Your favourite laments and slow airs

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: GUEST,Bardford
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 10:15 PM

Mary Bergin plays a beauty of a slow air on her Feadoga Stain disc. Liam O Raghallaigh. F Whistle. Sweet.

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Marion
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 10:07 PM

Interesting. I'm mostly a fiddler so I was thinking of instrumental laments and slow airs, not of songs. I wonder if there are musical (i.e., non-lyrical) attributes that can characterize laments. Minor keys, I guess, but I wonder if there are other specific tricks that evoke a sad mood.

And again, with that word pastoral - are there musical attributes that make an instrumental piece a pastoral, or just singing about sheep? Or maybe if the composer chooses a title related to the countryside or wants it known that he was inspired to write it by a trip to the moors, he calls it a pastoral. The "pastoral" instrumental piece in Handel's Messiah is followed by the air beginning "He shall lead his sheep like a shepherd," so maybe that's why.

Is "Sheep May Safely Graze" a song or an instrumental?

Marion

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: marshman
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 02:53 PM

every time I hear Laurie Lewis sing her "Maple's Lament" it brings tears to my eyes. She accompany's the song with a "Hardanger?" fiddle. The song deals with the sadness of a maple tree that has been "bound up in wire strings" and turned into a fiddle. A beautiful song and definately my favorite lament. marshman

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Musicman
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 02:35 PM

I found some wonderful tunes while making the cd (information can be found here)...
I am often asked about my favorites on the album..... that's a tough one..... because each is so different. I like individual things about them... melody in Air for the Island, the fiddle in ye Banks and Braes and the harp accompaniment to Ar Eirinn....
and.... there were so many we didn't include......

always changing too.. depending on the mood...... although I do like Bill Staines "Sourdough" melody... wonderful thoughtfull melody....

musicman

(hope all these links worked)

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Roger in Sheffield
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 01:08 PM

O'Rahilly's Grave

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 11:52 AM

Roslin Castle, Air for the Island (on musicman's CD), Down By the Salley Gardens, Logan Water.........

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: mrs_zezam
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 11:46 AM

"Ye Banks and Braes"

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: GUEST,Mary in Kentucky
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 11:30 AM

Pastoral - Beethoven's 6th Symphony (my favorite) and Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze are both in the key of F. Carl Haas mentioned that that key was used for several "pastoral" pieces and had a "pastoral" flavor to it.

Slow Airs - Musicman's CD Farewell has beautiful Celtic waltzes and slow airs. I'd love to hear of other ones, especially the Scottish ones.

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: jeffp
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 11:19 AM

My favorite lament is Limerick's Lamentation. Especially when played by James Kelly.

As far as slow airs go, there are too many to choose from. I just can't pick a favorite.

jeffp

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Mrrzy
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 10:18 AM

Pastoral means, I believe, relating to pasture, greenery, The Great Outdoors, the country. Prettier than rural, but similar.

A lament is a subspecies of slow airs, being slow airs specifically about tragedies, lamenting usually someone's death. However, anything sung slowly is a slow air, I would think - The Clancy Brothers (I think with Robbie O'Connell, but it might have been with Tommy Makem) do a very slow version of The Moonshiner, which does not turn the song into a lament, I don't think. Just makes it a lot less fun to listen to.

My favorite slow air might be The Parting Glass. My favorite lament might be The Baggage Coach Ahead.

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Bagpuss
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 10:13 AM

A guy that led a choir I was in described "pastoral" as "to do with sheep and stuff". Henceforth these types of pieces were sung "sheepily" by us!

Bagpuss

Subject: RE: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Midchuck
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 10:01 AM

Margaret Ann Robertson (even though the guitar chords are a f***er).

Peter.

Subject: Your favourite laments and slow airs
From: Marion
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 09:53 AM

I really like Neil Gow's Lament for the Death of His Second Wife, MacPherson's Lament, Southwind, Planxty Irwin, and Rosebud of Allendale (or was it Allenvale?).

While we're at it, can anyone define/differentiate laments and slow airs? Or explain the word pastoral?

Marion