At one time there was a debate about whether or not the harp was solely a religious musical instrument.
But thanks to breakthrough musicians like Jeff Majors ...
The question mark is now a period!
Harp music will always be used as religious music, but it is no longer used ONLY FOR religious music. That's because talented harpists like Jeff Majors use his instrument to play all of the genres: sacred, classical, jazz, and gospel.
In
Jewish history, it is written that when King Saul was tormented, he
asked for someone to play the harp for him to calm his spirit. A
young harpist named David was recommended. The lad was surely an
extraordinarily talented musician because he was often summoned to
play for the king to relieve his distress. When David grew up, he
succeeded Saul as the second king of ancient Israel. Music continued
to be an integral part of his life, and in addition to being an
accomplished harpist, he also wrote psalms (songs).
Unfortunately,
none of the harp music of King David was preserved, so we can only
imagine what those hauntingly beautiful and caressing melodies may
have sounded like.
Fortunately,
Jeff Majors is a
harpist with a great imagination!
He
is a uniquely gifted harpist. Possibly the best in this generation!
Jeff
Majors followed his dream. Literally. He actually had a dream about
playing the harp and decided he would learn. He was taught by the late
Alice Coltrane (1937 -2007), jazz pianist and harpist, and the spouse
of the legendary John Coltrane (1926 -1967). Once he mastered the
instrument, he set out to share his musical gift with others.
On his official website, you can read about his journey: from forming
jazz bands to hosting a radio ministry to reaching millions through
his television program, “The Gospel of Music with Jeff Majors”.
Along
with Alice Coltrane, Mr. Majors credits the late Dorothy Ashby (1930
-1986) with influencing his musical style. The ladies Ashby and
Coltrane proved that the classical harp instrument could be easily
and effortlessly integrated into jazz compositions. Through
collaborative efforts with other artists, he has set to music some of
the Psalms written by King David. Many of his admirers know him for
his interpretation of Psalm 23, which he performed at the memorial
service for Coretta Scott King.
Majors’
music is categorized as Jazz Contemporary Gospel, and sometimes
New Age. If you have not heard of this exceptionally talented
musician, then it may come as a surprise to discover that his first
album, “Sacred”, was released in 1998. That is correct. He and
Hanifah have been around for over a decade.
- Hanifah is the name of his
harp. ( A female given name: from an Arabic word meaning “true
believer” .)
In 2006, he was invited to perform on the Oprah
Winfrey Show.You know what they say. When you make it to Oprah, for
sure the world knows you now! You are officially on the map!
So
did I learn about Jeff Majors watching Ms. O? No. It was a couple of
years ago. I fell asleep one night and my husband stayed up watching
the television. I started having a wonderful dream. I won't share my
dream. It's private. But when I willed myself to wake up, I heard
this gentle soothing melody floating through the air. Curiously I
peeked to see what my husband was watching. Jeff Majors was on TV
playing the harp. Lucky for me, my husband recorded the program on
video tape so we can view it again and again and again.
Two
Questions
After
discovering Jeff Majors and doing research to learn more, there are only
two questions remaining that are unanswered.
*
Question 1: Why no Grammy?
*
Question 2: If you had a harp, what would you name her?
Original source