Irish traditional music
Selected and Arranged by Dorothea Barth
A great companion volume to Maidens of Melody Vol. 1
Perfect for weddings, Celtic Faires, and
St. Patrick's Day events!
To introduce Maidens of Melody Volume Two, the Preface is reproduced below.
By the time I finished the first volume of Maidens of Melody late in 2007, I had already discovered ample material in O’Neill’s Music of Ireland to inspire a second volume of arrangements celebrating those maidens who, by their charm or beauty, inspired the original tune. After completing Of Castles, Kings, and Court, I immediately began arranging the 32 tunes found in this volume.
As in the first Maidens of Melody volume, the tunes in Volume 2 are grouped thematically by the name of the maiden who inspired the song. The final suite of tunes is entitled "Maiden Medley" and includes those mysterious maidens who appear less frequently on O’Neill’s stage. Whenever specified, I’ve included the composer’s name. However, a number of tunes in O’Neill’s Music of Ireland do not designate a specific composer. In this case, I’ve simply indicated O’Neill.
These arrangements can be played on two violins or on recorder/flute and violin. In this volume I have noted soprano, alto, or tenor. Flute and violin players, please note that the soprano recorder sounds an octave higher than written. This works well on fast pieces where the violin and recorder are juxtaposed by helping the recorder to stand out against the louder violin. However, if you are playing these pieces on flute and violin or recorder and violin, you would probably want to play them at pitch to avoid extreme ranges. You are encouraged to experiment with different ranges, ornaments, and bowings to bring to life this wonderful traditional music.
I hope these arrangements will bring enjoyment to both player and listener and that they may be used creatively in weddings and special events, perhaps to honor one of the maidens' namesakes!
- Kammeraderie CD RELEASE: More Maidens
On September 8, 2015, we released a recording of Maidens of Melody Volume 2 music under the title More Maidens. This completes our six-CD cycle for 2015. The recording is available through CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play--you can preview tunes, purchase individual tracks, or purchase the entire album.
