Book on Elias Parish Alvars

Floraleda Sacchi

Elias Parish Alvars:
Life, Music, Documents

Annotated Catalogue of his Works for Harp, Piano, Orchestra and Voice

Odilia Publishing Ltd., 1999, ISBN 3-9521367-1-9
Amadeus Arte, 2012, ISBN 978-88-95450-01-8

220 pages, including 40 pictures and reproductions of manuscripts and letters of Parish Alvars.

Contents

– Biography
– Harp techniques
– Overview of original works and arrangements
– Annotated catalogue of works
– Lost works, works of dubious attribution
– “New Method for the harp” by Parish Alvars
– Manuscripts
– Publishers
– Bibliography

This book offers an important contribution to an appreciation of Parish Alvars, and brings Parish Alvars research a great step forward.
The biography, based on newspaper reports and letters, contains much new information, giving for the first time an overview of Parish Alvars’ wide-ranging travels and his circle of acquaintances. An extensive annotated catalogue not only lists practically all his works for the first time, but also clears up many errors and misconceptions.

Through the combination of biography and catalogue of works, a cogent and chronologically credible overall view of his life, travels, compositions, and technical and musical innovations was made possible. With numerous illustrations of his friends and patrons, reproductions of title pages, letters and manuscripts, as well as references to the music and the poets who inspired him, this book becomes a living document of his time.

Reviews:

Your book about Elias Parish-Alvars is worthy of the highest praise.
Besides being a must to every musician, especially harpists, is wery well written, making a real pleasure to read. Your information brings to light many of the almost unknow works of Elias Parish-Alvars, which were avoided by many harpists due to their extremly demanding nature. To those of us who enjoy the harp and are not afraid of challenges you have opened a veritable treasure chest, which will enable us to enjoy some of the most beautiful and intricate works written for the harp.
Otto Thiel-Lemmerhofer

“It is the first time I read such an interesting work on Parish Alvars and so complete! It will be very useful for me and for all the harpists, Bravo!”
Marielle Nordmann

To research, decide on form and content, compile, write, translate, type-set, proof-read and publish within the allotted time-scale was a tremendous undertaking, and it has been miraculously good accomplished; both Floraleda Sacchi and Odilia Publishing deserve the admiration and gratitude of the harp world for bringing the work to a successful conclusion. […] Floraleda Sacchi has made a very significant contribution to harp research. This volume should take its place on every harpist’s bookshelf.
Ann Griffith, Harpa

Il panorama degli studi musicologici si arrichisce di una nuova acquisizione: la monografia dedicata all’arpista compositore Elias Parish Alvars. […] Personaggio oggi sconosciuto ai più, Parish Alvars fu in vita apprezzato compositore e amatissimo virtuoso d’arpa, perfettamente inserito nei circoli musicali dell’epoca, stimato da Liszt. Una figura di cui, fino alla comparsa del volume di Floraleda Sacchi, si sapeva poco o nulla.
Utile non solo ad arpisti e specialisti del campo, il lavoro di Floraleda Sacchi s’inserisce in quel filone di opere dedicate ad autori, cosiddetti, minori, la conoscenza delle cui attività diviene ogni giorno più utile al completamento di un quadro organico di quell’immenso fenomeno che è il Romanticismo musicale europeo.
Raffaella Valsecchi, Corriere della Sera