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With a high
school band sousaphone background, Hilary Stagg (named for
Sir Edmund Hillary, the famous mountaineer) was an
electrician when in his mid-twenties he attended an Andreas
Vollenweider concert. He was enthralled, and so inspired
that he purchased a small harp. It was a delightful
challenge for him to use his knowledge as an electrician in
amplifying the instrument and his custom amplification was
superb. He tried formal lessons but quickly decided he would
learn to play the harp a different way. Hilary believed in
and practiced lucid dreaming and developed a way of dancing
with the Muse in his dreams, a way of exploring and
composing music in his "sleep" that became the core of his
compositions. As he experimented, Hilary developed a gentle,
yet powerful, melodic style that gave new meaning to
soothing and relaxing music. He began performing regularly,
refining his technique and confidence.
"When I first
heard Hilary's music," says founder and president of Real
Music, Terence Yallop, "I kept it playing all night. It has
a unique rhythm, perhaps best described as a spiral."
Hilary had
worked as a commercial diver in the North Sea, spending
many, many hours underwater. He was also an avid scuba
diver, so it's not surprising that Hilary's music is akin to
floating in the ocean, wave after wave reflecting the spiral
of life as our planet moves through the heavens. This is
undoubtedly why Hilary's music is so perfect combined with
the magnificent underwater footage on Starbrook's video,
Real Sanctuary.
As he played and
spoke about the harp, it was obvious that Hilary had
tremendous respect for the instrument. "There is something
about the harp that captivates not only the listener, but
reaches a part of me as well that is difficult to describe
or understand," explained Stagg. And when you listen to his
work, it seems inconceivable that Hilary Stagg's musical
journey was relatively brief. With fan mail pouring in
regularly from a devoted following, many describing their
healing experiences with the music, it's clear that Stagg's
unique sound has a profound effect upon people no matter
what their musical tastes may be.
Hilary
died suddenly after a brief illness in June 1999. His music
is our gift, ready to comfort and uplift at the touch of a
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