From the hopeful anticipation of Mary, do you fancy me? to the bitterness of Hag, you've killed me, this extraordinary compilation of Irish melodies runs the emotional gamut, with melancholy airs and sprightly reels aplenty. Its source material, The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, ranks among the most important 19th-century collections of traditional Irish music, with its song texts in both Irish and English, plus George Petrie's detailed notes about the music's origins. Out of print for many years, the Petrie Collection became an extremely rare and much sought-after collector's item; this new edition will bring the cherished old songs into the repertoire of any student or performer of traditional Irish music.
An important anthology of Irish and Celtic solos for the 5-string banjo featuring a comprehensive, scholarly treatise on the history, techniques, and etiquette of playing the banjo in the Celtic tradition. Includes segments on tuning, pick preferences, and tablature reading followed by 101 jigs, slides, polkas, slip jigs, reels, hornpipes, strathspeys, O'Carolan tunes, plus a special section of North American Celtic tunes. A generous collection of photos of Irish folk musicians, street scenes, and archaeological sites further enhances this fabulous book. All of the solos included here are written in 5-string banjo tablature only with a few tunes set in unusual banjo tunings. the appendices provide a sizable glossary and a wealth of information regarding soloists and groups playing Celtic music, Irish festivals, music publications, on-line computer resources, cultural organizations, and more. If you are serious about playing Celtic music on the 5-string banjo, or if you don't play the banjo but simply want to expand your knowledge of the Celtic music tradition-you owe yourself this book. the first-ever CD collection of Irish and Celtic music for 5-string banjo provides 68 lovely melodies and demonstrates revolutionary techniques for playing highly ornamented tunes and rolling back-up. Recorded in stereo with virtuosos Gabriel Donohue (steel- and nylon-string guitar and piano) and Robbie Walsh (bodhran- frame drum played with a stick), the five-string banjo is out front and plays through each melody in real-life tempo with authentic Celtic chordal and rhythmic backing. the recording features the music of all Six Celtic Nations and includes jigs, reels, hornpipes, slides, polkas, marches, country dances, larides, andros, slipjigs, strathspeys, airs and O'Carolan tunes. 35 songs in the book are not on the CD.
First Published in 1998. Irish traditional music is one of the richest treasuries of folk music in the world. Being an oral tradition, much of it has already been lost, and what has been recorded is only partially available in isolated collections. Until now, no composite picture has yet been presented, showing its remarkable range and diversity over four centuries. This volume covers Irish materials in general collections up to 1800 and in Irish collections up to and including Petrie's Ancient Music of Ireland (1855).The purposes of the project are to identify Irish dance tunes and songs; to present the scholar with a mass of material showing the evolution of the Irish vocal and instrumental folk style, period by period, from the earliest recorded tune up to the middle of the last century; to put into circulation many of the splendid airs which were lost but have now been located. Some 6,000 songs and dance tunes are presented, also including Scottish and English tunes. Included are Scottish tunes that were used by 18th-century Irish poets for their verses, and both English and Scottish tunes that are still current among Irish traditional musicians. Tunes of present-day currency which do not seem to be included may still be located by comparing their first 12 notes in the thematic index at the end of the volume.To make the vast array of material readily available, an index allows readers to locate a tune by its melodic incipit, by any of its titles, or by the first line of its text. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Irish songs noted up to the end of the last century lack texts, since the collectors were ignorant of the Irish language. But almost every other facet is covered-provenance, tonality structure, and variants.
This book contains 15 Irish airs arranged as fiddle (violin) duets and trios from melodies composed by Turlough O'Carolan. Carolan was a blind Irish poet, composer, and traveling harper who lived from 1670 - 1738. Each song has a melody and two melodic harmonies to choose from. The songs can be played as duets repeated using the different harmonies, or all parts can be played at the same time to form a violin trio. The tunes are airs, and are therefore played at a slower tempo than a lot of traditional Irish fiddle music. All of these arrangements can be played in 1st position, making it an approachable book for beginner and intermediate violin players. The difficulty level varies for the different pieces. This book is great for musicians performing with a friend or small group. The arrangements are appropriate for weddings and formal acoustic performances. The harmonies can even be used by a soloist with a looper pedal. It is also helpful for teachers who want to accompany their students. Those who study classical violin repertoire, and are interested in Irish folk music, may notice some of these songs have a "Baroque" spirit to them. This book promotes listening closely to other players while performing a part, and learning how melodic harmonies can fit with a melody line. Happy Fiddling! CONTENTS: Introduction: - A Summary of Irish History that Influenced Carolan and His Music - A Brief Biography of Turlough O'Carolan Sheet Music: - Captain O'Kane - Fanny Power - Carolan's Welcome - Carolan's Receipt (Dr. John Stafford) - Colonel John Irwin - Morgan Megan - Eleanor Plunkett - Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady - Sir Charles Coote - Si Bheag Si Mhor - George Brabazon's 2nd Air - Princess Royal (Miss MacDermott) - Planxty Hewlett - Denis O'Conor - Carolan's Concerto. If a song requires page turns using the book's primary note size, a second version is included using smaller notes so the song fits entirely on 2 pages. The lower harmony, "Harmony 2," was arranged keeping the common registers of the violin and viola in mind. All three parts are written in treble clef, but the second harmony only briefly goes onto the violin's "e-string" for two songs. The arrangements use familiar key signatures that have one or two sharps. Occasionally, a d-sharp is used as an accidental for e-harmonic minor songs. About the Arranger: Katy Adelson is an American fiddle player, composer, and arranger residing in Colorado. She has released digital music albums and singles, and has posted many free online fiddle tune sheet music arrangements on her website. She has created online fiddle lessons and music videos on YouTube. This book is published by Golden Aspen Music.
