Godefroid, Felix, La Mort d'Orphee
Composer Felix Godefroid (1818-1897) was a Belgian harpist who was also a prolific composer. He studied the single-action pedal harp in Paris with François Joseph Naderman and then the recently developed double-action pedal harp with Elias Parish Alvars. Godefroid's music falls naturally into the harpists' hands. Melody - whether in the right or left hand - reigns supreme, rising out of shimmery repeated note patterns such as cross fingering, trills and thumb slides and singing out in harmonics or imitating the dark tones of the cello. Arpeggios prolong the ringing of pivotal chords, quick grace notes render heroic or elfin moods. Delightful filigree climbs over the whole range of the harp, while tremolo and bisbigliando effects over synonym notes whisper and quiver.
Godefroid's subject matters evoke the beauty of nature, the moods or popular tunes, romantic myths and fairy legends, exotic locales and sentimental religiosity. A master enchanter, he blazed a magic trail and, in retracing his steps, the works republished here will reveal, like sleeping beauties, the spell hiding behind their deceptive simplicity. La Mort d'Orphée, a "morceau de genre", is a technically sophisticated work meant for the more advanced harpist, and dedicated to his daughter Julia. It tackles a theme from antiquity dear to harpists and musicians alike: the tragedy of Orpheus, who had magical powers over all creatures through his music, but could not secure his own happiness. The drama unfolds from the start on an unsettling seventh chord, and rides along on a slew of minor colored chords. By the time he composed this piece, the unfortunate Godefroid himself had known great grief, with the death of his most loved ones, so it is not surprising that he entrusted his very own feelings to the fingers of his only surviving daughter. Having let loose to the paroxysm, he switches gears into more heavenly spheres, pianissimo. But can he truly find peace? In the end, he will.
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