Radio Show – Episode 12 – Last Rose of Summer – Sept. 4, 2016

The days are shifting into the long golden light of autumn, and a crispness has entered the air. Here on Vashon, the school year is about to begin, signaling the beginning of the full blown harvest that is the creative energy of fall. In today’s show we musically enjoy the “last rose of summer.”

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Format: Track Title – artist (CD Title)

“The Briar and the Rose” – Niamh Parsons and The Loose Connections (Loosen Up) 
Niamh Parsons (born in Dublin, Ireland) is a singer of contemporary and traditional Irish music.Niamh Parsons started her professional career in 1990, in Belfast. Having been singing at sessions around Dublin, Niamh first joined the band Killera from 1984-89. Joining her husband Dee with his band the Loose Connections in 1990, Parsons released two CDs with this band.

“One Summer’s Morning” – Dougie MacLean (Fiddle)
Beloved Scottish songwriter and composer. Here is one of his instrumental compositions.

“Waltz of the White Lilies” -Déanta (Whisper of a Secret)
Déanta is an Irish traditional music band from Northern Ireland. The name of the band is the Irish word for done or made. The band, formed in the late 1980s in County Antrim, played together until 1997 and regrouped in 2008

This beautiful tune was written by Kate O’Brien, fiddler of Deanta.

Let’s enjoy a few harp tunes …

“Sir John Fenwick is the Flower of Them All” – Cynthia Cathcart (Alchemy of a Rose)
Cynthia Cathcart is an expert on the Clàrsach, the wire strung harp of Scotland and Ireland, based near Washington, DC,  We also thank her for serving as the columnist on the wire-strung harp, “Ringing Strings,” for many years for the ISFHC’s Folk Harp Journal.

“Captain O’Kane” – Aryeh Frankfurter (The Music of O’Carolan: O’Carolan’s Dream)
From Wikipedia: “Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738) was a blind Gaelic harper, composer, and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland’s most celebrated composer.  “Captain O’Kane” is said to be composed in honour of a member of “a distinguished Antrim family, a sporting Irishman, well known in his day by the name of ‘Slasher O’Kane’” [O’Sullivan]. Tune used by Robert Burns for “The Chevalier’s Lament.”

About Aryeh: Since 1994, Aryeh has been delighting audiences around the globe with his passionate, enduring and evocative music. Aryeh’s uncommon approach to the Celtic harp and folk harp repertoire, command of the unusual Swedish nyckelharpa (or keyed fiddle) and other stringed instruments. He’s based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“A Place Among the Stones” – Maire Brennan (Misty-Eyed Adventures)
Here Maire performs with three of her sisters and uilleann pipes player Davy Spillane, who I believe served as a producer for this track.

“Soundscape of Relaxing Nature Sounds – Summer in an English Meadow” –Past Tense (youtube)
Lovely nature sounds.

“Blooming Heather“ – Kate Rusby (Awkward Annie)
Kate is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, Barnsley. The more I hear her, the more I love her style of singing! There’s a lovely video of Kate performing this song at the Cambridge Folk Festival that is quite moving. In it, the audience stands, holding each other, swaying, singing softly this familiar and beloved song. And Kate in the video directs the orchestra (String quartet and brass ensemble) with gentle gestures – which as a music director myself I so appreciate. After all, directing is a kind of dance of the hands!

“Inis sui” – Maire Breatnach (Voyage of Bran)
On a quest to the Otherworld, Bran pauses on his travel over the sea at the Isle of Joy ….

Máire Breatnach is one of the most prominent fiddle players in Ireland.

“ The Gold Claddagh Ring” – Andy M. Stewart, Phil Cunningham, Manus Lunny (Fire in the Glen)

From Andy M. Stewart’s website:
(Words and Music: Andy M. Stewart)
“The Claddagh ring originated in an area known as The Claddagh near Galway City in the West of Ireland. The ring has a unique design, that of a heart being encircled by a pair of delicate hands. In this song, the young man’s heart is well and truly in the hands of the girl he admires from afar. On getting to know her better, he falls falls victim to a clever  ploy.”

“Fonn” – Salsa Celtica (The Tall Islands)
Salsa Celtica are a Scottish group that plays a fusion of salsa music with traditional Scottish instruments, including elements of folk and jazz. A surprising mix!

“River of Sky” – Jami Sieber (Timeless)
From her promo:
“Electric cellist and vocalist Jami Sieber reaches inside the soul with compositions that are contemporary, timeless, lush, and powerfully evocative. An innovative musician, Jami’s music moves beyond the surface, seeking and re-seeking her truth by creating musical bridges and connections. Her life-long commitment to the environment, social justice, and the healing arts is at the heart of her music, reflecting a deep dedication to the arts as a medium of exploration and awareness of the interconnectedness of all beings.

Jami has always done something unique – employing electronics and looping techniques to create sounds never before associated with the cello she transforms her solo instrument into an orchestra of sound that opens the heart, defies the mind, and at times, sets the body dancing.”

Jami is performing on Vashon, and I’m looking forward to the concert! See and hear her:

Friday, Oct 14, 7:30 PM
Vashon High School Theater

Tickets at Vashon Intuitive Arts, Vashon Bookshop; online at Brown Paper Tickets
Sponsored by Women’s Way Red Lodge. More info: at Jami’s website.

“The Last Rose of Summer“ – Celtic Woman (Celtic Woman: A New Journey)

From Wikipedia:
“The Last Rose of Summer is a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore, who was a friend of Byron and Shelley. He wrote it in 1805, while staying at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he was said to have been inspired by a specimen of Rosa ‘Old Blush’. The poem is set to a traditional tune called “Aislean an Oigfear”, or “The Young Man’s Dream”,which was transcribed by Edward Bunting in 1792, based on a performance by harper Denis Hempson (Donnchadh Ó hÁmsaigh) at the Belfast Harp Festival.”

Méav Ní Mhaolchatha and Hayley Westenra of the group Celtic Woman sing this version.

Radio Show – Episode 8 – July 3, 2016 – The Power of Music

Today’s show is devoted to the Power of Music and its ability to enchant. Irish myth describes “Three Noble Strains” of music, known as the geantraí – song of joy/merriment, the goltraí – song of sorrow, and the suantraí – song of comfort/for soothing. You’ll hear expressions of all three “strains” in the music and stories played and told today.

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Show 8-Power of Music

12:00 Forest Halls Celtic / Show 8 – The Power of Music – Recorded on 7/3/2016 and updated for 7/19/20
Spookytree (Deb Knodel & Jane Valencia) – Lochaber No More
12:01 Heartstring Quartet – Sir Patrick Bellew’s March / An Cailin Rua Gaelach (The Red-haired Irish Girl)
12:05 William Taylor – Macpherson’s Testament
12:08 Paul Machlis – Darkness Falling
12:12 Dagda – Harp of Dagda
12:16 Johnnie Lawson – Natural Sound of the Forest Birds Singing
12:18 The Chieftains & James Galway – The Red Admiral Butterfly
12:23 Máire Ní Chathasaigh – Carolan’s Farewell to Music
12:30 Fiona Davidson – Deirdre of the Sorrows
12:46 Anúna – Sleepsong
12:50 Julie Fowlis – Cadal Ciarach Mo Luran
12:54 Tiffany Schaefer – Reconciliation
12:56 Spookytree (Deb Knodel & Jane Valencia) / Lochaber No More
12:57 The Irish Consort / Sorrow Sorrow Stay

Format: Track Title – artist (CD Title)

Geantrai – song of joy and merriment

“Patrick Bellew’s March / An Cailin Rua Gaelach” Heartstring Quartet (Heartstring Sessions)

The Heartstring Quartet brings together two famous Irish duos: Arty McGlynn & Nollaig Casey, Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman. Nollaig and Máire are sisters who play fiddle and harp, respectively.

“Macpherson’s Testament” – William Taylor  
Bill (William) Taylor researches, performs, teaches and records the ancient harp music of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He is one of very few players interpreting these repertoires using gut-strung medieval harps, renaissance harps with buzzing bray pins and wire-strung clarsachs.

In this show, I (incorrectly) stated that I thought that Bill Taylor was a harpmaker for Ardival Harps. But that isn’t so. He is a harper-in-residence for Ardival Harps. The actual makers are Zan and Alex Dunn and associates.

My friend and colleague, singer-songwriter and harper, Verlene Schermer writes:

“There is in Irish folklore, a story about the three sacred strains of music. The three strains are known as the goltrai — song of sorrow, the suantrai – song of comfort, and the gentrai – song of joy (Walton). The Dagda Mor, (the good god) is the leader of the Tuatha De Dannan, (the Fairy Folk – who are gods themselves), and it is his harp, Uaithne, that has the magical ability to bring listeners to tears, to put them to sleep, or to cause them to dance.”

Here we enjoy the story itself …

“Harp of the Dagda” – Irish Myth retold by Barra the Bard (Barra Jacob-McDowell) – read by Jane Valencia/ Music: “Darkness Falling” Paul Machlis (Greenwoods) 
Barra the Bard received her name from the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland and her love of storytelling from her maternal grandmother, Abigail Jones Dangler. With a repertoire of over 5,000 stories Barra specializes in tales from the Celtic nations (Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Brittany, & Spain). She also enjoys telling stories from other ethnic traditions as well as family stories of her own.

Check out my Article for the Folk Harp Journal, Be A Bard: Start Down an Ancient Path, which features an interview with Barra.

Read Barra the Bard’s “Harp of the Dagda”.

“Harp of Dagda” – Dagda (Celtic Trance)
A review on Amazon.com says:
“If you’re not looking for “Traditional” Irish jigs, reels, lyrics, ballads or tunes, but rather a tightly put together selection of songs with a modern, mystic, Celtic “flavor” and a dream-like quality, with a nice heavy bass beat…then this is a CD for you!”

Danceable rhythms overlaid with string arrangements and lilting Celtic melodies compose the sound of Ireland’s Dagda, the collective moniker for producers Red Keating and Phillip O’Rely.

Johnnie Lawson -Natural Sound of the Forest Birds Singing 
Today’s forest sounds are from Johnnie Lawson. He writes: “I search out tranquil, quiet places in nature where we like to go when we want peace and calm, away from the stresses of modern day life. I capture the sense of beauty and tranquility of each location in sound and vision. It is my pleasure to bring these healing videos to you, free for you to relax with at any time of the day or night, anywhere in the world.”

On Forest Halls Celtic, we’ve heard several versions of the Irish slip jig, The Butterfly. A slip-jig is in 9/8 time, but we’ve heard it also in 11/8 and 5/4. In this next version, we hear yet another rhythmic variation, that of 12/8 tim.

“The Red Admiral Butterfly” (slip jig) James Galway & The Chieftains (James Galway & The Chieftains in Ireland)
Douglas Hadden writes:
“The Chieftains” and James Galway play an arrangement of the Irish slip-jig, “The Butterfly”. Possibly the best-known “slip-jig” [ in 9/8 time ] in Irish traditional music. It was made popular by “The Bothy Band” on their first eponymous album. It is often thought of as an original composition by Dublin fiddle-player Tommy Potts, but it is generally accepted these days that he “re-arranged” parts from other traditional tunes, and possibly only the 3rd part is original. In any case, a great tune. “The Chieftains” arrangement plays the original – a great introduction by Matt Molloy – and then change the time signature into 12/8.”

Goltraí – song of sorrow

“O’Carolan’s Farewell to Music” – Máire Ní Chathasaigh (The New Strung Harp)
From Wikipedia:
“Turlough O’Carolan (1670 – 25 March 1738) was a blind early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. Although not a composer in the classical sense, Carolan is considered by many to be Ireland’s national composer. … Some of Carolan’s own compositions show influences of the style of continental classical music, whereas others such as Carolan’s Farewell to Music reflect a much older style of “Gaelic Harping.”

Reputedly the last song composed by O’Carolan — perhaps even on his deathbed! — Carolan’s Farewell to Music is an expression of goltrai — a song of sorrow.

Máire Ní Chathasaigh is an amazing Irish harper, and one I listened to carefully when I first began learning harp.

“Deirdre of the Sorrows” – Fiona Davidson (The Language of Birds)
The Celts know all about beauty, passion, tragedy, and grief. In this story we experience how music gives voice to this Irish myth. This is a tragic tale, but so beautifully and richly told.

Fiona Davidson had quite a career as a harper, storyteller, and bard, and performed in Iona, a progressive Celtic rock band from the United Kingdom, during its early years. These days, she goes by the name Fionntullach, and is devoted to the path of the Celtic spiritual tradition, the Céile Dé.

Suantraí – song of comfort, for soothing, lullabye

“Sleepsong” – Anúna (Invocation)
This absolutely gorgeous song was written for a tale that contains elements similar to the preceding tale of Dierdre.

Wikipedia:

“The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne (Irish: Tóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne or Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Gráinne in modern spelling) is an Irish prose narrative surviving in many variants. A tale from the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, it concerns a love triangle between the great warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill, the beautiful princess Gráinne, and her paramour Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Surviving texts are all in Modern Irish and the earliest dates to the 16th century, but some elements of the material date as far back as the 10th century. …”

The princess Gráinne is to wed the aged great warrior Fionn, but she falls for the young warrior, Diarmuid. They run off and are pursued.

They hide from Fionn in a forest near the River Shannon, where in this greenwood shelter Gráinne soothes Diarmuid with a lullaby.

“Cadal Ciarach Mo Luran (Sleep Well My Beloved)” – Julie Fowlis  – (Gach Sgeul – Every Story)

Scottish folk singer Julie Fowlis sings a “sleepsong” along the same lines as the preceding song.

Sleep well my beloved,
Sleep well my beloved,
Sleep well my beloved,
I’ll always be with you …

Added for 7/19/20:
Music Tiffany Schaefer and The Irish Consort

Radio Show – Episode 7 – June 19, 2016 – Place

The theme of today’s show is “Place” — in particular, how the nature of the land and summer speak through our hearts, and we in turn give voice and expression to our experience of the land. In this show we also celebrate Father’s Day with a few songs honoring dads.

00:11 Spookytree (Deb Knodel & Jane Valencia) – Lochaber No More
01:59 Julie Fowlis and Muireann Nic Amhlaobh – Tha’m buntata mor / An Bairille / Boc liath nan gobhar
05:33 Danu – County Down
11:15 Phil Cunningham – The Palomino Waltz
18:29 Kate Wolf – The Redtail Hawk
22:20 Patrick Ball – Castle Kelly
28:21 Verlene Schermer and Kyle Wohlmut – Take 5 / Butterfly in 5
33:02 Swainsons Thrush – Squamish River Estuary
34:45 Sharlene Wallace and Kim Robertson – The Butterfly
37:28 Ffynnon – Aros Mae
41:53 Dougie Maclean – Talking With My Father
47:06 Dawn and Margie Beaton – Live at ECMA 2010
57:38  Siobhán Armstrong – Mary O’Neill

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Format: Track Title – artist (CD Title)

“Tha’m buntáta mór / An Bairille / Boc liath nan gobhar” – Julie Fowlis and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh  (dual)
Some solo singing by Julie and Muireann, and then some lovely whistle playing by them both.
dual is an album by four acclaimed Irish and Scottish musicians: Éamonn Doorley, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (both prominently of Danú), Julie Fowlis and Ross Martin.

The artists released the album in October 2008 on their official websites. The album was planned to project the similarities and differences between the Irish and Scottish Gaelic song traditions

“County Down” – Danú 
A song by Tommy Sands performed by the Irish band Danú. Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (born 1978) is a musician and singer from County Kerry, Ireland. She was the lead singer from the traditional music group Danú until 2015.

“Palomino Waltz/Donna’s Waltz” – Phil Cunningham (The Palomino Waltz)

Rufous Humingbird – Squamish River Estuary – Woodfibrebirde
Music of a hummingbird you might hear in Forest Halls at this time of year.

“The Redtail Hawk (Golden Rollin’ Hills of California)” – Kate Wolf

Golden rolling hills speak to me of the hot summer sun. One of my favorite songs ever – and I think, that of my husband Andy too. Here’s a version we’re not familiar with. For you, Andy – I reckon the golden rolling hills of California will always speak to our hearts.

“Castle Kelly” – Patrick Ball (Fiona)
A lovely arrangement that well-showcases the ring and tones of the wire-strung harp. I believe the album this song is on, Fiona, is named for his then new daughter (back in 1993).

“Take 5/Butterfly in 5 (Paul Desmond/Trad.)” – Verlene Schermer and Kyle Wohlmut

Two good friends of mine, who have coincidently or not – been up to Vashon at separate times to visit. Verlene is a harper and singer/songwriter in the SF Bay Area. She also plays the Scandinavian Nickel-harpe … I’ll have to play some of that for you sometime. Kyle Wolmut is a Bay Area harper who has been living overseas for some time now. I believe he’s currently based in Germany. How does he bend the notes? Possibly with his tuning key pressed against his string and sliding against it. I don’t have the nerve to try that on my wire-strung harps. The tension seems too tight on them, and my newest wire-strung harp is still breaking a few too many strings in the upper couple of octaves …

Regarding the “bending note” question, here is a note that I received from Verlene after the airing of this show:

“I can shed light on his bending notes. He actually used pitch change pedals to do that.  So it’s electronic!”

Thanks for solving that mystery for me, Verlene!

“Greetings to you, sun of the seasons” (Alexander Carmichael, new trans. Kenneth Jackson)

Words after Scottish-Gaelic – traditional folk prayer:

Greetings to you, sun of the seasons, as you travel the skies on high, with your strong steps on the wing of the heights; you are the happy mother of stars.

You sink down in the perilous ocean without harm and without hurt, you rise up on the quiet wave like a young queen in flower.
Kenneth Jackson, A Celtic Miscellany
Alexander Carmichael Carmina Gadelica vol III p 311

Wikipedia:
“Carmina Gadelica is a compendium of prayers, hymns, charms, incantations, blessings, literary-folkloric poems and songs, proverbs, lexical items, historical anecdotes, natural history observations, and miscellaneous lore gathered in the Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland between 1860 and 1909. The material was recorded, translated, and reworked by the exciseman and folklorist Alexander Carmichael (1832–1912).”

Swainson’s Thrush – Squamish River Estuary – Woodfibrebirder (Youtube)
Here on Vashon Island, the Swainson’s Thrush is the quintessential herald of summer for many of us. When we hear that upward-spiraling flute-like song, we know that summer has arrived. We only hear that song for a short time – so be sure to get outside and enjoy that symphony.

“The Butterfly” Sharlene Wallace and Kim Robertson (Q & A )
Extraordinary Celtic harpers from Canada and America respectively play their version of this favorite Irish slip jig.

“Aros Mae” – Ffynnon (Celtic Music from Wales)
Acapella with beautiful vocals of Lynne Denman
A setting of the poem by the 19th century bard Ceiriog. The poem describes the wind roaring across the mountains and the flowers appearing each year. Although many things come and go some are unchanging, amongst these, the old language and the old tunes remain.

Aros mae’r mynyddau mawr
Rhuo trostynt mae y gwynt ….

 “Walking with my Father” – Dougie Maclean (Till Tomorrow w/ Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
It was hard to choose between this version of “Walking with my Father”, and the earlier, on the album Who Am I.  But, as a former oboist, I have a soft spot for lovely orchestration that includes an oboe solo — and, even more, it’s the kind of accompaniment my dad enjoys. I’m playing this song in honor of my dad.

Dougie Maclean is Scottish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.

From: http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-Till-Tomorrow.aspx:
“Dougie MacLean needs no introduction; as a singer, songwriter, composer and instrumentalist, no artist captures the soul of Scotland with more authenticity or emotion. ‘Till Tomorrow’ features a hand-picked selection of songs

“Originally famed for writing the song Caledonia, Dougie has teamed up with conductor John Logan and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to bring a new and beautiful symphonic dimension to his best-loved songs …”

“Secluded Beach” – Seamus Byrne (Just Before Dawn
Recorded in Co. Wicklow, Ireland in Spring, this very early morning dawn chorus quietly and delicately announces the day as the first birds begin their song, even as the sun is still below horizon.

Dawn and Margie Beaton – Live @ ECMA 2010 – Celtic Colours Festival Club Stage
Musicians playing Patrick Gillis (guitar), Dawn Beaton (fiddle), Margie Beaton (fiddle), Jason Roach (keyboard)
Dawn and Margie Beaton, sisters, are
Cape Breton fiddlers, here performing a set of tunes at the Celtic Colours Festival, which is an annual festival of music and Celtic culture held on Cape Breton Island.
.