CD RELEASE: Christmas Lights - Máire Ní Chathasaigh (harp) & Chris Newman (guitar)

Christmas Lights - Máire Ní Chathasaigh (harp) & Chris Newman (guitar)
Released 2 December 2013

In December 2012 we were wondering what to do about Christmas cards as the cost of postage in the UK had recently increased by an enormous amount. We had the bright idea of sending a musical Christmas greeting, instead of a physical card, to everyone on our database so spent the evening of December 13th in the studio recording an extremely light-hearted version of Ding Dong Merrily on High. The following day we emailed a hyperlink to everyone we knew, and by December 26th, when we removed the track from the website, it had been downloaded over 6000 times. We received lots of comments along the lines of "When's the rest of the album coming out?" Well, this is it, and we hope you enjoy it!

Buy this album now    CD: £12.50 + p&p  

Track Listing

1) The Holly and the Ivy 3:09
2) Three Ships from Sussex 3:14
3) God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen 3:01
4) Campana Sobre Campana (Bells upon Bells) 3:25
5) O Come all ye Faithful 2:32
6) Past Three O’Clock 2:33
7) O Little Town of Bethlehem 3:28
8) The Coventry Carol 3:39
9) Away in a Manger 3:38
10) Il est né le Divin Enfant 3:07
11) We Three Kings 3:25
12) Once in Royal David’s City 2:32
13) Do'n Oíche Úd i mBeithil (To That Night in Bethlehem) 2:50
14) The First Tree in the Greenwood 3:08
15) Infant Holy, Infant Lowly 3:20
16) Ding Dong Merrily on High 3:35

CD RELEASE: Cerdd Dannau by Gwenan Gibbard

Cerdd Dannau by Gwenan Gibbard

Cerdd dant is essentially the unique and ancient art of singing poetry to harp accompaniment. Its origins date back to the earliest centuries, when the harper would declaim his poetry to his own accompaniment, in praise of his chief or prince. In Wales there has always been a special relationship between music and poetry: there are many references to singing poetry to the accompaniment of the harp in Welsh manuscripts from the middle ages on wards, and this tradition continues to this day.

Buy this album now    CD: £12.98 + p&p 

Track Listing

01. Nei Di Ganu ’Nghân? 
02. Noson Aflawen - With Cerys Matthews 
03. Pen Draw Llyn 
04. Calon Drom 
05. A Glywi Di? 
06. Nid yw Cariad yn Ddall 
07. Glan Môr Heli 
08. Rowndio’r Horn - With Meinir Gwilym 
09. Mae’r Ddaear yn Glasu 
10. Bro 
11. Traeth Lafan / Adlais Nia / Pen Rhaw 
12. Arglwydd Iesu, Dysg im Gerdded 
13. Dau a Dwy 
14. Rhwng Pen y Cei a Phen yr Allt

Albums - click cover for details
Y Gwenith Gwynnaf	Sidan Glas	Cerdd Dannau

NEW HARP SOLO: Varikset Yössä by Athy

Varikset Yössä 
Cuervos en la noche - Ravens at Night 

Imagine a cemetery lost in a dark forest on a cold night ... in the immense sky hundreds of black ravens are flying over the tombs. Suddenly the moon turns red, red as blood ... the ravens are flying above it in enchanting circles ... the silence of the night fails with a sudden noise from one of the crypts nestling in this erie gothic landscape .... the scence is set for Athy's latest romantic rhapsody a tale of a love stronger than death! 

For (electric) lever harp in Eb or Pedal harp 



For further information at www.creightonscollection.co.uk click here or

Buy this music now: £12.00 + p&p

Also by Athy

Sheet Music - printed & distributed by Creighton's Collection
click score covers for further details
Music for Electric Lever Harp (or Lever /Pedal Harp)
Seres del Fuego	Dulce Bretaña	Cuchuflo's Jig	Perfume a Tango	Atlantis

New Monika Stadler harp & bass CD in stock

Scandinavia - Live in Halbturn 
Monika Stadler & Wayne Darling

A live recording from the Thomastik Infeld - Haus der Kultur (Cultural House), A - 7131 Halbturn. This CD was not planned, it simply happened! As the recording was so good, we made a CD of it. It contains original compositions by Monika Stadler and Wayne Darling, as well as Louiz Bonfà's jazz standard Black Orfeus and a beautiful Swedish folk song. A CD full of the fresh, dynamic, utter joy of playing music, combined with masterful talent and deeply touching musicality.

Featuring: 
Monika Stadler (Harp & Voice) 
Wayne Darling (Acoustic bass & Waterphone)

Tracks:
1. Black Orpheus (L. Bonfa) 5:19
2. Scandinavia (M. Stadler) 3:50
3. Gone Again (W. Darling) 8:30
4. O tysta ensamhet (Swedish Traditional) 5:30
5. Intro: Waterphone Improvisation (W. Darling)  
    Snow Falls Silently In My Imaginary Garden (M. Stadler) 11:00
6. No One Can Stop Me Now (M. Stadler) 7:45
7. Broasted in Brockway (W. Darling) 3:10

View further information at Creighton's Collection please click here

New 2nd Edition: Pathway (for Wire Strung Harp)

Pathway
A Primer for the Wire Strung Harp 
by Cynthia Cathcart 
Illustrated by Michael Glenn Stewart 
Edited by Laurel Wright. 

Revised and updated 2nd Edition - 2013

Pathway is a tutorial for people new to the study of the wire strung harp. Starting with descriptions of the instrument, the student is led on a journey into the basic damping and ringing techniques of the clarsach, the wire strung harp of Ireland and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in 21 lessons. The book is complimented by a 39 track recording which includes tuning tracks and all the tunes in the book with the Gaelic titles pronounced. 



For further information please visit our information web site:
www.creightonscollection.co.uk or click here

(Please note: The CD is not shipped with the book it is down loaded, instructions are in the book)


CONTENTS

Preface 
Guide to Reading Music 
The Instrument: Parts of the Harp
Tuning the Harp 
Holding the Clarsach 
Hand Position

Lesson One	The First Steps to Making Music A Musician's Rule of Three
Lesson Two	Putting Fingers to the Strings Patterns of Music
Lesson Three	The First Melody and Damping
Lesson Four	The First Melody and Ringing Practice Techniques
Lesson Five	A Traditional Tune from Ireland
Lesson Six	A Traditional Tune from Scotland Phrases
Lesson Seven	Two Tunes from our Primary Sources
Lesson Eight	Introducing the '6/8' Time Signature Memory Techniques
Lesson Nine	Repeated Notes Dynamics
Lesson Ten	Striking Strings Simultaneously with Different Hands The Pickup Note
Lesson Eleven	Damping Two Strings in One Hand Relaxation vs. Tension
Lesson Twelve	The Free Stroke Tension and Release
Lesson Thirteen	Ringing Decisions
Lesson Fourteen	Introduction to Ornamentation Practicing is Teaching Yourself
Lesson Fifteen	Building Blocks ­ The Walking Pattern
Lesson Sixteen	Two Notes Struck Together in One Hand
Lesson Seventeen	The Flexible Thumb Interpretation in Music
Lesson Eighteen	Repeating Notes with Different Fingers Music with a Purpose
Lesson Nineteen	Breaking Free from Fixed Fingers
Lesson Twenty	Figures of Music Goal Setting
Lesson Twenty-One	Moving Around the Harp
Appendix A	Tunes adapted for this book
Appendix B	Bibliography
Tune index

Sample page

another sample page

New CDs from Bragod added to site

Bragod
Bob Evans (crwth) | Mary-Anne Roberts (voice)

“Medieval and Renaissance Welsh poetry performed in all its glory, may not, on paper, sound like the most enthralling prospect. But believe me, when it’s done by the Cardiff-based duo Bragod – it is.” Verity Sharp, BBC Music Magazine

Bragod by Bragod (CD) £12.00 +p&p
Welsh music and poetry from the 14th to the 18th Century. 
The first Welsh crwth recording (2001). 
Original 2001 recording, re-issued in 2013 with updated notes

View at Creighton's Collection information web site

Llatai by Bragod (CD) £12.00 +p&p
Messages of human and divine love. Medieval Welsh poetry and music marking 400 years since Robert ap Huw copied his manuscript of bardic music. Llatai is a recording of three pieces from Bragod’s performance Birds/Adar. Released 2013.

View at Creighton's Collection information web site




View all Bragod CDs at Creighton's Collection online shop

The Harp in Wales by Bruce Cardwell

A celebration of the harp in Wales, an instrument as symbolically key to a Welsh identity as the flag itself. Foreword by Catrin Finch.

Bruce Cardwell provides a history of the harp in Wales, including how it grew to prominence, its evolving role in Welsh culture, how it became a central symbol of Welshness, how it has developed as a musical instrument in response to changing musical taste, and the booming harp business today. He also explores the craft of harp-making, including the variety of construction, materials, designs and aesthetics, issues of ‘playability’ and tone, and the fusion of craft skills with art sensibilities. The book also has a section on thirty-six contemporary Welsh harpists, with portraits and a narrative on their perspective on their personal instruments, their individual repertoires and how they see their place in the continuing tradition. These harpists include Catrin Finch, Elinor Bennett, Delyth Jenkins, Robin Huw Bowen, Twm Morys, Gwenan Gibbard, Harriet Earis, Llio Rhydderch and Ben Creighton Griffiths.

A beautifully presented hard back book 10" x 10"

Click here for further information