Elias Parish Alvars

Elias Parish Alvars was an English harpist and composer known for being one of the first harp virtuosos. His harp compositions are still regarded as some of the most technically challenging of the repertoire.

Parish Alvars was born in 1808 in Teignmouth, Devonshire, England, and he had nine siblings. His father was the organist at a local church, gave voice lessons, and was the source of his first musical instruction. Parish Alvars had his public debut in 1818 in Totnes, and later that year his father went bankrupt. Two years later, he began traveling to London to study with <a href="spotify:artist:2Ma4p83lvJ8z29BfiIi6Fb">Nicolas Charles Bochsa</a>; he supported himself by playing at parties and balls, and he gave harp lessons. In 1821 <a href="spotify:artist:2Ma4p83lvJ8z29BfiIi6Fb">Bochsa</a> began teaching at the Royal Academy of Music, and Parish Alvars wanted to study at the academy, but he couldn't afford the tuition. However, he was able to continue his studies with <a href="spotify:artist:2Ma4p83lvJ8z29BfiIi6Fb">Bochsa</a> until 1928, when he was invited to study music in Florence by Lord Burghersh, who was the founder of the Royal Academy of Music, and the English Ambassador of Florence.

Parish Alvars stayed in Florence for one year; he studied singing and composition, and he changed his first name from Eli to Elias. Then he worked for the harp maker Schwieso & Grosjean until 1830, when he began a series of tours. First, he performed in Northern Germany, and then in Sweden. After that, he traveled to Moscow, where he stayed until the spring of 1832. For the next four years, he continued touring and traveled to Constantinople, Hungary, Switzerland, and eventually settled in Vienna by 1836. At this time, he performed in recitals with <a href="spotify:artist:3gOIm6ckbGpE2x2Cl0XnsW">Carl Czerny</a> and Joseph Fahrbach, and he continued his education with composition lessons from Simon Sechter and Ignaz von Seyfried. In 1842 he married Melanie Lewy, a pianist and harpist and sister to the Lewy brothers, who both played the French horn. The following year, they had a daughter, Aloisia.

Over the next few years, Parish Alvars performed with his wife and the Lewy brothers at the Vienna Opera House, and other major venues around Germany. While vacationing in Naples in the winter of 1844, he fell and suffered some minor injuries, but during his recovery he composed his Symphony in E minor and Harp Concerto, Op. 98. He and his wife enjoyed the life of traveling performers, and had a son named Arthur in 1846. That same year, Parish Alvars was employed by emperor Ferdinand I of Austria with the title of Imperial Virtuoso, and he also began teaching as the professor of harp at the Wiener Musikverein. This prosperous period would unfortunately come to an end due to the Revolutions of 1848. His students had all fled to other countries, and the Wiener Musikverein closed and withheld Parish Alvars' pay from the previous six months, which led him to a very difficult financial situation. The following year, he passed away from pneumonia. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi