Mildred Dilling

Mildred Dilling (February 23, 1894 – December 30, 1982) was an American harpist. She studied under Henriette Renié in Paris. She first started performing in 1911, and traveled over per year at her busiest. Dilling had a younger sister, Charlene. As there was no harp instruction available in Marion, Mildred studied the piano starting at age six while Charlene studied the violin. Mildred's instructor was Samuel Nussbaum at the Marion Conservatory of Music. The family moved to Indianapolis, where Mildred studied harp with Louise Schellschmidt at age 12. At age 13, she started playing for social events, her first fee for a performance being a dozen carnations and a jar of pickles. she went to Paris and studied under Henriette Renié, continuing to study with her in subsequent summers for more than thirty years. Dilling credits Renié with encouraging her career and love of the harp. In 1971 she visited Iceland, where she was a soloist with the Iceland Symphony. There she had some of her last performances with her sister Charlene, who died in 1972. She held masterclasses in London whenever her touring schedule allowed it. She also owned a harp that once belonged to Marie Antoinette. Her Celtic Single Action Harp, Dilling Model, is a non-pedal harp with seven levers on the top that control the tuning of each note in a scale individually. Dilling used this kind of harp on her first European tour. Fay still makes harps with what he calls "Dilling single-action levers".

Dilling was called the "First Lady of the Harp".

Personal life Dilling was a follower of Christian Science, and as such did not drink or serve alcohol. Sometimes when staying with friends she would hide their alcohol because she felt that drinking was wrong. She once asked for a wheelchair in her travels in order to avoid carrying heavy luggage. She married banker Clinton Parker in 1943; Parker died in 1948.

Dilling once told a harpist with an infected finger and an upcoming harp concerto to perform: "Read the one hundred and twenty-first Psalm, and go on".

Selected discography Works taken from the selection in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Harpists: A bio-critical sourcebook.

78-rpm discs for Columbia Records March of the Men of Harlech, John Thomas. Believe Me if All These Endearing Young Charms, old Irish Tune. Danse Orientale, H. Cady. La Source op. 44 Etude, A. Hasselmans. An Old Music Box; The Music Box; De Severacq, Two French Songs: Le Bon Petit Roi d'Yvetot, Et Ron, Petit Patapon Arr. M. Grandjany Chaconne, A. Durand, transcribed by A. Hasselmans; Menuets De Platee, J-Ph. Rameau, transcribed by G. Marty Bouree (from Cello suite in C-major) Bach, Bouree (from Violin Partita no. 1) Bach. Pastorale Op. 45 No. 5, Sibelius Impromptu Caprice, Op. 9 G. Pierné Variations Pastorales on an Old Noel, MS Rousseau

for Connoisseur Record Corp Urania An Evening at Town Hall with Mildred Dilling and Her Harp: de la Presle, Watkins, Renié, Ravel, Roussel, Prokofiev. John Wustman, piano. 1969. Romantic Music for the Harp: Debussy, Salzedo, Tournier, Renié, Liszt, Zabel, Poenitz, MacDowell, Hasselmans, Prokofiev.