Mel Bay Favorite Recorder Tunes: Beautiful Airs and Ballads of the British Isles - Diehl - Recorder - Book

Arranger: Marcia Diehl
Format: Book
Instrumentation: Recorder
Level: Intermediate

This exceptional collection of 41 truly beautiful airs and ballads from the British Isles offers both well-known tunes by the prolific blind Irish harpist, Turlough O'Carolan and rarely heard melodies by anonymous composers; all have stood the test of time. Arranged for soprano or tenor recorder, these include O'Carolan's classically influenced "Lord Inchiquin" and "Eleanor Plunkett" as well as "O Gentle Dove" and "Cuckoo Dear" -- both examples of the strong tradition of song in Wales. Among other tunes, the haunting modal melodies of "The Dark Slender Boy" and "Enchanted Valley" express the melancholic heart and soul of the British Isles.

A few of these songs have taken on a life of their own in modern times. "Bonny at Morn", a popular traditional tune of northern England and Scotland, was arranged for soprano voice and harp by the 20th century British composer, Benjamin Britten. "The Skye Boat Song" originally recounted Bonnie Prince Charles Edward Stuart's journey to the Isle of Skye after his defeat at the historic Battle of Culloden. Later, the song evolved into a lilting lullaby and was more recently used as the theme song for the popular Outlander television series.

Departing slightly from recorder notation practice, author Marcia Diehl has judiciously arranged these melodies complete with spare slur markings to aid the amateur player in authentically and musically rendering these tunes.

Contents:

• An Old Man He Courted Me
• Believe Me if All Those Endearing Charms
• Bonny at Morn
• Caitlin Triall
• Come by the Hills
• Cuckoo Dear
• Dear Aileen, I'm Going to Leave You
• Down by the Sally Gardens
• Eamonn a' Chnuic
• Eleanor Plunkett
• Emerald Musings
• Enchanted Valley
• Fanny Power
• General Monroe's Lament
• Give Me Your Hand
• I Wish I Were on Yonder Hill
• I'm Asleep, Don't Awaken Me
• Jock O'Hazeldean
• Kitty, My Love
• Lord Inchiquin
• My Home
• O Gentle Dove
• Once I Had a Sweetheart
• Paistin Fionn
• Planxty Irwin
• Saint Patrick Was a Gentleman
• She Moved Through the Fair
• Sheebeg and Sheemor
• Skye Air
• Skye Boat Song
• Star of the County Down
• Street Ballad
• The Dark Island
• The Dark Slender Boy
• The Dawning of the Day
• The Marsh of Rhuddlan
• The Pretty Maid Milking Her Cow
• The Sheep Under the Snow
• The Young Black Cow
• There Is a Long House at the Top of the Village
• Wild Mountain Thyme