Your favorite slow, hauntingly beautiful melody

Irish Flute
1

Hi,

I’m new to the forum and I am looking for your favorite slow, gorgeous melodies that move you to the core! What haunting, lovely slow tunes would you want on your favorite slow CD if you could only have a few?

Tune names and composers are great and necessary, but if you have a link to a sample of what the tune sounds like of a favorite recording that would be terrific!

Which melodious slow tunes cause you to close your eyes and just soak in the magic of the performance and sheer elegance of the melody?

TIA,

PiperDog

2

The Parting of Friends, track 14 off Music](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000HOM/ref=m_art_bow_1/103-3217715-2811815?v=glance&s=music%22%3EMusic) at Matt Molloy’s. He’s recorded it a few times for different albums.

3

Kevin Crawford, “In Good Company” album, track 4, “Coilsfield House”

-jeff

4

Not Bad BW.

Here is a link to a sound sample of Sgaríunt Na Gcompanagh, Track 14:

http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,133015,00.html

A nice start . . .

There are many beautiful airs out there . . . I am looking for a melody that can keep a tempo (albeit a slow freely played tempo) if possible for accompaniment to be arranged with it.

What are your favorites? Share one that you moves you with joy and stirrings like no other!

PiperDog

5

Jeff,

Thanks for Colisfield House. I enjoyed the recording . . . do you know if the dots exist for the tune? Did Kevin Crawford write the tune?

Thanks,

PDog

6

Jeff,

Thanks for Colisfield House. I enjoyed the recording . . . do you know if the dots exist for the tune? Did Kevin Crawford write the tune?

Thanks,

PDog

7

I assume by “dots” you mean the notes? I found them on the JC MIT tune finder site at Coilsfield House.

I hope I got the pointer right. Never could figure out those URL things. :slight_smile:

-jeff

8

I’m currently loving the tune “Andrea’s Waltz” on Turlach Boylan’s CD, The Tidy Cottage. The CD liner notes say it’s by BOb Pasquarello. It’s performed on the CD by Turlach on flute, plus fiddle and cittern.

I don’t have any links for it. Sorry!

Jeanie

9

There are so many…here are some for which I have the names:

Bean an Fhear Rua

Sliabh Geal gCua

Ag Taisteal na Blarnan

…all from recordings of the Chieftains, slag me for it or not. I thought they were well done! Those versions stuck with me.

10

I would have to say the adaptation Flatley did of An Chuilion (“The coolin”) that he did on the Gold DVD. Still haven’t found a transcription of it yet.

Aodhan

11

Theres a sample of it here</a](http://www.bandstore.com/bands/turlach/cottage.sht">here</a)>.

I fumbled though that tune at a local session with a fiddle player a few months ago. I was talking to her afterwards and found out she was the one playing on the CD.

Made me wish I had played it better. :smiley:

You’ll either need to be a good half-holer or have a keyed flute to play it.

12

Joe Burke does a lovely version on his ‘The Tailor’s choice’ album.I also like his rendition of ‘Bean Dubh a Ghleana’.

13

try drunken sailor, 5 part hornpipe( recorded on fire aflame, molloy, keane, o’flynn), or sunset, written by cathal mc connell, recorded on first( ?) altan album, gentle breeze, written by tommy peoples, recorded on altan’s horse with a heart album,paddy rambles through a park ( recorded by paul mc grattan, also on doublin with keenan and paddy glackin.
marin

14

Parting of Friends (recorded by glauber in Clips’n’snips)
Limerick Lamentation
Wild Geese (air)
Carollan’s farewell to music

15

Some favorites that I’ve been playing lately…

The Widowed Bride from O’Neil’s collection, JC’s tune finder will find this one

Carolan’s Cottage from “The Life and Times of an Irish Harper” Donnal O’Sullivan’s (???) book.

16

A couple of Frankie Kennedy / Altan tunes come to mind:

One is “An Feochan,” which has got to be the most stunningly beautiful air I’ve ever heard on flute.

Another is the reel “The Sunset.”

I agree with Matt Molloy’s rendition of “The Parting of Friends”–it definitely belongs on anyone’s short list.

John Skelton’s playing of “The Fire in the Hearth” is also stunning.

Silly Wizard’s “The Pearl,” though going by memory I think that had low whistle and not flute.

There are many, many others, of course.

–James

17

an feochan is gaelic name for gentle breeze.
marin

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Chris Norman’s recording of The Fairy Queen

Waltz of the Lilies from Deanta’s third album

Loretto Reid’s waltz, whose name I can’t call up, that’s on Wooden Flute Obsession I

There’s another Carolan tune, I think it’s Squire Parsons; I have a recording of that by I know not whom, it has box, possibly a bowed psaltery. It’s a lovely tune, with a D# in it, a very good vehicle for my recently restored 4-key

19

I’m in love with ‘Gaoth Barra na dTonn’ from Emer Mayocks Merry Bits of Timber album. It is Track 11 and you can listen to a clip on her website www.emermayock.com

Cheers,
Dave

20

Paul McGratton’s version of Easter Snow ~ his upper octave is sublime.

Mary