Harpist Mark Hammer playing the Paraguayan harp. If you want to know more about the harp and the tune he’s playing, he includes a fairly detailed write-up about both here.
Interesting point of trivia: Apparently on Paraguayan harps the C strings are blue, and the F strings are red, the opposite of other harps. Could make things very confusing for us lever harp players!
Auld Lang Syne on harp guitar:
Rex James Bros with Mark playing Auld Lang Syne on custom built Harp Guitar, Archtop Guitar, and Octave Mandolin.
Apologies for the lack of updates recently, real life has taken over in a big way and computer activities are at a minimum right now (most harpists can relate to the craziness of the holiday concert season; add major home renovations on top of that and you get the general idea). My goal is to get the Harp Blog back into its usual swing in the new year. In the meantime, here’s a video of the incomparable Kim Robertson, who I had the honour to meet and chat with at the Northern Lights Harp Fest.
To find out more about Kim and her music, you can visit her website at www.kimrobertson.net. You can see more videos of Kim at La Crosee ‘08 via the LAXIrishFest YouTube channel (or by following the links in the video above).
Lots of new listings for used harps for sale as of Oct. 9th, check out the Celtic Harp Page’s classifieds section for more info.
(All listings on the Celtic Harp Page are free of charge.)
Just got back this morning, and what a weekend it was! The first ever Northern Lights Harp Fest in Ottawa was a resounding success (despite the glitches with the sound system on the last day). I had hoped to blog “live” (as it were) from the hotel, but my computer decided it didn’t like the hotel’s “plug ‘n’ play” internet hookup and refused to play along. Turned out I didn’t really have any free time to spare, anyhow. I only left the hotel once, and that was to walk one door over to the restaurant (which, it turns out, is accessible by a nearby escalator, so technically I could have spent the whole weekend indoors, only seeing the sky through the rain-streaked windows.)
Much too tired to write more today, but there will be full-fledged review of the event coming up, as soon as we’ve unpacked and I’ve had a chance at a real night’s sleep. Update Dec. ‘09: Real life intervened and I never did get around to a proper review, sorry about that. Hoping to get the Blog going regularly again in January, after things calm down. – T.H.
One final note for all who are interested, the NLHF is going to be held bi-annually, so start saving now for 2011!
Very cool version of Brian Boru’s, from the master of Celtic fusion himself. I had only ever heard (and played) the traditional march version of this tune before, but it works surprisingly well as a song. Complete lyrics are included below (they’re pretty much identical on all the online lyrics sites, including the notes in French and English, presumably taken from the liner notes of the CD).
The Harp Blog posted Brian Boru’s as a tune of the month way back when, which you can download here. Following the link to Chubby Sparrow Music will take you to a midi version of the tune (along with a bunch of other free trad Celtic midi files).
A summary of Alan Stivell’s career and influence on Celtic & harp music can be found here (and of course the standard Wiki entry, here). Alain’s official website is www.alan-stivell.com (trilingual in Breton, French & English).
LYRICS:
Marv Brian Boru ‘rein buhez ‘n Iwerzhon
Dihan e Bro-Ulad ha ba ker Dulenn
Undedan tiegezhn unded an dud-man
Unded ar Gelted hag an douar
Maraiodh Brian Boru chun beatha nna heireann
Siochain in gcuige Uladh agus i mbaile ‘cliath
Aontacht an teaghlaigh, aontacht na dtuath
Aontacht an domhain is na gCeiltteach
Diouzh nerzh ar c’hadou da nerzh an ehan
Diouzh ‘bed doueek bennozh ar c’haroud
O neart an chata go neart na siochana
On brith dhiaga beannacht an ghra
Duirt siad gurbh i seo sochraide ar muintire
Gur choir duinn bheith sollunta fein
Biodh nach Raibh bronach
Marv Brian Boru ‘rein buhez ‘n Iwerzhon
Dihan e Bro-Ulad ha ba ker Dulenn
Undedan tiegezhn unded an dud-man
Unded ar Gelted hag an douar
Ta muid ‘nos ha haimsire
Go hairid an ghrian
Agus thogh muid ait bhog cois abhann.
NOTES:
Brian Boru :
Nom d’un chef irlandais qui fut vainqueur posthume des Vikings.
Brian Boru, chef de Tuath, chassa les Danois du Munster,
conquit le Leinster, devint le roi-suprème de l’Irlande en 1002
et battit les Vikings en 1014 à Clontharf.
Mais il fut assassiné dans la soirée par un fuyard alors qu’il se reposait.
Transmuter l’énergie de guerre en énergie de paix.
Mort brian Boru donnant vie en Irlande
Paix en Ulster et dedans Dublin
Unis les Celtes et la terre !
De la force des combats à celle de la paix
Du monde divin, bénédiction de l’amour.
ALAN STIVELL.
They said that we were shameless celebrating our love
With devastation all around us
We are like the weather, specially the sun
And we choose a soft place by the river.
CAITLIN MAUDE, from Amhran grà Vietnam.
This is so totally going to be my next harp – as soon as we finish paying off the addition. Well, maybe this and a nice little Lewandowski Romanesque harp on the side. Hey, I can dream, can’t I? (Click on the picture to visit the Delight on the Heartland site).
Ten pounds! Just think of how much easier it would be, trudging across fields and golf courses to get to the bride’s ideal wedding location. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still love my wooden harps, but this way I get to love them in nice safe, dry locations. With a nigh-indestructible harp, just think of the possibilities! Oh, the places we’ll go… I’d definitely pick another colour than black though. Maybe midnight blue, or neon purple, or ocean green.
(Apologies to my fellow Canadians re: the spelling of “fiber”, but that’s the way it’s spelled on all the American sites; exceptions must be made sometimes to avoid confusion!)
The harp guitar is one of the few oddball hybrid instruments to stand the test of time. Depending on when you mark the first occurence of a “true” harp guitar, it’s been around in one form or another since the 18th/19th century (also in early forms as the “harp lute”).
For more info:
harpguitars.net – As its name suggests, a site dedicated to harp guitars. Includes explorations into the instrument’s history and the entymology of the term “harp guitar”.
myspace.com/andymckee2 – More music by Andy McKee. See also Andy’s profile at Candy Rat records.
Speaking of cross-strung harps….
Courtesy of Crescendo. Starts with Harper Tasche introducing his cross-strung harp, after which he performs the first piece of Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier. Impressive as always, to hear Bach coming out of anything other than a pedal harp. Having a cross-strung of my own, I know it’s not nearly as easy to play as Harper makes it look.
