My Lagan Love Do not listen to this while driving. Recently, driving at night on one of our extended trips to a conference, grandkids in tow, Carol put on a recording of Jim Weiss telling bedtime stories. Same problem. I had to request one of … Read more
The Parting Glass, Irish Song (arr. Earley) A simple song well sung. Simplicity is a virtue in music too often forgotten. We have a tendency to celebrate complexity and bigness for their own sake. Just look at the Super Bowl Halftime Show each year where … Read more
The Cuckoo in the Grove, Traditional Scottish Air Do people ask you to name your favorite song or composer? I get that question frequently, and I can never answer it. It upsets my daughter that I don’t have favorites in virtually any category: music, food, … Read more
Anonymous: Duke of Norfolk (Paul’s Steeple) Anonymous? So who’s the guy in the picture? John Playford (1623-1686/7) was a publisher and a music theorist. (We like music theorists at this site.) He was also a war correspondent and royalist during the English Civil Wars. That … Read more
Danny Boy With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, what could be more fitting than the famous Irish folk song “Danny Boy”? A couple of weeks ago, we discussed how Bartók collected folk songs from the Hungarian countryside and incorporated them into his compositions. Bartók was … Read more
Bartók: “Fast Dance” from Romanian Folk Dances Folk music exerts a powerful influence on many composers. You can hear that influence in some of the music of Mozart and Schubert for instance. Composers have turned to folk styles at times either to invoke the indigenous … Read more