Anne Roos, Celtic Harp
Ken Darby, Mandolin, Octave Mandolin and Guitar
Dorothy Hawkinson, Fiddle and Hardingfele
Steve McArthur, Accordion and Guitar
John Roos, Bodhran and other percussion
Tom Sharkey, Guitar
© 1999 Cala Records Ltd (P) 1999 Cala Records Ltd
Musical arrangements (P) Anne Roos
Programme notes © Anne Roos
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Celtic Wedding Music
Celtic music performed on the Celtic harp with accompanying instruments. The tracks flow in the order that music flows at a wedding. Ideal for future brides and lovers of Celtic music alike. This unique CD was recorded live in a church, without overdubbing, to give the feeling of a live ensemble performing at a wedding.
| 45-second QuickTime audio clips included |
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Click on the following links! Allow clips to fully load before listening.
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| Prelude Music |
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(1) Red is the Rose
Traditional Irish air. Uses the same melody as the Scottish song, Loch Lomond.
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(2) Bridget Cruise (Second and Third Airs)
By the celebrated Irish harper of the late Renaissance period, Turlough O'Carolan, who was blinded at the age of 18 from smallpox. He had deep feelings for Bridget Cruise and dedicated to her four airs for harp solo. The second air serves as an introduction to the third. |
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(3) Black is the Colour
Traditional Scottish song. |
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(4) The Lark in the Clear Air
Traditional Irish melody, to which Sir Samuel Ferguson added lyrics around 1975. Heard here is a unique harp and accordion duet arrangement. |
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(5) Ay Waukin O!
Traditional Scottish song by Robert Burns. This poet and lyricist collected and wrote no less than 400 songs, many of which were first published between 1786 and 1803. |
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(6) My Lagan Love
Traditional Irish melody. Performed here as a harp solo. |
| Processional Music |
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(7) Manx Courting Song
From the Isle of Mann -- a small, ancient kingdom set in the Irish sea. Its population speaks Gaelic and is a mixture of Celtic and Viking. In this song a young man tells of the rigors of courting in the wintertime. He eventually ends up with his sweetheart in the cowshed, the only place he can be with her unchaperoned by her parents. The arrangement is in an Early Music style. |
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(8) The Gentle Maiden
Traditional Irish melody. Found in the Bunting Collection, published in 1903 in Captain Francis O'Neill's Collection of 1,850 tunes. |
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(9) Give Me Your Hand
Traditional Irish tune often requested for wedding ceremonies. |
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(10) Star of the County Down (Waltz Version)
Traditional Irish song about love at first sight. Sources indicate that this melody was popular through the ages as both a waltz and a march. |
| Music During the Ceremony |
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(11) Bridget Cruise (First and Fourth Airs)
By Turlough O'Carolan. The two airs are performed slowly on the harp to evoke deep feelings of love, like those O'Carolan had for Bridget Cruise. |
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(12) She Moved Through the Fair
Ancient Irish Air. A frequent wedding request because of its haunting melody. Played here as a harp and fiddle duet. |
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(13) Women of Ireland
By Sean O'Riada. Technically, this beautiful air, performed as a harp solo, is neither ancient nor traditional, but it certainly sounds as though it is. |
| Recessional Music |
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(14) Kitty's Wedding
Traditional Irish Hornpipe (a dance in 4/4 time, slower than a reel). Suitable as a sweet recessional, or indeed, anywhere in the wedding program. |
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(15) Mairi's Wedding
A traditional, happy Irish song, often requested as a recessional for Celtic weddings. |
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(16) Corn Rigs are Bonnie/Star of the County Down (March Version)
An Irish Set: Corn Rigs are Bonnie (or The Rigs o'Barley) is another traditional Scottish tune to which Robert Burns set words around 1800. The melody was mentioned in Playford's "Choice Airs" of 1631. Burns once said that the last stanza of this song was the finest he had ever written. It's a perfect tune to send a couple off on their wedding night...
Star of the County Down is the melody heard in Track 10, but here in march, rather than waltz, form. This may sound more familiar today, having been recorded recently by Van Morrison. |
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(17) The Foxhunter's Jig/Haste to the Wedding
Traditional Irish melodies. The Foxhunter's Jig is a "slip" jig in 9/8 time (rather than the standard 6/8). Haste to the Wedding is a standard jig, frequently requested for the festivities following the ceremony. |
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