In 2023, I founded “Attar Editions.” These are publications dedicated to the expansion of repertoire for the modern pedal harp through the revitalization of historical or neglected music, focusing on thoughtful editions, transcriptions and arrangements. I am a Harp Column Music Artist, and my publications, including works by Jean-Pierre Baur, Jean-Baptiste Cardon, James Meyer, Florence B. Price, and Zoé de la Rüe, can be found here Alison Attar – Harp Column Music

Attar Editions is absolutely a labor of love for me – something that I had envisioned as a graduate student but was not able to bring to fruition until I was empty-nested. Repertoire for the modern pedal harp is limited, with a tremendous emphasis on music of the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The music currently available to harpists from earlier periods is often lacking in quality. Any quality repertoire that does exist for early harp languishes in manuscript form, suffers from limited pressings, or was generically published for lute, harpsichord, vihuela, as well as harp, in order to gain a larger audience. The works are often riddled with errors and feature confusing period ornamentation. I love digging through old manuscripts, playing neglected pieces, magnifying minuscule markings on the page to assess grace notes and accidentals, correcting hurried errors on the part of early copyists, and unearthing the voices of composers long forgotten. I understand the real challenges of playing music for the single-action pedal harp on modern harp. My editions are not an attempt to simply recreate what can be found in the manuscript – these editions solve problems. Alongside historic pieces, I am delighted to put forward a handful of compelling modern pieces that were collecting dust in manuscript form. I work with living composers to make sure their compositions are appropriately copyrighted, legibly engraved and made available to harpists everywhere. Welcome.