Celtic Spirte : Harp & Chat: Interview with Candela Czarnowska

I'm delighted to share some highlights from an exclusive interview I had the pleasure of conducting with Candela Czarnowska.

She is a music therapist, composer, producer, and soundscape artist based in Argentina who creates soundscapes with antique instruments such as native flutes, whistles, harps, guitars, voice, and electronic media. She possesses the delicate wizardry to weave them into stories and settings that are inspired by both nature and its rhythms, as well as alchemy and magic.

Her musical works aim to open up areas of knowledge and consciousness, from the center of the fairy and subtle world to the human being's mystery. I had the chance to meet her through the Instagram network in the year 2020, a very active musician and good friend.

Celtic Sprite: What was your first experience with the harp as a musical instrument? Was it love at first sight when you decided to become a harpist?

Candela: My journey into the world of harps was an exciting one. The universe of music has accompanied and guided my steps since I was a small child, and that is how numerous instruments appeared: the flutes with their charms, the guitar, the piano, and my own voice... until one day, the harp appeared with amazing mysteries to explore. On a trip to Ireland, a country with which I've had a strong connection since I was a child, (deeply feeling its music, landscapes, and stories), I was given the opportunity and gift of being able to obtain my first small Celtic harp, which I took with me on my journey throughout the ancient Emerald Isle.

Celtic Sprite: Living in a country not used to instruments such as the Celtic or folk harp... how did you manage to get yours?

Candela: "Creating music," or rather, allowing yourself to be created by music, is a profound experience in my opinion. Allowing ourselves to be traversed by that sound that exists beyond us, to embody it, give it space, color it, integrate it, and alchemize it, is a work that requires a fine opening of our own listening quality in order to enter into co-creation with that great invisible mystery that surrounds us, with that source of energy that is constantly moving towards expansion and life. It is from there that I believe I give myself to music.

Sometimes I get visions of landscapes with noises, forests, mountains, rivers, and oceans; other times, I just listen to the melodrama. Sometimes pictures of landscapes with sounds, forests, mountains, rivers, and oceans come to me first; other times, I simply listen to the melody in the wind, let it pass, make place for it, and then "look" for it on the harp, the flute, or any other instrument that comes to mind.

I frequently invite myself to improvise, play, and dance with the sounds flowing from there. Many of my songs were inspired by walks in the woods or in the mountains, or by the apparent stillness that dominates my surroundings. Others have been born "between homes," transforming a plain room into a world filled with ancient and mysterious people who have tales to tell.

On the other side, the music that reaches me frequently blends when I share it, when another voice, another song, or another human being's tune joins in. From here, I get the feeling that melodies that truly come from the heart reach out to other hearts like a hug, and I believe that sharing is one of music's therapeutic elements.

Candela: As I said before, my first Celtic harp was built in Ireland, by Indra and Pat, beautiful people. When I arrived in Buenos Aires and began to study in more depth, I met Nehuen, a great harpist who was my teacher for a time. When I saw his harp, I was very excited about one day having a similar one, since it had a few more strings and a very good system of leavers. Over time, I managed to get to the harp that accompanies me today, which was built in the city of Bahía Blanca, Argentina, by Juan Pablo Carnero.

Celtic Sprite: What were your first steps with the Celtic harp? Do you consider yourself a self-taught person?

Candela: This question awakens beautiful memories in me. The first time I sat down to play and create with my little Celtic harp was in the enchanted woods of Ireland. I traveled with her on my shoulders through various places on the island, but the most significant for me was playing on the Hill of Tara, a hallowed site where the breeze disclosed old secrets and made the strings resonate, creating a timeless dance.

From there, I began to improvise with this instrument, allowing her music to flow and accompany my thoughts and melodies. As I already stated, I met Nehuen, a fantastic harpist, after a while, with whom I learned a lot. And now I continue this adventure, playing, improvising, creating and playing among the forests and mountains, today in Patagonia, tomorrow, who knows, in some other enchanted forest.

Celtic Sprite: As a music therapy graduate, please tell us about your creative moments when writing your own melodies. Is it that they come to you as ideas on their own, or are you connecting them to the magic of tonal, curative, and evocative effects?

Candela:"Creating music," or rather, allowing yourself "to be created" by music, is a profound experience in my opinion. Allowing ourselves to be traversed by that sound that exists beyond us, to embody it, give it space, color it, integrate it, and alchemize it, is a work that involves a fine opening of our own listening quality in order to enter into co-creation with that great invisible mystery that surrounds us, with that source of energy that is constantly moving towards expansion and life. It is from there that I believe I dedicate myself to music.

Sometimes images of landscapes with sounds, forests, mountains, rivers, and oceans come to me first; other times, I simply listen to the melody in the wind, let it pass, make place for it, and then "look" for it on the harp, the flute, or any other instrument that comes to mind.

I allow myself to be open to improvisation, playing and dancing with the music that is flowing from there. Many of my songs were inspired by walks in the woods or in the mountains, or by the apparent quiet that pervades my surroundings. Others have been born "between homes," transforming a plain room into a world filled with ancient and mystical people who have tales to tell. On the other side, the music that reaches me frequently integrates when I share it, when another voice, another song, or another human being's tune joins in. I believe that the tunes that truly emerge from the heart reach other hearts in the same way as a hug does, and that sharing is one of the healing aspects of music.