Hi guys! 🙂
Today I’m just sharing a bit of a random song with you that I came across some months ago when looking for more music featuring harp that I could add to my Bibiel’s Playlist For Sleep on Spotify, and this was one of the songs that ended up catching my attention. It has a bit of a modern Celtic feel, while I generally prefer the more traditional and folklore-infused things, but it’s still really pleasant to listen to and I think many of you may enjoy it.
Hi guys! 🙂
This beautiful solo harp piece with an oh so depressing title that I feel like sharing with you today comes from the Irish harpist whose music I’ve shared with you quite often before – that is Celia Briar. – I think it’s one of her more beautiful pieces so I hope you enjoy it too. 🙂
Hey people! 🙂
Today I’d like to share with you another song from this duo, playing harp and nyckelharpa, a few of whose songs I shared with you in the last months. I think this piece is one of the more evocative of all of their music, and I like how it always makes me imagine a lot.
Hey people! 🙂
Today I have for you a really evocative composition from Floraleda Sacchi – Italian harpist who is both known from performing music from other composers for harp, often popularising these lesser known, as well as composing her own music. – Like I said, this piece is her original and I really like it. It really is sweet.
Hey people! 🙂
Today, let’s listen to a very mountain-themed set of two harp tunes from Gwenan Gibbard. She is from the Llyn Peninsula, as I may have mentioned in some other post featuring her music (as I’ve shared some more of it in the past) which is located in Snowdonia and also commonly known as the Snowdon’s Arm. No surprise then that both these pieces have Snowdonia-inspired titles.
Hey people! 🙂
It’s actually a bit weird that I haven’t shared anything from Nansi Richards before, giving how renowned and skilled a harpist she was. Nansi Richards was born in Wales in 1888 and was an expert both in terms of Welsh triple harp, and Celtic harp, and all the pedal harps as well. She is also known as The Queen of the Harp, or Telynores Maldwyn. To me, when reading about her, she generally sounds like someone who must have had bags of character and truly enjoyed what she was doing in life. She was appointed the Royal Harpist to Prince of Wales and held this title until her death in 1979.
Hey people! 🙂
Let’s listen to some Baroque music today, in the arrangement of great Welsh harpist Catrin Finch whose music I’ve shared here a few times already. It is a part of composition by Johann Sebastian Bach, which he created for count Herman Karl von Keyserling, originally to be played on harpsichord. Interestingly, the piece was meant to cure the count’s insomnia. It was played to him by his musician, who was at the same time Bach’s student – Johann Gottlieb Goldberg – hence it’s called “Goldberg’s Variations”. I’m not particularly well acquainted with Baroque music, but I really like how this sounds onharp, and I thought we’d have a listen to the variation no. 3.
Hey people! 🙂
Today I have another two-piece harp set with reels for you, from Lynn Saoirse. I’m not sure about the first one, but the second is definitely traditional. I’m not sure who the Cahir in the title is, I’m pretty sure there was a character named Cahir in The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski but I don’t suppose it’s about this one, haha, there’s also a town in Ireland of this name.
Hi guys! 🙂
Today I have a beautiful folk piece for you from a Welsh band called Ffynnon. It is comprised of two women – Stacey Blythe (who also takes part in several other folk music projects as far as I’m aware and is the harpist here however she can also play other instruments) and the vocalist Lynne Denman. Their name derives from the Welsh word ffynnon meaning fountain. I really like something about this word, I must say. Not because it sounds somehow particularly interesting, but because it’s very picturesque and even before I knew what I mean, for some reason I associated it with some sort of a stream or something else to do with the water. Maybe it’s just me.
The song I want to share with you is a traditional piece, and there is even a translation for it, which I’ve taken directly from
where you can also find the original lyrics.
Perfect their world, the wild birds
That fly by the roadway and the fountain
Sometimes to the sea, sometimes to the mountain
And come blameless home
Perfect my world, though I cannot fly
Hill and dale and fellside
I want to know, however bad
Where the cuckoo sleeps in the winter
In the wood she sleeps
And in the gorse she nests
In the bush, under birch leaves
That is the place where she will die
Perfect my world, though I cannot fly
Hill and dale and fellside
Sometimes to the sea, sometimes to the mountain
And come blameless home
Hey people! 🙂
Today I have another nice two-piece harp set for you, from the Irish harpist Lynn Saoirse who was already featured on this blog a couple times. While I don’t know who is the Morrison to whom the second piece pertains, for your information, in case you don’t know, Lisdoonvarna is a town in the west of Ireland, in co. Clare, famous for its music festivals.
Hey people! 🙂
A very nature-themed piece I’d like to share with you today, and a bit summery, contrasting with the fact that it’s snowing lightly over here right now. 🙂 I shared a beautiful two-piece set by Gwenan Gibbard, and here’s another one. It feels very idyllic to me. The first piece in here is called “Yr Hafren”, Hafren being the original Welsh name for the river Severn. And the othet, summery piece is called “Heulwen Haf” which means Summer Sunrise. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 🙂
Hey people! 🙂
For the last day of this weird year, I chose to share with you an interesting, atmospheric and quite modern-sounding harp composition of Italian harpist Floraleda Sacchi, which was released a little earlier this year. Floraleda Sacchi was featured on this blog before, but as far as I remember, not with her own music, while this, from what I know, is her own piece. I hope you enjoy. 🙂
Here is another very lovely harp piece, a waltz, this time from Scottish harpist Ailie Robertson, accompanied by cello. It was was composed by Stephen Jones for his son, before he was even born, and apparently inspired by Gustav’s Klimt painting of a pregnant woman.
Let’s listen to some more harp music! This great Irish Celtic harpist – Lynn Saoirse – has been featured on this blog before, I really love her music. And this is a piece from her that I listened to recently, so thought I’d share. I don’t know who lord Massereene is really, I guess there is a place in Ireland called Massereene…? or am I wrong? I think there is. And I know there was such an aristocratic title in Ireland as viscount Massereene, so it most likely refers to one of its bearers, but which one, and why it honours him, I have no clue. It is a beautiful harp piece though, and that’s what matters to me the most in this particular case. 🙂
Hey people! 🙂
So I was looking for something that would be in line with the current period and that I haven’t yet shared with you, and finally I did find something that I’m quite surprised I didn’t share with you before because I really love this piece, it’s so beautiful. I’m generally surprised that I’ve never shared anything from Anuna on here.
This is not necessarily a Christmas carol or anything like that, but it comes from one of Anuna’s Christmas albums and is like a contemporary Christian hymn, so I thought it still would be very suitable. It was composed and written by Michael Glynn – the musical director and founder of Anuna – and the soloist is Lynn Hilary who also used to be part of quite a popular Irish Celtic group Celtic Woman and has released some solo music as well.
Anuna is a very interesting project, they do choral music that is very much based on Celtic elements but also draws a lot from the Christian choral singing tradition. I am not a huge fan of choral singing but I like what they do.
Here are the lyrics to this song in English:
He comes with the wind
He goes on the waves
He hears my prayer
When I call Him in the darkest moment of the night
Softly, softly, softly
I sleep softly, my Christ
Softly, softly, softly
I sleep softly in Your heart
Naked He stands at the dawn
In the new-born child
He is there at the end
As the soul parts from the body
Softly, softly, softly
I sleep softly, my Christ
Softly, softly, softly
I sleep softly in Your heart
There is no one so full of mercy and love
There is no way to understand Your goodness
You are my teacher and guide
I sleep softly in Your heart
Softly, softly, softly
I sleep softly, my Christ
Softly, softly, softly
I sleep softly in Your heart
It doesn’t seem to be on YouTube, so below are the links to Spotify and Songwhip, and on the latter you can find all the other streaming services where it is available:
I’ve shared quite a few pieces by this duo this year on here, and here is another, beautiful, soothing and evocative. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 🙂
For today, I decided to share with you a deliciously long, beautiful and a bit melancholic solo harp piece performed by Scottish harpist Rachel Newton, whose music I’ve already shared with you before. I only recently heard this particular piece but I’m totally in love with it and I think many other people may find it very interesting and pleasant. 🙂
Hey people! 🙂
I shared one track from this great Irish harpist with you before, but I thought I’d love to share another one, when I was listening to her music last night. This is absolutely one of my most favourite pieces by her, and I think it’s very deep and moving. The harmony of this piece strongly reminds me of another, New England-based, Irish harpist – Aine Minogue – whom I love and whose music had helped me through a very difficult time.
Hey people! 🙂
Today I have another Celtic harp piece for you! It is performed by great Celtic harpist from Wisconsin – Kim Robertson – who was actually classically trained in orchestral harp but decided to focus on Celtic harp and has really released a lot of albums. Glenlivet is a place in Scotland, which may be known to some because of the whisky distillery that is there and produced The Glenlivet whisky. Here’s the beautiful piece.
Hey people! 🙂
Not long ago, I shared with you a harp piece performed by Sue Richards and composed by Irish national bard and composer who was also a harper – Turlough O’Carolan. – Today, I’m sharing another tune that was composed by him and that is one of his most popular compositions, very frequently played by harpers and harpists. The version I chose to share with you is by Celia Briar, whose music I’ve also shared with you quite a few times before. From what I’ve read, it used to be a song with Irish Gaelic lyrics, which are now unknown. O’Carolan wrote this song in praise of Eleanor Plunkett from Robertstown in co. Meath.
