| 1.
Journey
of a River Gut
Strung Harp, Fiddle, Cello, Flute, Bodrhan. & Keyboards |
| For
me nature provides a natural inspiration for much of my music.I
composed ‘Journey of a River’ to reflect themany moods
a river may pass through from its birth as a spring on a remote
hillside and the journey through to the final emergence to join
the open sea. Inspiration for this composition comes from the
majestic River Teifi from its source
in the Cambrian Mountains and its journey through the Hills of
West Wales through to its estuary at Cardigan Bay.‘Journey
of a River’ starts with a choir then a sprightly tune, played
on Harp and accompanying instruments evoking thebubbleness of
the new born river as the water flows from the Teifi Pools, once
famed for their trout, down the hills above the once great Cistercian
abbey of Strata
Florida, the burial place of Poet and Princes. A slow air
on the Fiddle and Cello and Flute then follows to reflect the
tranquil moments as the river meanders through low-lying meadowland
.The pace of the river then gathers as the River Teifi approaches
the Cenarth Falls where, until as recent as 1861, the ‘
Teifi Coracle men’ worked the river to catch Salmon as they
migrated up the river. The change in the mood of the river is
also reflected in the music as the Harp picks up the tempo to
be joined by strings and whistle and bodhran. The final part
in the Journey of a River reflects those tranquil moments as
the River Teifi joins the sea at Cardigan. Once again we slow
the tempo of the music for a slow air played on the flute. |
|
|
2. Tom Bowling.
Cello & Keyboards |
| “Tom
Bowling”, written by Charles
Dibdin (1745–1814) in memory of his own elder brother
Tom, asea-captain who died after his ship was struck by lightning.
It first appeared in The Oddities which was performed at The
Lyceum Theatre in 1789. It is played here as a Cello solo with
choir accompaniment. |
Here, a sheer hulk, lies poor Tom Bowling
The darling of the crew;
No more he'll hear the tempest howling
For death has broach'd him to.
His form was of the manliest beauty,
His heart was kind and soft,
Faithful, below he did his duty,
But now he's gone aloft.
|
| 3.
Hannah's
Grey Shawl. Gut
Strung Harp, Cello, & Keyboards |
| Played on
Harp with accompanying strings and choir this slow air is dedicated
to the memory of my late Grandmother, Hannah Garratt, whom I
have fond memories as she sat by the fireside wearing her grey
lace shawl. |
| 4. Pilgrim. Gut Strung Harp & Keyboards |
| Thinking
of either the modern pilgrim with his backpack or our pilgrim
forefathers, I wrote this tune to emanate the feeling
of undertaking a journey and the joyousness of eventually arriving.
Places close to my heart and significant for many
pilgrims are Iona Abbey and Lindisfarne priory. Iona Abbey lies
on the West Coast of Scotland - a region I know well from many years sailing the Western
Isles, while Holy Island, Lindisfarne, lies on the East coast
and is another placeof pilgrimage and famous for the beautiful
Lindisfarne Gospels. |
|
|
| 5. The
Fairhaired Child. Wire
Strung Harp |
| This air collected by Edward Bunting
in 1792, probably at the Belfast Harp festival, was published
in his ‘General Collection of
Ancient Irish Music 1796’. |
Edward Bunting
|
| 6. Water of
Tyne. Wire Strung
Harp, Gut Strung Harp, Fiddle, Cello & Keyboards. |
| This
tune has always been a favourite of mine with an obvious Tyneside
connection; however I have not been able to find any history about it other than these
words from the ballad sung to the same melody. |
“O where is the boatman? My bonny hinney!
“O where is the boatman? Bring him to me,
To ferry me over the Tyne to my honey,
And I will remember the boatman and thee.”
|
7. Lament. Cello, Flute. Gut Strung Harp & Keyboards.
This is one of my own compositions to reflect many moods.Thomas Davies, wrote the following:
|
Music is a universal language, appealing to the very soul of man,
And it is outpouring of the heart, whether to express joy or sorrow,
To rouse to battle or to soothe to sleep,
To give expression of jubilation for the living,
Or of the wailing for the dead,
To manifest sympathy with society, or devotion of the deity
|
| 8.
Pretty
Maid Milking her Cow. Gut
Strung Harp, Fiddle & Flute. |
| In
Gaelic known as ‘An Cailin deas Cruidte na m-bo’ this
tune can be found in Edward Bunting’s “General Collection
of Ancient Irish Music 1796”.Like many traditional tunes
and songs alternative titles abound and this tune is no exception
with variations being also known under the titles of ‘It was on a Fine Summer’s
Morning’, ‘The Song of O’Ruark, Prince of Breffni’
and ‘The Valley Lay Smiling before Me’ |
“It was on a fine summer’s morning,
When the birds sweetly tuned on each bough;
I heard a fair maid sing most charming
As she sat a-milking her cow;
Her voice, it was chanting melodious,
She left me scarce able to go;
My heart it is soothed in solace,
My Cailín deas crúite na mbó.”
|
|
9. My Lagan
Love. Flute |
Played as a solo on the flute, 'My Lagan Love' is another of my favourite tunes and is considered to be one of the great love songs of all time,
whose striking modal melody makes it unique. The “Lagan” referred to is the Lagan River in Donegal. This ancient melody was collected by
Herbert Hughes in the late 19th Century; later Joseph Campbell (Seosamh MacCathmhaoil) added the following lyrics to this tune.
|
Where Lagan stream sings lullaby, And often when the beetle’s horn
There blows a lily fair. Hath lulled the eve to sleep,
The twilight gleam is in her eye, I steal unto her shieling lorn
The night is on her hair. And through the dooring peep.
And like a lovesick lenanshee, There by the cricket’s singing stone
She has my heart in thrall, She spare the bogwood fire
Nor life I own nor liberty, And sings in sad, sweet undertone
For love is lord of all. The song of heart’s desire.
|
Her welcome like her love for me
Is from deep within.
Her warm kiss is felicity
That knows no taint of sin.
And when I set my foot to go
’Tis leaving love and light
To feel the wind of longing blow
From out of darkest night.
|
| 10.
Leezie Lyndsey. Wire Strung Harp, Mandolin, Guitar
& Keyboards |
| This tune was first published in 1806
by Jamieson in his ‘Popular Ballads of Scotland. Apparently
Donald Macdonald from Kingussie went to
Edinburgh to seek a wife; however, his mother insisted that he
go dressed as a man of lower status to attract a woman who loved
him truly for his own sake
and not for his wealth. Asking of the lowland girl Leezie Lindsey,
“Will ye gang to the Hielan’s Leezie Lindsey?”,
after some debate she answers
“I will gang to the Heilan’s with you sir, your bride
and your darling to be” |
| 11. Heather
Island. Fiddle
& Keyboards |
A most beautiful Scottish air played here on the fiddle. Heather Island (Am Fraoch Eilean) is situated close to Jura at the southern entrance
to the Sound of Islay and thought to be the site of one of the “Lords of the Isles” most important sea fortification, Claig Castle controlling the
entrance to the Sound of Jura. Heather Island is ancient site with Bronze Age burial cairns and a Neolithic chambered burial cairn thought to
be 2000 years old.
|
| 12.
Rhos-y-Llan
Castle. Wire Strung
Harp |
| I had always believed this to be a Scottish
tune, first written in the ‘Skeen manuscript 1615-1620’,
under the title ‘Roslin Castle’. While I was
carrying out further research on
the history of the tunes I came across music with an alternative
title ‘ Rhos-y-Llan Castle’. My reasoning for this
could be, that as the travelling minstrels roamed the country
from region to region they would (to put it politely) have ‘borrowed’
and adapted tunes, sometimes even changing the title to meet
their own requirements. |
| 13. Dream
Angus. Small Harp
& Cello |
| This soothing lullaby from the Highlands
of Scotland has a distinctive flavour both in musical style and
content. Nowhere are lullabies to be found
in such numbers and variety than amongst the Scottish Gaels.
I have arranged Dream Angus for a small wire strung Harp with
gentle but strong bass harmonies
provided on the Cello |
| 14. Celebration.
Wire Strung Harp,
Cello & Keyboards |
| One of my own compositions,
written to celebrate the return of spring. |
| 15. Leaving
Arisaig. Gut Strung Harp, Cello, Flute &
Keyboards |
| The entrance to Loch nan Ceall (Arisaig
Harbour) is flanked by low and, at high water, often submerged
rocks. However at low water the rocks
are revealed along with beautiful sandy beaches stretching between
the rocks. It was on a summer day when we were leaving Arisaig
by boat we stopped to spend the day relaxing on the sands with
glorious views across to the Isles of Eigg and Rhum. The rising
tide eventually forced us
to leave and this tune, played on Harp with accompanying choir,
evokes the joy of day spent in a special place, the sadness of
having to eventually leave
but also the hope of one day we would return. |
The Sands at Arisaig
|
| 16.
Fair
Young Mary. Highland
Bagpipes |
| Melody: Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saor
This beautiful Scottish air was
used for a Gaelic song. Composed by Donnchadh Bàn Mac
ant-Saor (often said to be the last of the Gaelic bards) as a
wedding present for his wife. The
tune can be found in Patrick MacDonald’s collection of tunes
published in 1783. |
My love to my bride with dear caresses, Where woodlands are green with trees well nourished
And pride, shall ever be shown, A scene of beauty to view,
Each virtue most rare her soul possesses, I found with delight one stem that flourish’d,
And fair and sweet has she grown. Of bright and beautiful hue:
My thoughts used to rove in boyish folly That bough from above, desiring greatly
Ere ever her love I had known, With love unto me I drew;
But now I’m her own, None else could have mov’d that tree
My heart is wholly My Darling’s alone. so stately ’Twas only for that me it grew.
|
| Disclaimer:
Although the history of the text
has been thoroughly searched, I claim no responsibility to any
inaccuracies within the contents enclosed therein. |
|
THE MUSICIANS
WHO HAVE JOINED ME ON THIS ALBUM |
| Roger
Benton - Fiddle |
| Roger has been playing the fiddle for
10 years, specialising in slow airs. His ability and expression
is greatly admired from all his followers at the folk clubs in
Cheshire where he plays. With the exception of my first album
he has featured on all my previous albums. Roger has also playeda
major part in the mastering of this album |
| Paul Hickman
- Cello |
| Paul plays a wide range of music from
Classical to Folk and light musicals and shows. He studied at
Huddersfield Polytechnic. He plays with Stockport
Symphony Orchestra and has toured Hungary with the famous
group “Rebec”. With the exception of my first cassette
album Paul has featured on all my previous albums. |
| Terry Coyne - Flute, Whistles |
| Born
into a family steeped in the traditional music of Ireland. Terry
started playing the flute and whistle at the age of 11. He has
played extensively in many concerts and competitions and has
won top honours in world championships. He has made several appearances
on television and radio. |
| Alan
Prentice - Highland Bagpipes |
| Alan has
been playing the highland bagpipes for many years, and for over
20 years has specialised in piping for highland dancers and operates
under the name of Stirling Highland Dancers. He supplies piping
entertainment with or without high quality dancers for all types
of functions. |
| John ‘ Bone’s’ Adderley
- Bodhran |
| John has been beating the Bodhran since
an early age. He has played with members of the Liverpool ceili
band and the Coyne brothers extensively over the past twenty
years. A Bodhran in the wrong hands is said to be a dangerous
instrument, but hands like ‘ Bone’s’ can
make the Bodhran dance. |
