slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (07/18/85)
Here are the replies so far on Celtic harp albums. Thanks to all who
replied--I will answer you personally soon, I hope. (So little time)
So far, I found Alan Stivell's Renaissance of the Celtic Harp and love it.
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You may want to check out Alan Stivell, who's likely the best known
practitioner.
He has a lot of albums out; probably the best one to start with is
Renaissance of the Celtic Harp. I think it's his best effort; it's
sweet and has mystery; most people really seem to like it.
Many of the others are concert recordings, which tend to sound uneven and
maybe bombastic; maybe it has to do with the enthusiasm of the friends he
always seems to invite to play with him, and his interest in linking
rock and (pre-)tradition. Which seems to have its points, though, on
stage.
I saw him in concert a few years ago (rare in US), and many people
left at the intermission. Yet for those who stayed, he managed to
turn the thing into a kind of rave-up, getting people dancing
while he played the pied piper with one of those ancient reed horns which
sound something like a single bagpipe chanter.
Another path, and maybe offering wider sense of language in the experience,
is to listen to Kevin Burke and Michael O'Domhnaill. Theirs is Irish (and
sometimes Breton) fiddle and Gaelic vocal music with a great difference of
sensitivity, and very individual guitar accompaniment.
A fine recording to start with here is Promenade; this would go very well
with Renaissance of the Celtic Harp.
I don't have any idea where you're going to find these locally; once
in a while, I've found things at one or the other of Boulder's Rocky
Mountain Records shops. If you don't have any luck, I know you could
order these, and anything else in the line, from
Artichoke Music
722 N.W. 21st Street
Portland, Oregon
503/248-0356
Lots of interest there; Kevin, who plays all over the world, happens
to live just up the street; and many of the people working in the shop
play some form or other of this music. They have a news/concert
letter; by now, they may have some sort of catalog which would be of
interest to you for music in this line.
Clive Steward
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Individuals who play Celtic harp include
Sylvia Woods, from Washington State
Alison Kinneard, from Scotland
Robin Williamson, (as in ... and his merry band) from England
Rosalyn Briley, from somewhere in the US, maybe Philadelphia
Derek Bell, from England (he also records with the Chieftains)
Some groups that include the instrument
Clairsach (or Clarsach), which is also the Celtic name for the instrument
Ar Log, from Wales
Magical Strings, from the US West Coast (they play a lot of their own
not very traditional music)
Hope this helps.
Matt Fichtenbaum
"When marriage is outlawed,
only outlaws will have inlaws."
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I would recommend *anything* by Derik Bell (of the Chieftains).
Other albums I have that I grealy enjoy are by Patrick Ball (an American)
and Charles Guard (a Scot, I believe). Some people also particularly like
Allison Kinnaird. Unfortunately, I'm away from my records right now, so I
can't give complete info. You might ask your local record store to see what
they can get for you from the following labels - Shanachie, Green Linnet,
Gael-Linn (the last usually has liner notes only in Gaelic, unfortunately).
Jody Patilla
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Two excellent performers available on records are:
Alison Kinnaird, who specializes in the Scottish Clarsach (Harp) tradition,
and
Alan Stivell, who plays Breton (Brittany) Celtic Harp.
My favorite albums are Alison Kinnaird's "Lament for the Harp Tree" and
Alan Stivell's "Rennaisance of the Celtic Harp", both excellent albums.
Both artists are touring the US right now, and probably play in the Denver
area. I think this is Alison's first tour of the US (she's playing here in
Seattle Thursday night!), but Alan Stivell tours at least every other year.
Another group is "Magical Strings", from here in the Seattle area. They have
a small but growing following, and are improving. Their best album to date
is "Glass Horse" (or something like that). They play (and make) Celtic Harps
and dulcimers.
Chris Caswell in California makes top-notch Celtic Harps (my wife has one of
his, as well as one from Magical Strings), and has recorded some albums with
other musicians, but the harp is not the 'featured' instrument here, at least,
not in the albums I've seen so far.
Please summarize your other responses to the net. I would be interested in
hearing what other people have to say.
Bill Swan {ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill
P.S. Is this music common on the Prairie Home Companion? I may have to start
listening!
P.S. If you are at a loss where to order from, there's a store in Seattle
called 'Galway Traders' that has the *biggest* collection of Celtic
music records I've ever seen. They import a number of records that
otherwise would never make it to the States. If interested, I can
look up the address for you.
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hello. Celtic harp is great stuff, and differs from modern harp in several
important ways. it is played using the fingernails, and has metal, not gut,
strings. the most important name in Celtic harp is Turlough O'Carolan,
an Irish harper of the 17th century. in 1788 or so, there was meeting of
the last of the Celtic harpers of the old type, and luckily many of his
works were written down. Modern performers who have recorded Carolan's
work are:
(1) Patrick Ball.
a Marin county type who plays the master's work faithfully.
(2) Derek Bell.
more classically trained (uses fingertips (ugh!)), but much variety in
what he covers. often performs with the Chieftains (q.v.)
(3) Sylvia Woods.
sometimes does Celtic harp, but apparently hasn't the foggiest how to
play the instrument properly. with the metal strings, the string rings
for an awfully long time. in some pieces, you need to pluck the string
with your fingernail, and then stop the ringing with the fingertip.
this is very difficult. she often just lets it ring. luckily, she
mostly sticks to gut strings, where she is quite competent.
(4) The Chieftains.
what these guys play runs the gamut from modern cover tunes to the real
stuff. when they are good, they are real good, and when they are bad...
but there are GEMS in there.
(5) Jeomy Wilson.
not really appropropriate here, since she plays the hammered dulcimer,
but she does do Carolan justice. in the one tape of hers which i have,
Carolan's Cup, she is accompanied by Sylvia Woods on gut strings. (sigh)
note:
you can really tell when somebosy is playing metal strings as opposed
to gut, since the tone quality is almost bell-like. gut strings sound
dull in comparison.
enjoy. I can probably find mailing addresses for distributors if you are
interested.
Curt M. Mayer
nsc!history
changing addresses shortly
may the goddess work her wonders for you and yours.
One source of beautiful celtic harp music is that of Phil and Pam Boulding.
They live near Seattle and perform in a group called Magical Strings.
I have seen several albums of theirs but, alas, do not know the label
that they record on. They do both traditional and original stuff...very nice.
Good luck.
Craig Brandis
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The two outstanding Celtic harpers I know of are Sylvia
Woods and Chris Caswell. I don't know the titles of the
Woods recordings, although I know she has written several
books of instruction. Chris Caswell, owner of Caswell
Harps in Gurneyville (sp?) California, has recorded two
albums with Danny Carnahan, the group name is "Caswell
Carnahan" and the record titles are "New Leaves from an
Old Tree" and "The Borderlands." These records do not
feature harp music; it is interwoven with bouzouki, mandolin,
pennywhistle and bagpipes as well as wonderful singing
and some amazingly beautiful new folk songs. Both these
albums are favorites in my collection.
Another group you may wish to look into is a Scottish group
called Ossian (pronounced oh-SHEEN). They are Billy Jackson
on harp, uileann pipes and whistle, George Jackson on guitar
and fiddle, John Martin on fiddle, Tony Cuffe on guitar, and
Iain MacDonald on pipes and flute. I believe Billy Jackson
is also the lead vocalist. Again, their recordings, "Ossian,"
"St. Kilda Wedding," "Seal Song," and "Dove Across the Water"
do not feature the harp, but there is wonderful harping in
the records. Also highly recommended.
There's also a woman in Scotland or Ireland who is
internationally famous for her harp playing, but I have
forgotten her name (it's six-thirty in the morning). If
you have a local folk music store they can probably give
you some help there.
Good luck.
Ellen Eades
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Allan Stivell, a Celtic harpist from Brittany, is the best now playing.
He has recorded numerous records on Phillips, the best of which is
"The Renaissance of the Celtic Harp," which has recently been rereleased
on an American folk label. Derek Bell, who has played with the Chieftains,
and Sylvia Wood, an American who has written an instruction book and
has recorded with Robin Williamson, are other names to look for. Allan
Stivell has been touring in this country annually, so watch for him.
-Doug Mink
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Derek Bell has two albums of O'Carrolan's music, and both are very good.
My personal favorite Celtic Harp album is "Avenging and Bright" by
Charles Guard. I think it's on Shanachie Records.
- Tim Bessie
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I'm not well acquainted with Celtic music, but you might be
interested in the Green Linnet catalog. They publish primarily
Celtic music. Their address is 70 Turner Hill Road, New Canaan, CT.
06840. Ordering from their catalog is quite a bit cheaper than
buying in a store.
dann
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Here's some information to get you started:
Patrick Ball -- a two volume set featuring music of Turlough O'Carollan
Ann Heyman and Allison Kinard -- Ann plays an Irish Clairseach harp,
Allison a Scottish wire strung instrument.
The combination is fantastic. I think the
title is "The Harper's Land"
Clairseach -- This is Ann and Charlie Heyman. They do a wide range of
Celtic music, much of it featuring Ann on the harp.
Clairseach appears from time to time in Denver. Their concerts are
sponsored by Swallow Hill Music Association. Swallow Hill is also
a good source for more information on Celtic music.
Lloyd Williams
--
Sue Brezden
Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
AT&T Information Systems
11900 North Pecos
Westminster, Co. 80234
(303)538-3829
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Send lawyers, guns, and money...
-Warren Zevon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~bill@persci.UUCP (07/19/85)
Thank you, Sue, for your summary! There was a lot of useful information for me in there! >Alan Stivell [...]while he played the pied piper with one of those ancient >reed horns which sound something like a single bagpipe chanter. I believe that what you saw/heard was a bombarde, a French shawm-like instrument played (usually) with a petit-biniou (probably the world's smallest bagpipe, with a sound as irritating as a mosquito's buzz when played alone). >Another group you may wish to look into is a Scottish group >called Ossian (pronounced oh-SHEEN). Could somebody straighten me out on the names Ossian (a Scottish group) and Ossian (an Irish group)? I'm told that one is pronounced oh-SHEEN, and the other AW-See-in. I had thought that oh-SHEEN was the Irish group, but I could be wrong. (I've enjoyed concerts by the Scottish Group!) -- Bill Swan {ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill "Have you hugged your bagpipe today?"
connolly@steinmetz.UUCP (C. Ian Connolly) (07/24/85)
> Could somebody straighten me out on the names Ossian (a Scottish group) and > Ossian (an Irish group)? I'm told that one is pronounced oh-SHEEN, and the > other AW-See-in. I had thought that oh-SHEEN was the Irish group, but I > could be wrong. (I've enjoyed concerts by the Scottish Group!) > > > -- > Bill Swan {ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill > "Have you hugged your bagpipe today?" Argh. Pronunciation in Irish at least (and possibly Scottish - any Scots out there want to verify this?) is somewhat variable, depending on where you came from (or where your teacher came from). Now, I would , pronounce the Irish "Ossian" as "uh-SHEE-an". One thing I am assuming is that there is a stroke over the i. If not, then I'd probably try "UH-shun". -- C. Ian Connolly, WA2IFI - USENET: ...edison!steinmetz!connolly , , ARPANET: connolly@ge-crd An rud a bhionn, bionn.
bill@persci.UUCP (07/28/85)
In article <204@steinmetz.UUCP> connolly@steinmetz.UUCP (C.Ian Connolly) writes: >Argh. Pronunciation in Irish at least (and possibly Scottish - >any Scots out there want to verify this?) is somewhat variable, depending >on where you came from (or where your teacher came from). Now, I would > , >pronounce the Irish "Ossian" as "uh-SHEE-an". One thing I am assuming is >that there is a stroke over the i. If not, then I'd probably try "UH-shun". The only thing I had to go on (regarding the different pronunciations) was from a Celtic Music radio program hosted by a native Irishwoman (yuk! Irishperson?), I do not know where in Ireland she was from, but she did mention the two groups as oh-SHEEN and AW-See-un, and that they had the same spelling. The stroke over the "i" probably disappeared when the name was "transcribed" into English. I have heard from some of the native Scots in the area that pronunciation varies greatly from area to area. (Just listen to their Scots accents, and it's no surprise..) Thank you, Ian, and others, for your help! -- William Swan {ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill