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 Barbara’s Italian Baroque triple harp is styled after the Brussels Double, which is housed in the Museé Instrumental du Conservatoire Royal de Musique, Brussels, Belgium. It is attributed to Martino Kaiser, Venice, circa 1675. Barbara’s harp was made by Catherine Campbell, Seattle.The two outer rows are tuned in unison like the white keys on the piano, with the inner row containing the strings for the black keys. The triple-strung harp traveled from Italy to France and from there to England and Wales. The Welsh, who always showed great fondness for the harp, adopted the instrument as the Welsh triple harp, a Baroque harp that is played today almost without interruption of its tradition. George Frideric Handel was familiar with and wrote for the triple harp. Many of his orchestra scores include this harp as an obligato or continuo instrument. Barbara’s former teacher Edward Witsenburg inspired her to play historical harps as well as the classical harp. Witsenburg has been the harpist of the noted Monteverdi opera performances in Zürich in the 1970's, directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, with whom he continues to work until today. In the United States Barbara studied with Maxine Eilander, harpist of the Boston Early Music Festival, at the International Baroque Institute at Longy School of Music and the Academia d'Amore in Seattle. Recent performances with the Baroque triple harp include Handel’s opera Giulio Cesare with Boston Baroque, and Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with the Handel and Haydn Society under Laurence Cummings, and with Aston Magna under Daniel Stepner. In 2007, Barbara performed Handel’s Concerto in Bb major on the Baroque triple harp with the Newport Baroque Orchestra under Paul Cinniewa. A lunchtime solo recital in Newport, Rhode Island included the following repertoire: Toccata II arpeggiata from Intavolatura di chitarrone, 1604 by Johann H. Kapsberger (c.1580-1651), Toccata Seconda, & Ligature per l'Arpa. A4 from Il Secondo Libro de Ricercate & altri varij Capricci, 1615 by Giovanni Maria Trabaci (c.1575-1647), O ye tender babes by Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585), David’s harp solo from Saul by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), The Bells of Aberdovey, traditional Welsh air.
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