When we think of harp-playing, we tend to imagine heavenly melodies and graceful, strumming arms. What we do not generally imagine, however, is feet. Perhaps the most interesting element of contemporary harp playing is what often goes unseen by the audience: fanciful footwork to manipulate a host of pedals. These pedals manipulate the tuning of the instrument in real-time, allowing the harp to emit virtually any note or chord necessary to symphonic music. 

Claude Debussy’s Danse sacrée et danse profane were written for chromatic harp, rather than the pedal harp we see today. In 1904, the chromatic harp was a new construction created by the Pleyel Piano Company based on the pedal-less harps of antiquity. The Brussels Conservatoire had a studio class specifically on ancient harp and lyre music, and Pleyel was tasked with building an instrument that reflected the sound of ancient harps. To unveil their creation, Pleyel commissioned Debussy to write a work for chromatic harp, and the Danses were born. Today, the Danses are almost always performed on the standard pedal harp. 

Owing to his ancient harp inspiration, Debussy opted for a modal soundscape in order to create an otherworldly, ancient atmosphere. The first dance, Danse sacrée, opens with a wandering chant that is punctuated by plodding pizzicato strings. The harp enters, strumming through an echo of the chant. Strings begin oscillating chromatically while the harp solo introduces a whole tone ascending scale. This scale, often associated with dream sequences, imbues the work with a floaty, ethereal atmosphere. Soon, a new variant of the chant theme radiates from the shimmery harp scale. 

The Danse profane is excitable and coquettish. More interesting harmonically (more fancy footwork!), Profane is much dancier than Sacred—perhaps owing to its secular nature, rather than religious. Offbeat strings rebound from bass pizzicati, creating a bouncy atmosphere where the harp ricochets happily. Juxtapositions of dynamic extremes create further excited contrast, just before a lush coda begins to bloom. Ultimately, profane swells into a sumptuous string soundscape—allowing the harp to traverse its entire range bountifully—and ends with three arpeggiated chords and a final, dissonant twinkle from the harp.