Hammered culcimer and Celtic harp duo playing an uplifting collection of airs and dances from Scotland, Ireland and Wales,

18 MP3 Songs in this album (55:09) !
Related styles: FOLK: Scottish Traditional, FOLK: Celtic Folk

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Details:
Crossing to Ireland: Elegant Airs & Lively Dances from Ireland, Scotland & Wales

Timeless Celtic music by two musicians in the Greater Cincinnati area â Nancy Bick Clark on Celtic harp, and Sara Johnson on hammered dulcimer. Although this album was launched a few years back, you should know, as an 18th century music publisher advised: there are two things that should never be dated â a lady, and music. The album is exactly as good as it was, and while the ancient Celtic tunes on this cd are now older, the ladies who performed on this album assure you they have not aged a bit.

The album contains a mixture of tunes mostly from Scotland, Ireland and Wales, plus three of Nancyâs compositions. Several of the tunes are well-known melodies, such as Scarborough Fair, Greensleeves, Planxty (or Capt.) John Irwin, and Scot Skinnerâs The Slumbering Minstrel. The harp and dulcimer trade leads and harmony parts in a seamless tapestry of Celtic music.

Livelier dance sets include St. Kildaâs Wedding with Jack Broke Da Prison Door, or the âbad hair dayâ set, Comb Your Hair and Curl It/ Riding on a Load of Hay. A fan once referred to this set as, âYou can Take This Hair and Shove Itâ.

Other tunes include unusual and little known tunes, such as Correlli Revivâd, Crossing to Ireland, Count Saxâs Minuet and a tune found by Nancy in a manuscript at the Folk Museum in Kingussie, Scotland.

Nancy plays on a Celtic harp by James Rydecki, and Sara plays hammered dulcimers by William Webster and Lost Valley.

Nancy, who also plays recorder and lap dulcimer, has been researching music, performing, teaching, composing, and recording for over 16 years. She performs solo or with the Clark & Jones Trio, with husband Frank Clark, and fiddler/guitarist Jude Jones. In 2003, she performed with the Chieftains at Riverbend in Cincinnati. She has performed from Cape Breton to the Midwest and southeastern U.S., and has been past president of the Scottish Harp Society of America. Some of Nancyâs compositions appear on this album. Nancyâs past albums include Autumn Passages, Chrysalis, Peace Lullaby, and others. Nancy and Frank Clark also appear on Saraâs album Passâd Times.

Sara Johnson, as the "Kitchen Musician" publishes traditional tune collections for hammered dulcimer, fiddle, and folk instruments, with twenty books in print. She also plays fiddle, kit (dancing masterâs pocket fiddle), virginal small harpsichord), mandolin, and other instruments. Her recordings include Neuantics, with the band Ten Strike; Chameleon; Passâd Times; Oceans So Green: and Favourite Scotch Measures with Scottish fiddler John Turner, and harper Sara Walthery.

What folks have said about us:

"This collection of tranquil instrumentals offers the listener the opportunity to sample an assortment of Celtic music in one intensively beautiful CD..... evoking the essence of Celtic music, taking you on a journey of heart, mind and spirit...." WNKU FM

â¦âThe great thing about this album is the way the two musicians dance around each other without ever getting in each otherâs way. On the opening harp tune Hexham Dreamsâ¦.. you have to listen carefully to pick out the dulcimer, at which point you realize how essential and skillfully integrated it is. Itâs the opposite on the dulcimer driven Comb Your Hair and Curl It, but for the most part the instruments are both to the fore. Well known tunes⦠are sprinkled in amongst unusual and successful Welsh/ Scottish pairings such as Suo Gan/ Braes of Tulliemet and Count Saxâs Minuet/Kingussie Mss. (the last literally copied by hand by Bick Clark from a glass case in a Scottish museum)â¦." Dirty Linen

âThese traditional Irish, Scottish, and Welsh aires have a light, delicate quality that resonate with rich Celtic musical traditions. Hammered dulcimer and harp treat each selection with great care, respecting the emotional content of the song while maintaining a gentle, easy-going pace.â¦" Music Sidelines