The Mountains of Mourne
A dreamy melody is just what we needed for a fitting opening tune for our cd. This track has been on our 'things to do'-list for some time and we are delighted that we finally captured it. The melody for the song was originally called Carrigdhoun, and P. French has written the words for The mountains of Mourne.
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To hear an mp3-sample of this tune, click here |
Castle Kelly
Recording this tune was a challenge, since it is not the type of melody we are used to playing. It came out very satisfactory though, and we think it blends very well with the other pieces on this album.
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Eleanor Plunckett
Turlough O'Carolan still inspires us and every now and then we dip into his vast repertoire to learn another one of his compositions.
The Aran Boat
The Aran islands are a group of 3 islands on the westcoast of Ireland,west of Galway. The tune is one of those melodies that could go on for a long time... For your listening pleasure, we stopped after four times.
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Gouda 2003 (photo: K. Staepels)
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| To hear an mp3-sample of this tune, click here |
Chrysalis
The first of two originals from Eddie on this album. The word chrysalis stands for the stage in a butterfly's life when she is changing from an ugly, rather dull caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly inside a cocoon. This transformation process is still a mystery to science.
Grace
The words to this song are based on an original letter, written by an imprisoned man called Joseph Plunket who was allowed to get married one day before his execution. This occurred more often with prisoners in a similar situation. He tells of his great sorrow to be able to enjoy life with his wife for only such a short time.
The pretty maid milking her cow
OK, we will be honest; the first thing that attracted us to this tune, was its funny title. But soon it turned into one of our favorites because of the elegance and simplicity of the melody.
On this cd we play a rather slow and therefor slightly melancholic sounding version, which might make you wonder what grieved this pretty maid. We don't have the answer, it probably has to do with a lover being out of reach. The melody is also known as L'heritiere de Keroulez.
Gouda 2003 (photo: K. Staepels)
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Carpe diem
The initial idea for this tune was in our heads for some time. In the summer of 2001 we found its present arrangement.
Song for Ireland
"I stood by your Atlantic sea, and I sang a song for Ireland..."
During a visit to Dingle (co.Kerry), the westernmost point of Europe, Ed sang his 'song for Ireland' and therefor he is entitled to play this song since then.
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O'Carolan's Welcome
The second O'Carolan piece on Gentle. A very popular melody with us because of it's possibilities to play with harmonies and phrasing. Again, Pien Tieman on concertharp plays some beautiful countermelodies, that enrich the whole piece a lot.
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| To hear an mp3-sample of this tune, click here |
The Fairy Queen
The origin of this air is not certain. It consists of five different parts, and possibly only two of these parts were written by O'Carolan. A printed copy was found as long ago as in 1725.
Stay with me 'till the morning
This famous song is based on the melody from Mozart's clarinet concerto. It is a very romantic piece that is one of our favourite tunes now. And it is so well known, that wherever or whenever we play it, often there is somebody in the audience who starts to sing or whistle along.
The Galley of Lorne
In 1156, a fierce Irish/Scottish warrior defeated the Vikings, who hitherto ruled Scotland. He designed a ship, based on the model that the Vikings had. Thanks to these 'galley's', originated in a part of Scotland known as 'the Lorne', the Scots were able to defend their coast for the next 400 years. The courage and strength of the sailors from those days is still referred to as 'The galley of Lorne'.
My love is like a red red rose
Although the rose is often used as a symbol for England, this is a Scottish lovesong. We learned it from a friend of ours, with whom Ed recorded it for his bride on their wedding day.
