: from expansive arpeggios to double octaves, from ascending and descending Aeolian chords to étouffé sounds, from harmonics to glissandi.

The musical writing blends the features of tonality with those of contemporary music, with its formal, harmonic, and lexical restlessness.

It is, in short, a kind of compendium of different musical languages, adapted specifically to the harp’s unique characteristics.

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Guido Pipolo, born in Trieste (Italy), began studying the violin at a very young age, graduating from the “G. Tartini” Conservatory in his hometown under the guidance of Umberto Nigri.

After winning a competition held by RAI (Italian National Broadcasting), he worked in Rome as a music consultant. Later, after moving back to Trieste and becoming a director, he produced a large and long-running series of radio and television music programs, offering critical presentations of both composers' works and performers’ interpretations taking place in the region.

He was a tenured professor for many years at the Tartini Conservatory, where he taught music theory and composition.

In parallel, he carried out an extensive creative activity: he composed around sixty works and was awarded and recognized in various national and international competitions of contemporary composition.