Playing One Of The Oldest Instruments, Artist Captivates Bristol Audience

When the average person thinks of Christmas music, a string instrument like the best electric violin might come to your mind, but you won’t probably think of a harp. In Gloria Galante’s hands, the sounds of the season take on new, delicate but cheerful tone.

An audience of about 50 people – some regular Galante fans – found delight in the selection of holiday music when Galante gave hour-long concert recently at Bristol Borough’s Margaret R. Grundy Library.

The bitter cold weather may have prevented the presence of Galante’s gold tiger-maple concert harp _ yes, harps can be temperamental in certain weather, she said – but it’s substitute, a six-foot high carbon fiber instrument did not disappoint.

So, a delighted audience, some of whom are regulars to Galante’s concerts, listened to “Jingle Bells,” “Deck and Halls,” and “Feliz Navidad.” Smiles and voices occasionally singing along, accompanied the songs. At the musician’s urging, the audience clapped hands to the beat of “Oh, Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah, a tribute to the coming Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, which starts Dec. 23.

After a few selections from her repertoire, the artist took brief breaks to discuss music with her audience. Her connection to her listeners was electric, as Galante seemed to take as much delight in the listeners as they did her.

One such example: She approached the assembly to give a little history on harps, which go back about 3,000 years, she said.

“The harp is mentioned 44 times in the Bible. King David played the harp,” she said, adding that there are many sizes of the instrument, from the large concert harp, to smaller ones for Celtic or folk music.

The harp is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world, developed from the hunting bow. Ancient Egyptian wall paintings features show instruments that resemble the hunter’s bow.

The instrument comes in all sizes, from the tall concert harp to the smaller Celtic harp. And, it can make different sounds. Galante demonstrated, manipulating the strings to sound like a drum, and a Mariachi beat. 

Galante, to took up the harp as a student at West Chester University. She told her audience that she plays her instrument four hours every day, a skill made possible by developing the muscles of the fingers.

Back at the strings and the seven pedals it takes to make her music, she played more songs, such as “Walking in the Air,” from “The Snowman,” “Dream Season,” written by  noted harpist Yolanda Kondonassis.

Galante’s work captivated her audience, both new listeners and longtime fans.

“When you listen to her music, it just floats. She plays so well,” said Bristol historian Harold Michener, who with his wife Carol, has attended several of Galante’s concerts.

A friend of the performer, Bristol resident Mary Saxton, called the music “mesmerizing.”

“I listen and just close my eyes and feel so peaceful.”

She studied the harp with the Philadelphia Orchestra’s premiere harpist, Edna Phillips, and won the matinee musical award at age 18. She has toured internationally as a solo artist, chamber musician, and a member of ensembles and orchestras.,

She is a professor and founder of the WCU harp program and a composer of works, transcriptions, and therapeutic pieces for the harp. She is the director of the Wells School of Music Harp Ensemble.

Among her countless activities, Galante was chosen as the first woman CMP – certified music practitioner – to help reduce anxiety for patients at the Toll Center at Abington Hospital.

“I play there for women who are undergoing invitro fertilization. Sometimes they are along, and they’re nervous. I play classical music because it soothes their anxiety,” she said.

Galante lives in Bristol Township with her husband Fred Vandenberg. If she has free time, it’s devoted to music, she said.

Galante advises aspiring harpists to start with learning to play the piano because it teaches the theory and basics of music. She plays with orchestras and gives concerts around the world.  But she also likes to bring music to local audiences: churches, nursing homes, and local venues such as the Silver Lake Nature Center and the Grundy Library.

“Audience reaction is the greatest joy to me. If we didn’t have music on this planet, it wouldn’t be as beautiful. Music is flowers, but in audio,” Galante said.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies