Sarah O'Brien

Classical harp refers to the Western art‑music repertoire and performance practice for the concert harp, especially the single‑ and double‑action pedal harp used from the late Baroque and Classical eras through Romanticism to the present. It foregrounds idiomatic arpeggiation, glissandi, harmonics, and refined pedaling that enable chromatic harmony and orchestral color. The genre spans solo works, concertos, chamber music, and orchestral writing, and is closely associated with the Parisian harp schools of the 19th–20th centuries, whose pedagogy shaped modern technique and repertoire.

Baroque is a period and style of Western art music spanning roughly 1600–1750. It is characterized by the birth of functional tonality, the widespread use of basso continuo (figured bass), and a love of contrast—between soloist and ensemble, loud and soft, and different timbres. Hallmark genres and forms of the era include opera, cantata, oratorio, concerto (especially the concerto grosso), dance suite, sonata, and fugue. Textures range from expressive monody to intricate counterpoint, and melodies are richly ornamented with trills, mordents, and appoggiaturas. Baroque music flourished in churches, courts, and theaters across Europe, with regional styles (Italian, French, German, English) shaping distinctive approaches to rhythm, dance, harmony, and ornamentation.