Eden Project

Cornish Music Loud and Clear!

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 2 Comments

In this edition: Merv Davey, Julian Goodacre, Alan Rosevear, Sevenoaks, Brenda Wootton and Sue Aston.

Picture – Large round stones on Porth Nanven beach, Cornwall.

Today I am exploring Cornish music. It’s been a while since I did an exclusive in one of the Celtic nations. I love the music of Cornish bagpipes as you can see and hear in the Cornish music session. When I think of Cornish music I remember my introduction to it through the late Brenda Wootton,the band Dalla and Sue Aston. They all come to mind because they’re the artists that got me started. Cornish music continues to grow as you can see here.

If you want the biggest online music store devoted to Cornish music then you just visit http://www.kesson.com and EVERYTHING is there!

Cornish trad session

Cornish music session in the Barley Sheaf, Liskeard, Cornwall. ‘Coer Elath’ (Choir of Angels) is a traditional tune with additional parts composed by Merv Davey, seen here playing bagpipes.

Sources

http://www.myspace.com/barleyfolk
http://www.an-daras.com/W_Pyba/index.html
http://www.myspace.com/dallamusicuk

Now for those who are wondering about the Cornish bagpipes, one of the commenter made a clarification:

The Cornish bagpipes are a traditional instrument in both Cornwall and Briezh. The oldest depictions of Cornish Bagpipes being played date from c.1400AD. The pipes have likely been played in Kernow/Cornwall for at least 2000 years. I am sorry to disappoint anyone who believes incorrectly that they are a recent invention or have been ‘made up’.-The Cornubian

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The Cornish Pipes:

Now it has a distinctive sound. More mellow and sonorous than the Scottish bagpipes or the uilleann pipes.Check out how it is being played! With two reeds. This tune is however a traditional English tune called Shepherd’s Hey. But you get the idea of what it sounds like. Anyone interested to learn the Cornish bagpipes?

Video info: Shepherds Hey; traditional English tune played by Julian Goodacre, played on Cornish double bagpipes in D

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Lamorna – a Cornish folk song

I have always been fascinated by the beauty of   folk singing. Especially when sung without instrumentation. It gives you that soul of the song because it becomes intimate. The simplicity is what gives it a pleasure to sing.  This is one beautiful song I would love to learn. I am posting the lyrics here and the video as performed by Alan Rosevear

LAMORNA
So now I’ll sing to you , it’s about a maiden fair,
I met the other evening at the corner of the square;
She had a dark and roving eye, and her hair was covered over,
We rowed all night in the pale moonlight
Way down to Lamorna.
(Chorus)
T’was down in Albert Square; I never shall forget,
Her eyes they shone like diamonds
And the evening it was wet, wet, wet;
And her hair hung down in curls
Her face was covered over,
We rowed all night in the pale moonlight
Way down to Lamorna.

As we got in the cab, I asked her for her name,
And when she gave it me, well with mine it was the same;
So I lifted up her veil, for her face was covered over;
To my surprise, it was my wife
I took down to Lamorna.
Cho

She said I know you know, I knew you all along,
I knew you in the dark, for I did it for a lark;
And for that lark you’ll pay, for the taking of your donna,
You’ll pay the fare, I do declare
Way down to Lamorna.

about the song:

A folk song popular in Cornwall. There are several candidates for where you could have a night of pleasure in Lamorna – Lamorna Cove near St Just is probably the most likely. Sung by Alan Rosevear in Exeter.

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Sweet Nightingale (Cornish folk song)

What an amazing tune. Especially that it is enhanced by natural sounds like the birds and rustling leaves and even an audience coughing. There  lots of amazing Cornish talents. You just have to look.

According to Mark Potts who uploaded the video:

Recorded at the Eden Project in April 2007. I was in a local folk trio called “Sevenoaks”. The guitar arrangement was based on McCartney’s “Blackbird” style and I reference my source at the end of this piece! I’d forgotten what a lovely voice Charlie the singer had

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Brenda Wootton – The Trees They Are So High

What is Cornish Music without Brenda Wootton?  This one is  from the 1975 Sentinel album. A duet with Dennis Bartlet.

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The Home Coming by Sue Aston Celtic Music with Classical Twist from Cornwall

The Amazing Sue Aston closes our episode with The Home Coming. I made an interview with her when this site was new. That was memorable. makes me smile when I think of it. She has released a couple of album already and is very much active in the Cornish music scene these days. Visit http://www.sueaston.com

Sue Aston: The Cornish Muse Talks About Her New Album

/ mrbaxteria2008 / 3 Comments

Between Worlds the new album by multi-instrumentalist composer  Sue Aston  now out!

I love how the Cornish landscape is portrayed in the 1939 Hitchcock movie Rebecca. Corn wall embodies bandoned castles, windswept hillsides, moderate climate and so much more. But apart from these scenes, it’s the people  who make Cornwall the Celtic nation  that it is today.

The violin is a very transparent instrument in a sense that the player decides the kind of sound it produces. Violins don’t lie.Especially when one is an artist who is passionate  about  both the music and Cornwall’s political struggles.To quote from her : “My muse is the granite cliffs and the rolling moors of Kernow, her legends, her culture and people. Thank you for your kind words of support, I am inspired determined and ready for action!”

The second album has twelve tracks displaying her classical training and the honest sentiments of folk music. Sue ‘s music glides into the senses like fine wine. From the anthemic title track , The playful Mazy Dazey , the dark ominous charm of Storm Cat…the Vivaldi-like Hawthorne Tree, the Cornish Melody in Thursday’s Market (marghas yow), and closing with the introspective melody of Initial Bond. There are other instruments you can hear in the album(both Folk and Classical) as well as classical female voices.

Over the years, Sue Aston collaborated with Chris De Burgh (Quiet Revolution), Gordon Giltrap (Music for the Small Screen), and Andrew Downs (Centenary Firedances / The Marshes of Glynn) among others. But exploring her inner landscapes in albums like Sacred Landscapes and Inspirational Journey , she is able to carve her identity. And she is back in full force with the latest offer Between Worlds.

 

1.How long did it take to create this album?

It took 18 months to create my new album, as I composed many of the tracks as I went along, slotting them in between recording sessions. I was juggling my time with recording new solo violin parts, while working out the piano accompaniment and arranging the parts for the other instruments. Quite often there were two or three tracks on the go at the same time!

2. Was the process hard compare to Sacred Landscapes and Inspirational Journey?

In some respects it was an easier process as I was in total control of all aspects of the musical parts. My first and second albums relied more on the producer creating layers of sound and special effects to support the violin and piano melodies. This album was far more labour intensive for me, but much more satisfying. It also meant that the sheet music was ready to go, as I had had to get the arrangements ready for the other musicians to play on.

3. Your single The Hawthorn Tree is a very powerful piece . Vivaldi comes to mind. What inspired you to compose this?

3. With the Hawthorn Tree track, I wanted to push myself technically as a performer. On my first album, ‘Sacred Landscapes’, the track ‘Madron’ was a piece which I composed for solo violin, and with ‘The Hawthorn Tree’ I wanted another virtuoso showpiece which challenged me further – both as a composer and performer. I could never actually visualise myself recording or performing it – so when I eventually did both of these things it felt like a great personal achievement!

4. You music has always been labeled as ‘beautiful, healing, and elegant’. Has there been other description that you found rather odd?

I’m always fascinated to hear how people perceive my music. My music encompasses a wide range of styles and emotions, and when I perform in a concert it’s great to see people dancing to pieces like ‘Mazey Dazey’, then in tears over ‘The Final Homecoming’ for example.

5.I personally find your compositions challenging because they all have the classical discipline yet the expressiveness and simplicity of Folk. Do you have a plan of venturing into other forms of music?

Because I listened to different genres of music as a child – from Punk Rock to Classical – I have absorbed many styles, but really to me it is just ‘simply music’! On my new album Between Worlds, I improvised on a track called ‘Drift’ with the folk musician Rick Williams. It was recorded in one take, and has a jazzy feel to it with inspiration drawn from Stephane Grappelli.

6. Cornwall has been a visible emblem of your music. Do you consider your self as an artist and at the same time an activist?

I consider myself very fortunate to be living in Cornwall with my family. Because the spirit of Cornwall is deeply embedded in my heart, my creative output is infused with Cornwall, and so anything which affects this amazing place is of great concern to me.

7.What keeps you inspired to record albums?

Living in such a beautiful part of the world is a constant source of inspiration, as is the wonderful feedback and growing support I am so lucky to receive from people who enjoy my music.

You can purchase all of her albums here”

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SueAston