AHJ, Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 1980

Dorothy Remsen performing on two harps with different tunings.
been working at Disney ever since, and is now one of
the top studio and free-lance harpists in the United
States.
The Disney studio was one of the first "independent'',
or non-contract companies; traditionally,
studios contracted a full orchestra for a year's work
and each studio had a harpist. Eventually contract
orchestras were eliminated, and now musicians are
hired for each service.
The major studios in Los Angeles include
Paramount, Fox, MGM, Universal, Warner Brothers,
Columbia, and Disney. Musicians are hired through
a contractor: they may be called anytime from three
weeks to one day before a job. Often the same musicians
will work together as first choices on the contractor's
lists. •
Music is the last thing to be added to a motion
picture, so there is always a deadline. The composers
may have as little as two days to write the music
before it has to be recorded. Copyists work day and
night to supply the parts, and are incredibly accurate
in their work. The composer is usually the leader or
conductor, and parts are often predictable because of
the composer's style. Besides movies, there are also
television programs, records, and commercials produced
in Los Angeles.
Dorothy says she can count on the fingers of one
hand the number of times she has felt pressured in
the studios. She finds the working atmosphere pleasant
and relaxed. Fellow players are very supportive,
and all are superlative musicians. After an important
solo part, studio players often applaud their fellow
performers.
Dorothy recalls one experience in a Los Angeles
studio: there had been an all-day call, with an "end-
Winter/1980
less thick book" of parts. After the first hour, no time
was left to rehearse the parts before the actual recording.
On the last cue of the day there was a
tremendous harp solo. Dorothy recalls getting into
the solo with everything "going great'', only to discover
that the copyist had not aligned the treble and
bass parts, so the right hand part appeared at a different
place than the left hand part! Other favorite
moments of studio experience include walking into a
recording session of the second movement of the
Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto without any prior
warning or rehearsal time, and a part written for two
harps, tuned in two keys, which Dorothy played simultaneously.
In addition to her demanding professional career
Dorothy has for the past five years been Office Manager
for the American Harp Society. The position
originated with Dorothy's appointment, and the
majority of all correspondence to the American Harp
Society goes through Dorothy's home office.
She loves all her work-AHS business or playing
harp-and manages everything with the competence,
sincerity and charm which radiates to all who meet
her. To be successful in the studio world one must be
an excellent musician and a "marvelous sight
reader." When asked about mistakes, Dorothy replied
with typical candor, "Well you just don't make
many."
WISCONSIN
Harp instructor:
Danis Kelly- Solo harpist
Milwaukee Symphony
3chool of Music
The University of Wisconsin-Madison
Humanities Bldg., 455 N. Park St.
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Telephone: (608) 263-1900
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