A Collection of Welsh, Irish & Scottish
Airs by Elinor Bennett This disc, first released in 1992, was recorded in the Medieval Hall - Cochwillan - just out side Bangor in Gwynedd. John Hywel was the Music Director, Meilyr Hywel Tomos the sound engineer and Hywel Wigley produced the CD. For this pressing all the tracks have been re-mastered and the sound quality greatly improved. But I hope that it retains the personal, warm quality of the original.
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Track Listing | |
01. | Concerto - O'Carolan |
Sonata No 1. (1761) - John Parry | |
02. | (i) Allegro |
03. | (ii) Andante con Variazione |
04. | (iii) Gavotta |
05. | The Peat Fire Flame |
06. | Snowdon's summit |
07. | Sweet Melody of Gwynedd |
08. | Titrwm Tatrwm - arr. E Bennett |
09. | Margaret who lost her garter |
10. | Llangollen Market - arr. E Bennett |
11. | The Flowers of the West |
12. | Honeyed Lip |
13. | The Jilted Girl - arr. E Bennett |
14. | New Year's Eve |
15. | Green Pastures - arr. E Bennett |
16. | Where is my Love? - arr. E Bennett |
17. | Penillion setting on the Ash Grove |
18. | Sleeps the Noon in the deep blue Sky |
19. | Carolan's Receipt |
20. | The Wild Geese |
21. | Bracelet - arr. Gareth Glynn |
22. | In Old Donegal |
23. | The Two Horses - arr. E Bennett |
24. | The Grey Steed - arr. E Bennett |
25. | Little Tinker Boy - arr. E Bennett |
26. | Farewell to Llangywer - arr. E Bennett |
27. | Quiet Lond of Erin |
28. | Sunset Poem - arr. E Bennett |
01. Carolan's
Concerto - Thurlough O'Carolan (1670-1738)
The great Irish harpist and bard, Thurlough O'Carolan, was
also blind as the result of smallpox. "He lived at the
time when the harp was the favourite musical instrument of
the landed gentry in Ireland, and, while this was a time
of great poverty for many, it was also a time when a well-to-do
patron might finance the harp studies of a musically gifted
youth, then sent him forth, well equipped with harp, horse,
money and a guide to embark on the respected profession of
an itinerant harper." (Roslyn Rensch). O'Carolan published
his popular "Concerto" in 1738, This version was
taken from Bunting's famous collection of Irish music- "The
Ancient Music of Ireland".
Sonata No 1 (1761) - John Parry (1710-1782)
02. - Allegro
03. - Andante (Tema con Variazione)
04. - Gavotta
John Parry was born on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, and
became domestic harper to the wealthy landowner and patron
of the arts, Sir Watkin Williams Wynne of Ruabon. Blind from
birth, he was known as "Blind Parry of Ruabon",
and was one of the finest exponents of the Triple harp, which
was the only harp that Parry would have known.
This sonata is the first in a set of "Four Lessons for
the Harp or Harpsichord" and was published in his "A
Collection of Welsh, Irish and Scotch Airs" in 1761.
05. The Peat-fire flame
"A Tramping song" from
Scotland
06. "Moel
yr Wyddfa"
"Snowdon's Summit" comes from Welsh Harper by John Parry, Bardd Alaw
(1776-1851)
Triple Harp
07. Mwynen Gwynedd / Sweet Melody of Gwynedd
08. "Titwm
Tatwm"
This love song, which comes from Pentraeth in Anglesey, would
have been sung by a young man as he desperately knocks on
the door of his beloved. In a raging storm, he asks his girlfriend
to get out of bed, open the door and rekindle the fire for
him. The young man travels to London, Chester and other places,
but his heart always flies back to Anglesey. "Titwm
Tatwm" represents the sound of gravel being thrown on
the window!
Triple Harp
09. "Megan a gollodd ei gardas" (Margaret
who lost her garter)
This popular dance tune is taken from Edward Jones' Relicks
of the Welsh Bards" (1794), where the following foot-note
appears :"In the reign of King Edward the third, the Queen,
or the Countess of Salisbury, is said to have dropt her garter
in dancing a minuet at the Court... which the King picked up,
and seeing some of his nobles smile, he said : Honi soit qui
mal y pense (old French shame upon him who thinks evil of it)
This remains to this day the motto of the Order Of The Garter".
And still true in 2007!
This tune may be recognisable as the accompaniment to the "Flower
Dance" in the Gorsedd ceremonies of the National Eisteddfod
of Wales.
Triple Harp
10. "Marchnad Llangollen" (Llangollen
Market)
The young girl of this song remembers the first day in May
when her lover left her to go to the army. She is broken
hearted and bitterly regrets the fact that she did not go
with him. She accuses her father of being cruel in stopping
her from going away at the same time, and blames herself
for staying at home comfortably. But life at home with her
parents is impossible - her father is cruel every night and
her mother is always cross. She attends Llangollen market
every day, but the thought of bargaining there causes pain
to her sick heart. The three verses end with the refrain
:
"Why, Owen, did you leave me,
Why did I stay?"
Triple Harp
11. "Mel Wefus" (Honeyed
Lip)
The second John Parry (1776-1851), whose pseudonym was "Bardd
Alaw", published two collections entitled "Welsh
Harper" in 1839 and 1848. The two volumes contain original
melodies composed by Barrd Alaw, and also a great deal that
appeared in the collections of Blind Parry, Edward Jones and
other early Welsh harpers. The lovely tune "Mel Wefus" comes
from Welsh Harper 2.
Triple Harp
12. "Blodau'r Gorllewin" (The
flowers of the West)
This appears in John Parry, Rhiwabon's "British Harmony",
first published in 1781
Triple Harp
13. "Hen Ferchetan" (The
jilted girl)
"Little Lisa of Hendre farm" has been jilted and intends to find
another boyfriend. But despite her attempts to make herself as attractive as
possible by wearing silk laces and make-up, there is no new sweetheart for
poor Lisa! Seeing all her old boyfriends getting married in church, she is
broken hearted. There will be new potatoes on apple trees before she gets a
husband!
But something that Sion Prys said to her on the way home from
the fair at Bala, raised Lisa's spirits and made her feel much
better!
Celtic Harp
14. "Nos Galan" (New
Year's Eve) British Harmony (1781) John Parry, Rhiwabon
Triple Harp
15. "Blewyn glas" (Green
Pastures)
The virtuous man who sings this song, complains that his ex-girlfriend
bewitched him and led him astray in her devious and immoral
ways, similar to the way cows attracted by a patch of green
grass in the middle of the River Dyfi and are led to their
death by drowning. He intends to go into the garden to cut
a posy for her, but will pass the lavender, lilies, pinks
and red roses, and cut a huge amount of nettles to give to
this unprincipled girl!
Triple Harp
16. "Pa le mae 'nghariad i?" (Where
is my love?)
This is one of the saddest and most beautiful songs in the
Welsh language in my opinion. "Where is my love?" sings
the young man as he waits in vain for his girlfriend to meet
him by the garden gate. In great distress, he peeps through
the window and sees her family standing around her deathbed.
He sings farewell to his sick girlfriend, and says that he
will go with her to her grave.
17. "Anfon y Nico" (Cynan) a Penillion setting
on "The Ash Grove"
Albert Evans Jones (1895-1970) , whose bardic name was Cynan,
was one of Wales' most popular poets of the 20th century. By
profession, he was Minister of Religion, and a most notable
and influential Archdruid of Wales. He was Chaplain in the
army in Macedonia during the First World War, when this poem
was written. Cynan asks the little bird(Nico) to fly home from
Macedonia to his native Wales and find a lovely garden in Anglesey
which is full of beautiful roses, so far away from the disease
and injuries of the battlefield. The bird must find the most
beautiful rose in the garden - his friend Megan - and sing
so intensely to her that she will also feel the deep "hiraeth" (grief,
longing) that is burning in his heart. The bird must also tell
his cousin that he would give everything to have just half
an hour fishing in the Traffwll lake far from the sound of
war.
Triple Harp
18. Sleeps in the noon in
the deep blue Sky (Scotland)
The melody comes from PatrickMacdonald's collection of 1781
and the words after Thomas Pattison's translation from Ossian
- "The sweet voice of Cona."
These two songs are taken directly from volume three of the
famous "Songs of the Hebridies" arranged by Marjorie
Kennedy - Frazer and Kenneth Macleod, published in 1921. Marjorie
Kennedy -Frazer first visited the Outer Hebridies in 1905,
and says in the foreword to her first volume:From the outer
isle of Eriskay, Barra, North and South Uist, Benbecula and
the Lewis and from the Skye and Eigg we have reaped a rich
harvest of hitherto un-noted airs".
Celtic Harp
19. Carolan's Receipt (Ireland)
The full title is "Carolan's receipt for drinking whisky",
and is dedicated "To Dr John Stafford". Carolan had
not been feeling well, and was advised by his own doctor to
stop drinking whisky. As his condition grew progressively worse,
he was advised by Dr John Stafford to start drinking whisky again,
whereupon O'Carolan's condition immediately improved. This
song was composed in gratitude for the "new" cure!
Celtic Harp
20. The
Wild Geese
This song (also known as "Ireland's Lamentation")
is one of the most hauntingly beautiful ever composed for the
harp. The tune expresses the national grief for the "Wild
Geese" who were the young men who left Ireland to join
the armies of France and Spain against Cromwell's England,
after the broken Treaty of Limerick in 1691.
Celtic Harp
21. "Breichled" (Bracelet)
by Gareth Glyn
This cycle of five folk songs, depicting the
love life of a woman, was first performed by flautist Judith
Hall and myself during the first World Harp Festival held
in Cardiff in 1991.
The Millers daughter declares that she is not hurt by rumours
that her boyfriend has three of four other girlfriends- she
herself is free to have four or fifteen (19!) if she wishes.
But she prefers to hold on tight to her loving only one man!
"If my love comes tonight to knock the blue pane", sings the heart-broken
young woman, "please be kind to him, and tell him that I have been forced
to leave home to marry a man in another parish against my wishes".
Mother in Law's complaint : The young wife sees her mother-in-law
coming to visit her, and knows that the older woman suspects
that her son is buying too much soap for his squandering wife,
because her washing is far too clean! But the clever young
wife knows that her neighbour, Lewis Morris, often washes his
horses in a certain part of the river, leaving lots of soap
on the bank. That is where she washes her clothes and gets
them sparklingly white!
Suo-gan- A Lullaby
Two arguing : Husband and wife are quarrelling. The wife is
accused of being too lazy to do anything apart from sleeping.
Eventually, the children and husband catch the sleeping bug
and everyone sleeps all the time!
Concert Harp
22. In
Old Donegal
This song is recent and was composed by Ruth Mervyn with words
by John Irvine. It is a simple and jolly little ditty that
always makes me feel happy!
Celtic Harp
23. "Y Ddau Farch" (The
two horses)
This allegorical song describes the conversation that the singer
overheard one day when he was out walking on the mountain.
He met two horses who were deep in conversation. The weak,
old horse said that he had also been young and strong once,
like his companion. But when he became old "they" took
away his shoes, gave him chaff to eat and sent him out to
graze on the mountain. He was no good to anyone anymore,
and as long as there was breath in his nostrils, he would
never, ever return home.
Triple Harp
24. "Y March Glas" (The
grey steed)
In this light -hearted song, the singer boasts that his grey
horse is without comparison. He also boasts that he has just
bought a new saddle made from the side of a pig, a silk hat
from Brecon that is worth a sovereign, and a fine coat made
by a London tailor which fits him perfectly! Life was good
for this high-achieving horseman from Cardiganshire!
Triple Harp
25. "Bachgen Bach o Dincer" (Little
Tinker Boy)
In days gone by, the little tinker-boy used to wander around
the countrysidefrom village to village with a pack on his back,
a pipe under his nose, and repairing everyone's pots and pans
cheaply. He would sit happily in a corner chatting away, and
work with a soldering iron in his hand. This song denotes a
change in society, and the demise of itinerant workers. The
singer asks where the kind little boy has gone, and says that
he misses his good, cheap work very much indeed.
Triple Harp
26. "Ffarwel i Blwy Llangywer" (Farewell
to Llangywer)
As he sings farewell to his native Llangywer and to the fair
town of Bala, the singer also says goodbye to his girlfriend,
whose identity he does not wish to disclose. He is leaving
for England with a heart as heavy as lead to dance in front
of the harp and play with the drums. He bids farewell to all
the haunts of his childhood, and as he leaves, confesses that
hearing the melodies of Meirionnydd causes great pain in his
heart even if his voice seems happy.
27. Quiet Land of Erin
28. Sunset Poem (Dylan Thomas)
This is the prayer intoned by the Reverend Eli Jenkins as the
sun set on Llaregyb in Dylan Thomas' dramatic poem "Under
Milk Wood". It is a "penillion" setting, and
the melody played on the harp is "Y Bardd yn ei Awen_
The Inspired Bard". The poem asks God to bless everyone
in Llaregyb, as they bow to the sun, "And say goodbye,
but just for now!"
Triple Harp
Instruments: | Harp |
Genre: | Traditional Welsh, Irish & Scottish |
Format: | CD |
Our Ref: | A0217 |
MCPS: | Kissan CD |
Label: | Kissan |
Year: | 1992; Remastered 2008 |
Origin: | Wales (UK) |
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