Willafjord Stephen Dunstone

Willafjord For - Mixed Ability 3-part harp ensemble Please click the "About this work & Performance Notes" heading below for further details This book is supplied as a score and set of 3 parts   Buy this music now £9.50 +p&p

Artist Profile and catalogue of works - Stephen Dunstone

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Willafjord

There are three parts as follows::-

Melody
Harmony 1 & Counter Melody
Harmony 2

Willafjord is a Shetland reel, but there’s no fjord by that name in Shetland. It’s thought that the tune was brought back by Shetland fiddlers from Greenland when they were working on whaling ships. Puzzlingly, there isn’t a fjord named Willafjord in Greenland either, but the fiddler Maurice Henderson went on a place-finding mission to Greenland to uncover the roots of the tune (and where Willafjord might actually have been) and wrote a book about it: In Search Of Willafjord. Well worth a read...

Incidentally, another Shetland reel, Merry Boys o’ Greenland, was also brought back from Greenland (logically enough) by the whalers. I’ve arranged that for 4-part ensemble and it can be found in “Two Shetland Reels” along with Sleep Soond In Da Mornin’. I think these are all fabulous tunes, but when you play them spare a thought for the whales and the heavy price they paid.

These reels are lively and exuberant, and, as I said in the intro blurb to the other two reels, I haven’t put any dynamic markings in: to be prescriptive about when to play loud and soft seemed somehow pompous, and not at all in the seize-the-moment spirit of the music. Just be swept along by it and do whatever your mood dictates...

As I suggest for all my ensembles, even though the music looks as though it should be played by one hand, always use both hands where possible as it allows you to play faster and more nimbly (especially if you’re not a virtuoso). It keeps you physically more engaged in the music, too - and it looks much better. I’ve made suggestions for using the hands, with the convention of tails-up-right-hand and tails-down-left-hand, but, as always, feel free to do whatever feels most comfortable for you...

Title:	Willafjord
Composer:	Stephen Dunstone
Instrumentation:	3 Lever or Pedal Harps
Level:	Mixed Ability
Format:	A4 stapled score and set of 3 A4 parts
Weight:	115gm
ISMN:	979-0-57046-438-8
Our Ref:	SD1068
Publisher:	Creighton's Collection
Printer/Distributor:	Creighton's Collection
Edition/Year:	2024
Origin:	UK