Tag: Celtic harp

Lisa Lynne ft. Aryeh Frankfurter – “Interlace IV”.

Hi people! 🙂

Some time ago, I’ve shared with you a piece from this duo called

“Interlace II”,

and I thought I’d share another of the Interlaces today, from the same album. I don’t know if it’s somehow imperative to listen to this whole album in the right order, since some tracks on it are numbered and whether it’s not intended to just listen to single pieces from it, I know that some albums work this way that listening one random piece or the album in a shuffle mode makes a lot less sense than when you listen to it the way it’s made to be listened to, but in this case I’ve both listened to the entire album in its order and all the pieces separately many times and I don’t see such a necessity, personally. So here’s “Interlace IV”, just because it was playing in my brain earlier today.

Maire Brennan – “Nuair a Bhí Óg” (When We Were Young).

Hey guys! 🙂

After some Enya’s music, time for a song from her older sister – Maire, or Moya, who is most known for being a vocalist and harpist with Clannad but is also a solo artist which you may know already from my blog where I’ve shared some of her music before. – Here is the translation of this song:

 

We ran up in respect of the mountains

I have lost many days

Leaping over water stones

Playing with us outdoors |

Thinking of Tír na nÓg ‘s stories

When we were young

The sun shining through the tops of the trees

When we were young

Listening to the radio with fresh music | When we were young

the wind blowing through my family ‘s place

When we were young

Below stay a white beach in Summer

We laughed with fun and games

Fishing with a rod we did

Dance and music at the end of the day

Lisa Lynne ft. Aryeh Frankfurter – “Eliz Iza”.

Hey guys! 🙂

Another harp (& nyckelharpa) piece for you today. I know that this is originally a song, with Breton lyrics, and it’s traditional, that it’s otherwise known as Ti Eliz Iza, and I know that ti means house in Breton, so I’d think it’s about the house of someone named Eliz Iza, but I’m not 100% sure that Eliz Iza is actually someone’s name here, it just sounds like it could be. I don’t know Breton so I can’t deciffer the lyrics, and the only translation I’ve found sounds a bit nonsensical. But it’s an instrumental here anyway, so we don’t need to think about the lyrics, I’ve never heard them sung anyway. I just like the melody of this piece, it’s beautiful.

Song of the day (21st April ) – Gwenan Gibbard – “Traeth Lafan/Adlais Nia/Pen Rhaw” (Lavan Sounds/Nia’s Echo/Spade’s Head”.

Hey people! 🙂

Today, I’m sharing with you a few pieces in one track from Gwenan Gibbard. As far as I know, the first two are her own compositions, and the third one is traditional for sure. The first one, like many tunes by Gwenan Gibbard, is inspired by nature in north Wales. This one is dedicated to Traeth Lafan, or Lavan Sands in English, which is an intertidal sandbank in Gwynedd.

Catrin Finch – “Aurora”.

Hey guys! 🙂

Today I’m sharing with you a very beautiful piece from Welsh harpist Catrin Finch, whose music I’ve already shared with you a few times before, also some in collaboration with Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita. I’m sharing this particular piece with you because that’s what I woke up to today, and it was such a great feeling to listen to it somewhere between the real world and Dreamland.

Lynn Saoirse – “Isabella Burke/Planxty Burke”.

Hey guys! 🙂

Today I’m sharing with you two harp pieces performed by Irish harpist Lynn Saoirse, and composed by the famous 18th-century Irish Celtic harpist Turlough O’Carolan. I wrote about him before when sharing some piece composed by him. He was travelling a lot and staying in the houses of rich people, playing for them. At the end of his stay, he would typically present his hosts with a piece that he wrote especially for them, as a way of expressing his gratitude. And these pieces that he composed specifically for his patrons are called planxty, just like the second piece in this set. I don’t know who the Burkes were, or maybe it was just one person, in his life, nor who was Isabella Burke to whom the first piece is specifically dedicated, beyond quite an obvious fact that they must have been his patrons. I really like both these pieces and I can’t even decide which one is more beautiful.

Gwen Màiri – “Hwyr” (Late).

Hey people! 🙂

Today I felt like sharing with you something from this great Celtic harpist and also singer. She comes from a Welsh-speaking family but was raised in Scotland and I believe can also speak Scottish Gaelic. I first learned about her because of Gwilym Bowen Rhys, with whom she’s been collaborating as a harpist on all his albums as far as I’m aware. The piece I’m sharing with you comes from her album Mentro (Venture) on which, in turn, we can also hear Gwilym playing guitar, mandolin, fiddle and shruti. She’s also supported by Jordan Price Williams – who is also very active on the Welsh-language folk music scene – on cello.

This particular piece was inspired by Gwen Màiri’s memory of her grandfather and the passing of time from the perspective of old age.

Órla Fallon – “Citi Na gCumann” (Kitty Of Societies).

Hey people! 🙂

Today I chose to share with you a piece from Órla Fallon – a former member of Celtic Woman – this time an instrumental one, that I really like. This is a traditional piece, and I don’t really get what its title is supposed to mean, but, like I said in the title, Kitty Of Societies is apparently its literal translation. This song was also performed by Clannad but with lyrics.

Delyth Jenkins ft. Angharad Jenkins – “Glyn Tawe”.

Hi people! 🙂

Another piece today featuring Delyth Jenkins, this time with her daughter – Angharad – playing fiddle. They’re also known together as DNA. I really really love this beautiful peace. Its title comes from Glyn Tawe, a hamlet near the river Tawe in Powys in Wales.

Aberjaber – “The Rambling Pitchfork”.

Hi guys! 🙂

I came across this no longer existing band’s music while I was acquainting myself with the music of Welsh harpist Delythh Jenkins (known as Delyth Evans back when Aberjaber was a thing) as she was one of the members of this project. Like I said, Aberjaber is no longer an active group since a long time, and all of the members are focusing on other musical things now, but I think they had some really beautiful Celtic music, so here’s a piece for you. 🙂

Rachel Newton – “Proud Maisrie”.

Hey people! 🙂

A song I have for you today comes from Scottish singer and harpist Rachel Newton, whose music has already been featured on here a few times. This song is her rendition of a traditional ballad, which is also known under several other titles as far as I’m aware. I really like the way she did it. I believe Maisrie is a spelling variation of Maisery, as in Child’s ballad Lady Maisery and the folk group Lady Maisery who are named after that ballad.

Siân James – “Y Deryn Pur” (The Blue Bird).

Hey people! 🙂

Today I’m sharing with you a traditional love song, performed by Welsh Celtic harpist and singer Siân James. As it happens, one of the songs by her that I’ve already shared with you previously is about a bird, and so is the case with this one. 🙂 The author of the lyrics is unknown, but I’ve found a translation for you, written by

Richard B. Gillion,

and here it is:

 

THE PURE BIRD

The pure bird with the blue wing

Will be a sincere servant to me

O speed with haste to the girl

To whom I offered my affection early

Go to her, say to her

That I am weeping salt water

That I am grieving to see her

And from her love failing to walk, O

God forgive the beauty of her vision

For hurting a man so severely!

When my spirits were so gleeful

On a day celebrating a holiday

I discried a girl more comely than ever

With lightsome feet strolling.

When I saw her

I immediately came to a standstill

In my heart I thought

Behold the most comely woman of the realm

And her smile beautifying all around her

I would not believe one man alive

That she was not some angel!

The Harriet Earis Trio – “From The Crooked Tree”.

Hi people! 🙂

I shared two pieces from this very interesting, experimental music band featuring harpist Harriet Earis last year, namely “Cadair Idris” and “Kitchen Devils” from their album From The Crooked Tree. I thought that today, I’d share the title track from this album. For me, their music is definitely that kind of thing that grows on you the more you listen to it. When I first came across their music I was interested but not overly impressed, but as I keep listening to it, I like it more and more.

Delyth Evans – “A L’Entree De L’Este”.

Hi guys! 🙂

I have another short and sweet harp piece for you today, only this time it’s from Delyth Jenkins (nee Evans) who plays Celtic harp, unlike Llio Rhydderch who plays Welsh triple harp. I’ve already shared with you at least one piece by her from what I remember, in collaboration with her daughter Angharad, they work as a duo called DNA.

Since this piece has a French title, and I don’t know this language beyond some little words and phrases or what I can figure out thanks to other languages that I know, I have no clue what the title means exactly.

Llio Rhydderch – “Malltraeth”.

Hey people! 🙂

I decided that today we’ll also listen to Llio Rhydderch, ’cause why not? She’s created so much beautiful music. To keep things diverse though, unlike Gwenllian that I shared with you yesterday, this is a short and sweet piece. Its name comes from a village in Anglesey (Anglesey is where Llio Rhydderch lives if I remember well) which is called Malltraeth. The name of this village means something like a desolate beach.

Lisa Lynne ft. Aryeh Frankfurter – “Interlace II”.

Hey people! 🙂

For today, I chose another piece from this duo who make Celtic instrumental music. This is quite a short piece, and it comes from their album Weaving Worlds, where there are I believe 5 of those pieces called Interlace, just because they literally interlace with other tracks on this album. And this is the second one of them.

BrunuhVille – “Celtic Love Song”.

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.

Celia Briar – “Farewell To Music”.

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. 🙂

Lisa Lynne ft. Aryeh Frankfurter – “Autumn Waltz”.

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.