Standing Wave Wendy Stewart This third solo CD from Wendy Stewart and her first post-Ceolbeg explores the resonances, layers and quiet energy of the traditional harp music she has played, composed, arranged and taught for over 30 years. This collection of unashamedly harp-focused tracks is strongly influenced by the landscape of South West Scotland where she now lives, by the natural rhythms of this environment and by family and friends. Buy this album now    CD: £12.00 + p&p       Wendy Stewart: profile & index

1	Flowers of The Forrest	4.43
2	Reel Set	3.07
3	Now Draw Up Close and Hear My Song	4.36
4	Fires at Midnight	3.39
5	Down the hill/Annan Polka	3.43
6	All Things Are Quite Silent	5.04
7	6/8 and Jigs	3.13
8	Love and Loss/Wendy's Waltz	2.35
9	Cairn Water	2.50
10	There is a Tide	3.56
11	Border Set	4.07
12	Jean Stewart of Moniaive	2.25
13	Cumha airson Ceannard Chlann 'ic Uilleam	4.38
14	Barrisdale's Dream	2.19
	Total Time	51.42
	Many tunes on this CD are in the book Standing Wave

 

CD Sleeve Notes

THE NEW CD!! (Released in April 2003.) Designed both for listening to and playing along with.
Get the accompanying book if written music helps you.


Wendy Stewart - gut strung bohemian and electro harps, concertina & vocal
Gary West - low whistle, Scottish small pipes
Rod Paterson - percussion
Fraser Speirs - harmonica

"This third solo CD from Wendy Stewart and her first post-Ceolbeg explores the resonances, layers and quiet energy of the traditional harp music she has played, composed, arranged and taught for over 30 years.

This collection of unashamedly harp-focused tracks is strongly influenced by the landscape of South West Scotland where she now lives, by the natural rhythms of this environment and by family and friends.

The mix of instrumentals and songs is not only a reflective yet absorbing listen but also, with the help of an accompanying book of music and ideas available from Wendy, can serve to emulate the traditional learning process by guiding the hopeful player through familiarizing, internalizing and accompanying the melody lines, harmonies and chord structures to release the musician within.

Fourteen tracks feature layers of gut, wire, nylon and electro harps interwoven with Wendy's voice and concertina plus the many talents of Rod Paterson - voice and guitar, Gary West - small pipes and low whistle, Mike Travis - percussion, Fraser Spiers - harmonica.

Choice tracks include an atmospheric setting of the poem 'There is a Tide' by Sydney Goodsir Smith, the pibroch 'The Old Sword's Lament' played on wire harp and small pipes, a reworking, in English, of a song of the clearances from Mull and 'Wendy's Waltz' composed by Eddie McGuire and played on the bohemian harp." 

 

1. Flowres of the Forrest: Trad The Old Sword’s Lament: Trad
Wendy - bohemian and wire harps; Gary - small pipes

The sound of the light strung traditional harp, once common in many parts of Europe, I think lends itself to an interpretation of the Flowers of the Forest from the Skene manuscript of 1630, a collection of music for the Mandour or treble lute.

This is followed by and interwoven with the ground of a pibroch I found in my father’s tattered copy of “Logan’s complete tutor for the Highland Bagpipe” (price 2/- !) with Gary’s use of the pipes highlighting the links between our instruments for this big music.

2.Taigh lain Ghròt (John O’Groat’s House): Trad
Brown’s Reel: Trad
Dr. Arthur’s second hand rant: comp. Wendy Stewart
Wendy - gut harp; Mike - shakers, djembe

Three reels. the first from Capt Simon Fraser collection, the second from the Skye collection and the third reminiscent of a St. Kilda-type tune from the Patrick Macdonald collection but which I actually dreamt was on a cassette of Gaelic music for step dancing, sung by the wonderful Arthur Cormack (afforded a dream Doctoratel) and found in an Oxfam shop.

3. Now draw up close and hear my song: Tune Trad, words Wendy Stewart
Wendy - vocals, bohemian harp; Gary - low whistle; Rod - vocals

There are many versions of this melody (which some may recognize as ‘Barbara Allen’) on both sides of the Atlantic and many sets of gaelic words. This is my own reworking of ‘O Teannaibh Dlùth is Togaibh Fonn’ - a song of the Mull clearances.

The instrumental is Chi ml Muile - thanks to Norman Chalmers for the idea ......

Now draw up close and hear my song, this land it is a stranger
far from the isle of cool high bens, far from an t-Eilean Muileach.

Now take this greeting here from me, over the ocean swelling
to Mull, the isle of birken tree, green land with red deer running.

From croft and glen down to the sea, those that I love are going
the homes they leave are cold and cleared and under sheep run lying.

Now is the time for those who love Scotland’s song and story to weave a flag for young and old, spin out a dance of glory.

4. Fires at midnight: comp. Wendy Stewart
Wendy - bohemian and electro harps, concertina; Fraser - harmonica

Written at the height of the foot and mouth crisis in Dumfries and Galloway when the smoke came very near.

5. Down the hill: Trad
Annan polka: Trad
Wendy - bohemian harp

The first is an Irish set dance adapted for fluid harp and the second is from Kerr’s Merry Melodies.

6. All things are quite silent: Trad
Markellie Waltz: comp. Wendy Stewart
Wendy - vocals, bohemian and electro harps, concertina; Mike - bell and mark tree, djembe

The waltz was written for the wedding of my niece Eleanor Yates to Mark Campbell. The song is one I recorded on ‘The Clergy’s Lamentation’ accompanying the fine Irish singer Donal Maguire as part of his ‘Occasional Band’ back in 1980

All things are quite silent each mortal at rest, when me and my true love lay snug in one nest when a bold set of ruffians they entered our cave and they forced my dear jewel to plough the salt wave.

I begged hard for my sailor as though I begged for life but they’d not listen to me although a fond wife
saying ‘the king he needs sailors, to the seas he must go’ and they left me lamenting in sorrow and woe.

Through green fields and meadows we oft times have walked and sweet conversations of love we have talked
while the birds in the woodland so sweetly did

sing and the lovely thrushes voices made the valleys to ring.

Although my loves gone I will not be cast down, for who knows but my true love may one day return
and will make me amends for all sorrow and strife and my true love and I might live happy for life.

7.  Pipe Major Donald Maclean of Lewis: PM Donald Macleod/MCPS & PRS;
Miss Sally Hunter of Thurston: Nathaniel Gow/Pub. Dom.
Ho ro me bhoban an dràm (The favourite dram): Trad
Wendy - bohemian harp

A piping 6/8, a fiddling jig and one which is also a song.

8. Love and loss: comp Wendy Stewart
Wendy’s Waltz: comp Eddie McGuire/ MCPS & PRS.
Wendy - gut and bohemian harp

My own short reflection on a hard year - 2001 - for some of our friends and family is followed by my featured part of an octet Pieces of Eight’ which the wonderful musician and composer Eddie McGuire (of Whistlebinkies fame) wrote to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Clarsach Society in that same year.

9. Cairn Water: comp Wendy Stewart
Wendy - gut harp

The river that runs past our house ......

10. There is a Tide: words Sydney Goodsir Smith, music - Wendy Stewart
Tolsta Solstice: comp Wendy Stewart
Wendy - electro and bohemian harps; Rod - vocal; Fraser - harmonica

Resonances of sounds, standing stones, words and friendship for Laura and Justin, Tolstachaolais. Isle of Lewis.

Thanks to Hazel Goodsir Smith for permission to use her late husband’s beautiful words

There is a tide in luve’s affair
Nae poem e’er was made -
The hairt hings like a gull in air
For aa the words are said.
Nou in this saa gin-tide we swey
While the world wags and empires faa:
But we that burned high Ilium
What can we rack that ken it aa?

11.  Linkum Doddie: Trad
Come to Berwick Johnny: Trad
Bobbing Joan: Trad
Have a care of her, Johnny: Trad
Wendy - concertina; Rod - guitar

The first two are well known Border tunes, the third is from a collection of music of the Winder family in Wyresdale, Lancashire and the last is from the William Dixon manuscript of 1733

12.   Jean Stewart of Moniaive: comp Wendy Stewart
Wendy - gut harp

For my mother.

13.  Cumha airson Ceannard Chlann ‘ic Villeam: Trad
Crodh Chailein: Trad
Wendy - gut, bohemian and wire harps; Mike - tenor drum, tom tom; Gary - low whistle

Two pieces from the Angus Fraser Collection . The first is also given as ‘A Lament for Fraser of Foyers’ and perhaps refers to his grand funeral in 1669 with the sound of pipes echoing across Loch Ness. Translation of the Gaelic title is ‘Lament for the death of the head of the Clan McWilliam’

A favourite milking song is how Cohn’s kine (red deer) is described in this version.

14. Barrisdale’s Dream: Trad
Wendy - bohemian harp

A tune I learnt many years ago from the great fiddler Angus Grant senior and which we both agree has the feel of the old clarsach music. Angus says it was handed down through harpers and fiddlers in his family from the playing of Neil Campbell from Gleneig or ‘Neil of the Fairy bow’ whose music was so magical that it was said birds would alight on his shoulders as he played.

Except where stated, all titles are traditional / arranged Wendy Stewart/Published Grian Music. All titles composed by Wendy Stewart are also published by Grian Music.

CD Credits

THE NEW CD!! (Released in April 2003.) Designed both for listening to and playing along with.
Get the accompanying book if written music helps you.


Wendy Stewart - gut strung bohemian and electro harps, concertina & vocal
Gary West - low whistle, Scottish small pipes
Rod Paterson - percussion
Fraser Speirs - harmonica

 
Thanks to Peter for help beyond the call of duty - to Andy for the beautiful images - to Gary, Rod, Mike and Fraser for being so good - to Ricky, Colin and Alan for being there and to Jean Stewart, just for being ...

Böhmische Hakenharfe made by Klangwerkstatt, Markt Wald, Germany.
Gut and wire harps by Paul Guppy, Lancaster. Electro Harp by Camac. 

Recorded at Pier House Studios, Edinburgh
Engineer - Peter Haigh
Produced and mixed by Wendy Stewart and Peter Haigh
Sculptures by Andy Goldsworthy
Photo of harps by Adrian Roberts
Photo of Wendy by Rebecca Marr
Design by John Slavin
 
GREENTRAX RECORDINGS LIMITED
Cockenzie Business Centre
Edinburgh Road
Cockenzie
East Lothian
EH32 0XL email: greentrax@aol.com
website: www.greentrax.com

© 2003 Greentrax Recordings Ltd

Except where stated, all titles are traditional / arranged Wendy Stewart/Published Grian Music. All titles composed by Wendy Stewart are also published by Grian Music.

Instruments:	Wire Strung & Gut Strung Harps / vocals, whistles, pipes
Genre:	Traditional / Scottish
Format:	CD
Our Ref:	A0210
MCPS:	CDTRAX242
Label:	Greentrax Recording Ltd
Year:	2003
Origin:	UK