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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Isabella Krapf interview

July 27, 2024 Neil Warren Season 1 Episode 116

Chapters

Isabella is from Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a centre of classical music, which is what Isabella started learning first on piano

Felt restricted by only playing classical music and wanted to branch out from that

Received first harmonica age 8, the Hohner Educator harmonica (which is like a chromatic without a slide)

Received a chromatic age 10 as wanted to play all of The Blue Danube waltz

Played several instruments when young: piano, percussion, trumpet and voice, still playing these now

Focused on the harmonica as felt was talented on it and there weren’t any other harmonica players in Vienna

Played classical music and easy listening on the harmonica in the early years

Was partly inspired to make her living from harmonica after school headmaster said it wasn’t possible

Has made her living from harmonica, having a lot of harmonica students since being 19 years old (also some concertina and piano students)

The popularity of the harmonica is the musically rich city that is Vienna comes from being very popular in years gone by

In the 1960s there was a big competition for harmonica in Vienna, with many ensembles taking part

Started teaching harmonica at an adult education centre and how improved as a harmonica teacher

Played at the famous Musikverein concert hall in Vienna at age 20 which helped with her career

Has long had a deep interest in the history of the harmonica and put on harmonica exhibitions

Played in orchestras, with a guitarist, pianist and had a symphony written for her

Isabella played a part in keeping the Seydel factory in business by ordering 1000 ‘boomerang’ harmonicas when Seydel were looking for new investors in 2004

Isabella also had the idea of adding the Seydel signature onto the Boomerang harmonica: which Seydel still use on all their harmonicas today

What is the Boomerang harmonica

Harmonicas with lots of different shapes

Has a great understanding of the history of the harmonica

The beginning of the harmonica (in Europe at least) was in Vienna, with a factory there pre-dating the ones in Klingenthal and Trossingen

Oldest chromatic harmonica that Isabella is aware of is from the 1850s and the factory also made high-end ivory harmonicas

Austrian factory closed in 1922 to bring an end to harmonica production in the country

Isabella also played a part in Seydel taking on the manufacture of the Renaissance harmonica from Douglas Tate

Isabella runs harmonica exhibitions using her collection of two thousand harmonicas

Has photographs of harmonica collection but these aren’t currently available online

Taught a large group of North Korean music students to play harmonica, first visiting North Korea in 2011 and four times in total up to 2013

The students hadn’t played harmonica before, with the only harmonicas available in North Korea being tremolos

Isabella took some orchestra harmonicas on her first visit to North Korea

All the students were musicians who played different instruments from the harmonica

Had 120 students in North Korea

Several of the North Korean conductors spoke German, helping Isabella to communicate with the students, with Isabella learning some Korean later

A group of 15 students came to Vienna for one and a half years

Attended the World Harmonica Festival at Trossingen and the female North Korean students played in the jazz category

The variety of music available in North Korea

The students were highly dedicated and practised hard

The North Koreans appearance at the NHL festival in Bristol UK and other concerts in Trossingen, Vienna and Graz

The North Korean ensemble played a composition for harmonica ensemble by Hohner published in the 60s

Isabella is no longer involved with the North Korean students as she is busy with other ventures

Got to know Jerry Adler well towards the end of his life, after he wrote an autobiography: “Living From Hand To Mouth”

Spent ten days with Jerry Adler and heard lots of his stories from his time in Hollywood

Jerry gave Isabella lots of his old records and reels and made a double CD for him

There was a presentation for the Jerry Adler album and Isabella played with Jerry and Howard Levy at the concert in Chicago

Jerry Adler was Larry’s younger brother, Larry taught Jerry and the two performed together

Jerry played in lots of Hollywood movies

Became interested in playing Bossa Nova music after a visit to Brazil following an invite from Pablo Fegundas

Isabella founded The Bossa Company quartet last year and has enjoyed good success with them in Austria

Approach to playing Bossa Nova on the chromatic

All the members of the Bossa Nova group were found on Facebook

Releasing an album with The Bossa Company in September 2024

Runs breathing therapy workshops to help people with breathing conditions

The benefits playing harmonica can have for people with breathing difficulties

Two of the North Korean students won competitions at the Trossingen World Harmonica Championships

Teaches private and group lessons

No longer teaching at the Austrian university

Has written articles, including for the US publication: The Harmonica Educator

Has played in various countries including: the US, UK, Germany, Morocco, Brasil, Estonia

10 minute question: currently working on practising for an opera performance

Likes to practise with backing tracks

Explains the importance of breathing through the harmonica, rather than blow and draw, and not holding too much air in

Plays the 14 hole Suzuki Sirius

Plays some diatonic and ran a workshop for diatonic earlier this year

Blues harp is a technique, not a type of harmonica

Does some harmonica maintenance, although doesn’t enjoy it

Isabella has created a video demonstrating approach to playing diatonics in the styles that might have been used in the past

Plays diatonics in different tunings

Doesn’t use overblows

Embouchre: mainly puckers except for octaves

Mic is Sennheiser MD421

Uses the PA for amplification

Effects: a little reverb sometimes, and turns up lows and down the highs

Goes for a natural sound

Future plans: performing on an opera (The Moon Wears A White Shirt) in Vienna with her students, The Bossa Company album release and plan to go back to Brazil

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Isabella Krapf interview

Jul 27, 2024 Season 1 Episode 116

Neil Warren

Isabella Krapf joins me on episode 116.
Isabella is from Vienna, Austria, where she started teaching and performing concerts in her late teens and has had a career in the harmonica ever since.
Isabella is a collector of harmonicas and puts on exhibitions. She played a part in keeping the Seydel factory in business when it was looking for new investors in the early 2000s, by ordering 1000 ‘boomerang’ harmonicas.
In 2011 Isabella was asked to visit North Korea to teach groups of music students there to play harmonica. A group later visited Austria and performed some concerts in Europe under her guidance.
Isabella also got to know Jerry Adler towards the end of his life and compiled an album for him and played in a concert with him and Howard Levy in 2006.

Links:
Website: https://www.isabellakrapf.com/

Videos:
Boomerang harmonica:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n7hfbd9BQ0

North Korean ensemble at Trossingen in 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCoL33Y0-24

North Korean group playing at Bristol in 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dI7k5s0uVw

The Bossa Nova Company:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uujLkY_iCfo

Pablo Fegundas:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=792673521775393

HUK virtual workshop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1LjuOwqaic

Historical diatonic video:
https://www.facebook.com/denise.uthoff.3/videos/1020566385917951

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
The Harmonica Company. Use promo code: 'happyhour7'.
Email Jonathan at: sales@theharmonicacompany.com
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

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Isabella Krapf joins me on episode 116.
Isabella is from Vienna, Austria, where she started teaching and performing concerts in her late teens and has had a career in the harmonica ever since.
Isabella is a collector of harmonicas and puts on exhibitions. She played a part in keeping the Seydel factory in business when it was looking for new investors in the early 2000s, by ordering 1000 ‘boomerang’ harmonicas.
In 2011 Isabella was asked to visit North Korea to teach groups of music students there to play harmonica. A group later visited Austria and performed some concerts in Europe under her guidance.
Isabella also got to know Jerry Adler towards the end of his life and compiled an album for him and played in a concert with him and Howard Levy in 2006.

Links:
Website: https://www.isabellakrapf.com/

Videos:
Boomerang harmonica:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n7hfbd9BQ0

North Korean ensemble at Trossingen in 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCoL33Y0-24

North Korean group playing at Bristol in 2012:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dI7k5s0uVw

The Bossa Nova Company:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uujLkY_iCfo

Pablo Fegundas:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=792673521775393

HUK virtual workshop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1LjuOwqaic

Historical diatonic video:
https://www.facebook.com/denise.uthoff.3/videos/1020566385917951

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
The Harmonica Company. Use promo code: 'happyhour7'.
Email Jonathan at: sales@theharmonicacompany.com
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the show

Isabella is from Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a centre of classical music, which is what Isabella started learning first on piano

Felt restricted by only playing classical music and wanted to branch out from that

Received first harmonica age 8, the Hohner Educator harmonica (which is like a chromatic without a slide)

Received a chromatic age 10 as wanted to play all of The Blue Danube waltz

Played several instruments when young: piano, percussion, trumpet and voice, still playing these now

Focused on the harmonica as felt was talented on it and there weren’t any other harmonica players in Vienna

Played classical music and easy listening on the harmonica in the early years

Was partly inspired to make her living from harmonica after school headmaster said it wasn’t possible

Has made her living from harmonica, having a lot of harmonica students since being 19 years old (also some concertina and piano students)

The popularity of the harmonica is the musically rich city that is Vienna comes from being very popular in years gone by

In the 1960s there was a big competition for harmonica in Vienna, with many ensembles taking part

Started teaching harmonica at an adult education centre and how improved as a harmonica teacher

Played at the famous Musikverein concert hall in Vienna at age 20 which helped with her career

Has long had a deep interest in the history of the harmonica and put on harmonica exhibitions

Played in orchestras, with a guitarist, pianist and had a symphony written for her

Isabella played a part in keeping the Seydel factory in business by ordering 1000 ‘boomerang’ harmonicas when Seydel were looking for new investors in 2004

Isabella also had the idea of adding the Seydel signature onto the Boomerang harmonica: which Seydel still use on all their harmonicas today

What is the Boomerang harmonica

Harmonicas with lots of different shapes

Has a great understanding of the history of the harmonica

The beginning of the harmonica (in Europe at least) was in Vienna, with a factory there pre-dating the ones in Klingenthal and Trossingen

Oldest chromatic harmonica that Isabella is aware of is from the 1850s and the factory also made high-end ivory harmonicas

Austrian factory closed in 1922 to bring an end to harmonica production in the country

Isabella also played a part in Seydel taking on the manufacture of the Renaissance harmonica from Douglas Tate

Isabella runs harmonica exhibitions using her collection of two thousand harmonicas

Has photographs of harmonica collection but these aren’t currently available online

Taught a large group of North Korean music students to play harmonica, first visiting North Korea in 2011 and four times in total up to 2013

The students hadn’t played harmonica before, with the only harmonicas available in North Korea being tremolos

Isabella took some orchestra harmonicas on her first visit to North Korea

All the students were musicians who played different instruments from the harmonica

Had 120 students in North Korea

Several of the North Korean conductors spoke German, helping Isabella to communicate with the students, with Isabella learning some Korean later

A group of 15 students came to Vienna for one and a half years

Attended the World Harmonica Festival at Trossingen and the female North Korean students played in the jazz category

The variety of music available in North Korea

The students were highly dedicated and practised hard

The North Koreans appearance at the NHL festival in Bristol UK and other concerts in Trossingen, Vienna and Graz

The North Korean ensemble played a composition for harmonica ensemble by Hohner published in the 60s

Isabella is no longer involved with the North Korean students as she is busy with other ventures

Got to know Jerry Adler well towards the end of his life, after he wrote an autobiography: “Living From Hand To Mouth”

Spent ten days with Jerry Adler and heard lots of his stories from his time in Hollywood

Jerry gave Isabella lots of his old records and reels and made a double CD for him

There was a presentation for the Jerry Adler album and Isabella played with Jerry and Howard Levy at the concert in Chicago

Jerry Adler was Larry’s younger brother, Larry taught Jerry and the two performed together

Jerry played in lots of Hollywood movies

Became interested in playing Bossa Nova music after a visit to Brazil following an invite from Pablo Fegundas

Isabella founded The Bossa Company quartet last year and has enjoyed good success with them in Austria

Approach to playing Bossa Nova on the chromatic

All the members of the Bossa Nova group were found on Facebook

Releasing an album with The Bossa Company in September 2024

Runs breathing therapy workshops to help people with breathing conditions

The benefits playing harmonica can have for people with breathing difficulties

Two of the North Korean students won competitions at the Trossingen World Harmonica Championships

Teaches private and group lessons

No longer teaching at the Austrian university

Has written articles, including for the US publication: The Harmonica Educator

Has played in various countries including: the US, UK, Germany, Morocco, Brasil, Estonia

10 minute question: currently working on practising for an opera performance

Likes to practise with backing tracks

Explains the importance of breathing through the harmonica, rather than blow and draw, and not holding too much air in

Plays the 14 hole Suzuki Sirius

Plays some diatonic and ran a workshop for diatonic earlier this year

Blues harp is a technique, not a type of harmonica

Does some harmonica maintenance, although doesn’t enjoy it

Isabella has created a video demonstrating approach to playing diatonics in the styles that might have been used in the past

Plays diatonics in different tunings

Doesn’t use overblows

Embouchre: mainly puckers except for octaves

Mic is Sennheiser MD421

Uses the PA for amplification

Effects: a little reverb sometimes, and turns up lows and down the highs

Goes for a natural sound

Future plans: performing on an opera (The Moon Wears A White Shirt) in Vienna with her students, The Bossa Company album release and plan to go back to Brazil