Celtic Music - Celtic sunrise Cd
 |  | ‘Celtic Sunrise’ presents traditional
and original music played on acoustic instruments and keyboards
creating an atmosphere of sheer beauty and texture. Gregorian
chant introduces you to the start of day in ‘Sunrise’.
then a collection of slow airs, jigs, reels and waltzes carry
you through to the close of day and the tranquil beauty of “Home
Before the Storm”.
Playing the Celtic Harp and keyboards, Hilary is joined on this
CD by musician friends on Uilleann, Highland & Lowland pipes,
Flute, Whistle, Bodhran, Concertina, Cello, Guitars, Bouzouki,
Fiddle, and Accordions. |
Celtic Sunrise is available on the Swallow Label on CD and Cassette
CD Cat. No. TTS CD3511 - Cassette Cat. No. TTS 511
Hypertext links on tune titles download - MP3 format audio files (not at CD quality).
Track ListTotal playing time 55:58 minutes.
| Holy Island, one time known as Lindisfarne,
is one of those rare, tranquil places with an immense sense of
history. Though the site is now marked by the ruins of a mediaeval
priory dating from 1083 it has been a monastic site since about
AD 635 and it is from this earlier monastery, nearly thirteen
hundred years ago, that the Lindisfarne Gospels a masterpiece of manuscript
illumination, was created. |
|
| The
front cover of this album evokes the feeling of Holy Island as
the sun rises on a new day with the Farne Islands in the distance.
The solace one can find in such places is something I have tried
to portray in the music I have included in this album. |
| The listener
will find many slow airs, some traditional tunes and some my
own compositions which reflect my feeling for Celtic music and
portray some special moments in my life. |
| I feel honoured to be
joined on this album by my many talented musician friends who
have contributed their own unique feeling for Celtic music, making
this for me a very special album indeed. |
Tune Details
| 1.
Sunrise. gregorian chant, wire strung harp, whistle,
cello, keyboards. |
| The dawn is for me a special time of
the day, I composed this tune one sleepless morning as a I lay
listening to the calling of the birds. As dawn approached I noticed
that the birds were calling to each other but also answering
with additional notes in their replies which slowly developed
into a chorus with all it's many colours and variations as dawn
finally broke. This track
opens with the chanting of a schola of eight Benedictine monks
from Pluscarden
Abbey singing the ‘Kyrei Eleison’. This beautiful
chant is one of my favourites and is particularly suited to open
a track which celebrates the sunrise for it is traditionally
sung as a part of the morning prayer at daybreak. By portraying
the birds on the Harp, Whistle, Keyboards and Cello I have tried
to capture the feeling of the dawn chorus as more and more birds
join in the song, slowly building up to a crescendo to herald
the breaking of a new day a dawning. |
 |
| 2. New Day
A-Dawning. wire
strung harp, whistle, cello, border pipes, keyboards. |
| I
composed this tune to follow on from ‘Sunrise’ to welcome
the new day. This tune portrays the feeling of a crisp spring
morning with the promise of a fine day and the uplift such a
day can give to ones spirit. |
| 3. Bonny Bunch
of Roses. flute,
keyboards. |
| This tune is mostly noted for its Napoleonic
connection as the tune for a Ballad of the same name, an elegy
on the defeat of Napoleon at Moscow. |
"He took three hundred thousand men, and kings likewise to bear his throne,
He was so well provided for, that he could sweep the world alone;
But when he came to Moscow, he was overpowered by the sleet and snow,
With Moscow all a-blazing, and he lost the Bonny Bunch of Roses, O."
|
| The
phrase ‘Bonny Bunch of Roses, O’ is, I believe a euphemism
for England. The air is also considered to be a variation of
"An Beinsín Luacra" (‘The Little Bench
of Rushes’) and can be found under this title in O’Neill’s
Music of Ireland. |
| 4.
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."
|
| 5. Dance for
a Little Princess /
Mazurka. gut strung harp, whistle, border pipes, accordion,
bass guitar, / Mazurka:
button accordion, bodhran. |
| I composed ‘Dance
for a Little Princess’ for Sigourney, my 5 year old granddaughter,
as she danced for me, swirling and tipping on her toe’s,
following her first ballet lesson. Dance for a Little Princess
is followed by a Mazurka played on the button accordion and accompanied
on the bodhran. Traditionally the mazurka has an origin in Poland
though variations on this style are now found in many countries
including France and Ireland. |
| 6. Niel Gow's
Lament for his Second Wife. fiddle,
cello, keyboards. |
| One of Niel
Gow's most beautiful slow airs written for his wife who died
two years before him after thirty years together. The first part
of the tune is played twice while the second part is played three
time with variations and culminating in a return to the first
part. The tune is played here on the fiddle and accompanied by
harmonies played on the cello and keyboard. Niel Gow lived from
1727 to 1807 and lived most of his life at Inver in Scotland
and is considered to be one of the great Scottish fiddlers. |
| 7. 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."
|
| 8. The Kerry
Mass Tunes. uilleann
pipes, flute, button accordion, gut strung harp, keyboards. |
| This
processional tune is played in the middle of mass in many churches
all over Co. Kerry, Ireland. It is common practice for musicians
to bring their instruments along and join in when this tune is
played. This tune is known to the musicians on this track, John,
Terry and Kevin, simply as ‘The Kerry Mass Tunes’,
whether an alternative title exists I have been unable to determine. |
| 9. The Lark
in the Strand. guitar. |
| 'The
‘Lark on the Strand’ is a very popular Irish jig known
to many folk musicians as played here by Gordon on guitar. |
| 10. Ethel's
Waltz. wire strung
harp, fiddle, flute, cello, keyboards. |
| I composed
this tune on holiday in British Columbia, Canada, whilst staying
with our good friends Al & Ethel. Feeling in a very relaxed
mood after sampling one of Al’s infamous barbecues ‘on
the deck’, Al was playing his guitar and I was messing around
on a mandolin and almost without thinking this tune emerged.
The tune is named after Ethel who, with her husband Al and their
children, have always made us so welcome. |
| 11. The Sweet
Brown Cow (Druimfhionn Donn Dilis) / The Blackthorn Stick.
guitar, uilleann pipes,
flute, bodhran. |
| An ancient Irish air which is played
here, first as a guitar solo then as a solo on Uilleann Pipes.
It is generally believed that the term ‘Druimfhionn Donn
Dilis’ is a euphemism for Ireland. The
second tune on this track is ‘The Blackthorn Stick’,
played here as a jig though it is sometimes played also as a
set dance and is one of the first tunes nearly every folk musician
learns. The blackthorn is the first shrub to flower each year
when it's small white flowers are a welcome first sign of spring.The
Blackthorn Stick is sometimes interpreted as a reference to the
Irish shillelagh though traditionally the shillelagh was carved
out of oak. |
| 12.
Bugeilior'r Gwenith Gwyn (Watching
the Wheat). concertina,
accordion, keyboards. |
| Origins of this beautiful
but sad air are vague. The poet Will Hopkin of Glamorganshire,
in the early 18th century, wrote words to the tune telling of
the love he had for Ann Thomas ‘The Maid of Cefn Ydfa’
who was destined by family arrangement to marry another. Published
in 1844 , By Maria Jane Williams, in one of the first books of
Welsh songs 'Ancient Airs of Gwent and Morganwg'. |
| 13. Mary Scott,
The Flower of Yarrow. leicestershire
pipes, bouzouki. |
| A Jacobite piping tune from the Scots
borders which is also known as ‘Sir John Fenwick’s
the Flower Amang Them All’. I first heard this tune many
years ago, it is played here by Steve on the Leicestershire Pipes,
a mouth blow pipe with a single drone. |
| 14. The Parting
Glass (Deoc An Doruis). gut
strung harp, fiddle, keyboards. |
| The communal
drink salutes the ties of friendship and companionship and helps
ease the pain of parting. There is no more eloquent and poignant
song on this topic than ‘The Parting Glass’. Played
here as an instrumental in the key of A Minor. |
| 15. Major
Harrisons Fedora (Feadoir an Meara). whistle, bouzouki, bass guitar. |
| Major
Harrison’s trademark was a brown fedora hat, and this Irish
reel was named in his honour. |
| 16. Ho Ri Ho
Mo Nionaig. guitar,
flute, gut strung harp. |
| Passed down through the
generations as part of the oral tradition, with origins as an
unaccompanied love song, this beautiful tune from the Isle of
Lewis in the Outer Hebrides is played here as an instrumental
slow air. |
| 17. The Mist Covered Mountains. highland pipes. |
| A
popular Highland air played here as a solo. Unfortunately I have
no historical notes to add about this tune even though I have
known it for many years. Recently, when driving through Glencoe,
we came a across a lone piper, playing for the tourists, who,
on request, played ‘The Mist Covered Mountain’ for
me. Some months later after and enjoyable week sailing along
the West coast of Scotland we met Alan Prentice, a fellow sailor,
I discovered that we had the same taste in music and also that
he played the highland pipes, he played this haunting air for
me the next day in the car park at Crinan as we departed, but
not before I had asked if he would be a soloist on this album. |
| 18. Home Before
the Storm. gut
strung harp, fiddle, cello, flute, border pipes, concertina,
accordion, bass guitar, keyboards. |
| It was mid
October, we had left Crinin six days earlier sailing North through
the sound of Luig towards Mull. On the return journey we stopped
at the Gairvallechs a deserted group of Islands just off the
North shore of Jura and the site of an ancient monastery
and beehive dwellings which are said to date from the 8th century.
We spent a night in a beautiful
and sheltered anchorage in Loch Tarbert on Jura, and were treated
in the morning to the sight of otters playing on the shore. The
weather was fine but with little wind we motored to the northern
entrance to the Sound of Islay, the passage between Islay and
Jura, a westerly breeze enabled us to sail down the sound, mooring
for the night at Craighouse on the South side of Jura.
The following day the forecast was
not good with storms coming from the West within 24 hours. We
decided to head back a day early to Crinin and that night as
the storm blew we were thankful to be safely locked into the
Crinin Basin. This tune recalls
the memory of that trip when we were safely ‘Home Before
The Storm’ and other memorable sailing trips amongst the
Western Isles of Scotland. It
was at Crinan that we met with Alan Prentice the Highland piper. |
| 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 for10
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 played
a major part in the mastering of this album. |
| Gregorian
Chants - The Monks
of Pluscarden Abbey |
| Pluscarden Abbey is the
home of a community of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks. It is
situated six miles South-West of Elgin in the Catholic diocese
of Aberdeen. The Monastery buildings date from the year 1230,
and were built originally for a community of monks who came from
Val des Choux in Burgundy. The present community was founded
in 1948 from Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire, which began
as a religious community in the Anglican Church; that community,
which lived at the time on Caldey Island, was received into the
Catholic Church in 1913. |
| 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. |
| Gordon
Tyrrall - Steel Strung Guitar |
| Gordon has
been a professional guitarist for over 20 years. He has roamed
all over Europe with the band ‘Iona’ after which he
joined the folk band ‘Dab Hand’. He has appeared on
television ‘Pride and Prejudice’ in which he played
one of the musicians in the ballroom scenes. |
| Steve Lawrence
- Border Pipes, Bouzouki |
| Steve has played with
the ‘Hudson Swan Band,’ ‘Canterack’, Toured
with ‘Iron Horse’ for three years with whom he produced
the soundtrack music for the TV documentary ‘The Gamekeeper’. |
| Marian Higgs - Accordion |
| Marian
plays regularly with the Cheshire based ‘Foxes Bark Band’
and Folk Clubs in Cheshire. She has appeared at many Folk Festivals
throughout the country and has played on Radio Cymru. |
| John
Murphy - Uilleann Pipes |
| John plays a variety
of instruments but his primary instrument is the Uilleann Pipes.
He has played with various line ups and was a founder member
of ‘Garva’ a Merseyside based band that found acclaim
not only on a local and national level, but also on an international
level. He has played at Folk Festivals all over Europe and has
appeared on radio and television in Ireland on several traditional
Irish programmes. |
| John C Murphy - Bass Guitar |
| John
has been playing the bass guitar for many years. Initially with
a college group called ‘King Beez’. He has played at
the famous ‘Cavern’ in Liverpool when he was with the
well known group called the ‘Triangle’. I first met
John when he joined my Manchester based folk group ‘Driftwood’. |
| Ian
Goodier - Concertina |
| Ian’s musical journey
began at the tender age of 12 in the local silver band, he has
been playing concertina for over 25 years in various bands and
ritual dance teams. He plays a wide variety of music from the
early English dance collections, Celtic traditions and American
ragtime. |
| 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. We met Alan and his wife and friend
at the Crinin Basin (see notes on ‘The Mist Covered Mountain’). |
| Kevin
Webster - Button Accordion |
| Playing since the age
of six the lightning fingers of Kevin as he plays his two row
button accordion have been appreciated on his many tours and
concerts throughout the United Kingdom and the U S A. He has
won the All Ireland button accordion championships six times.
He now adjudicates for Comhaltas
Ceoltóirí Éireann, in all the major
competitions |
| 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. |
| Vocal Samples: | 'Symphony of Voices' - Courtesy of Spectrosonics |
| String Samples: | 'Synclavia Strings' -
Courtesy of Ilio |
| Notes
& Research: | Hilary
Rushmer & Roger Benton |
| Celtic Artwork Cover Design: | Wendy Smith |
| Front Cover Slide:
The Farne Islands taken from Lindisfarne © Richard Horton |
| Acknowledgments: | |
| My
special thanks to Roger, Wendy, Valerie and Hudson for their
help and support in the preparation of this album and to the
musicians who joined me for this recording. In my arrangement
of 'Sunrise' I include a small ancient bell called a crothel
to accompany the monks. This recording of the bell was taken
from the album 'Horns of ancient Ireland' on which Simon
O'Dwyer plays original horns and bells from the middle to late
bronze age period. It is with his kind permission that I use
this recording of the Crothal. |
Recorded at Tall Trees Studio
Produced and Published by Hilary Rushmer. (MCPS) (PPL) (P@MRA) (PPI) (PRS)
All right reserved © 1999 Hilary Rushmer (P)1999 Hilary Rushmer
|
