Lyr Add: The Lark in the Clear Air

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LARK IN THE CLEAR AIR
From: Alice
Date: 18 Sep 99 - 09:40 PM

THE LARK IN THE CLEAR AIR
recorded by Sidney MacEwan in 1932
lyrics by Sir Samuel Ferguson of Belfast circa 1850
trad tune 'Caisleán U, Néill' collected by Lady Ferguson in the west of Ireland

Dear thoughts are in my mind
And my soul soars enchanted,
As I hear the sweet lark sing
In the clear air of the day.
For a tender beaming smile
To my hope has been granted,
And tomorrow she shall hear
All my fond heart would say.

I shall tell her all my love,
All my soul's adoration,
And I think she will hear
And will not say me nay.
It is this that gives my soul
All its joyous elation,
As I hear the sweet lark sing
In the clear air of the day.
^^

from the book "A Song For Ireland" by Mary O'Hara

Can anyone supply and abc of the tune?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: MudGuard
Date: 24 Oct 99 - 09:02 AM


And when my love does on such rue, tell him of his own heart's secret
And speaking all those words of love that I long to hear him say
And our two hearts joined as one will for certain be warmed
As we hear the sweet lark sing in the clear air of the day.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: MudGuard
Date: 24 Oct 99 - 09:08 AM

Ooops, forgot to select the rest of my message. Here it comes:

I just transcribed this song from a tape (the handwritten note says it is performed by "Pentangle"). With the help of the lyrics provided by you, Alice, it was quite easy for the first two verses.
It has an additional verse on the tape.
As usual, I am not very sure about my transcription. Especially the red part of the lyrics...
If someone can help, please ...
TIA
MudGuard

And when my love does on such rue, tell him of his own heart's secret
And speaking all those words of love that I long to hear him say
And our two hearts joined as one will for certain be warmed
As we hear the sweet lark sing in the clear air of the day.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: John Wood
Date: 24 Oct 99 - 06:04 PM

The Pentangle version that MudGuard mentioned is from the CD.``Think of Tomorrow´´(1991).
I agree with MudGuards transcription.
The (red) word IS WARM---ED.

Greetings John.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: MudGuard
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 06:21 AM

Hi John,
no, it is not from the CD Think of Tomorrow.
I know by now that the song was copied to the tape (not by me) from a CD (2CD-Set) called The World of Irish Folk.
I was not sure about the word because it is pronounced quite unusually in this case (warm--ed), and as English is not my first language I thought it could also be some word unknown to me.

MudGuard

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: alison
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 11:18 PM

I'll do the tune later Alice....

slainte

alison

Subject: Tune Add: THE LARK IN THE CLEAR AIR
From: alison
Date: 26 Oct 99 - 12:11 AM

Here it is.... it's one of those tunes that you get to make very personal, by sticking heaps of pauses in at the end of most lines...

MIDI file: LARK_I~1.MID

Timebase: 480

Name: THE LARK IN THE CLEAR AIR
TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Tempo: 069 (857143 microsec/crotchet)
Key: G
Start
0960 1 74 102 0238 0 74 102 0002 1 71 095 0238 0 71 095 0002 1 67 078 0358 0 67 078 0002 1 66 085 0118 0 66 085 0002 1 66 082 0238 0 66 082 0002 1 67 094 0238 0 67 094 0002 1 64 082 0238 0 64 082 0002 1 60 079 0238 0 60 079 0002 1 62 080 0320 0 62 080 0002 1 62 093 0118 0 62 093 0002 1 64 094 0118 0 64 094 0002 1 66 066 0238 0 66 066 0002 1 67 084 0718 0 67 084 0002 1 69 080 0238 0 69 080 0002 1 71 107 0081 0 71 107 0002 1 72 091 0238 0 72 091 0002 1 69 093 0478 0 69 093 0002 1 74 090 0478 0 74 090 0002 1 74 088 0238 0 74 088 0002 1 71 091 0238 0 71 091 0002 1 67 081 0360 1 66 088 0007 0 67 081 0108 0 66 088 0005 1 66 082 0238 0 66 082 0002 1 67 083 0238 0 67 083 0002 1 64 088 0238 0 64 088 0002 1 60 070 0238 0 60 070 0002 1 62 078 0958 0 62 078 0002 1 62 081 0238 0 62 081 0002 1 64 079 0118 0 64 079 0002 1 66 077 0118 0 66 077 0002 1 67 086 0238 0 67 086 0002 1 71 072 0238 0 71 072 0002 1 64 086 0478 0 64 086 0002 1 69 067 0238 0 69 067 0002 1 66 064 0238 0 66 064 0002 1 67 095 0958 0 67 095 0002 1 62 078 0238 0 62 078 0002 1 62 085 0238 0 62 085 0002 1 67 081 0718 0 67 081 0002 1 66 083 0238 0 66 083 0002 1 67 092 0118 0 67 092 0002 1 69 087 0118 0 69 087 0002 1 71 086 0118 0 71 086 0002 1 72 088 0118 0 72 088 0002 1 74 103 0958 0 74 103 0002 1 76 088 0358 0 76 088 0002 1 74 086 0118 0 74 086 0002 1 74 094 0238 0 74 094 0002 1 71 093 0238 0 71 093 0002 1 67 072 0238 0 67 072 0002 1 69 081 0238 0 69 081 0002 1 71 083 0235 0 71 083 0005 1 74 073 0104 0 74 073 0016 1 72 082 0118 0 72 082 0002 1 71 090 0475 0 71 090 0005 1 69 083 0470 0 69 083 0010 1 74 077 0238 0 74 077 0002 1 71 083 0238 0 71 083 0002 1 67 080 0358 0 67 080 0002 1 66 082 0118 0 66 082 0002 1 66 074 0238 0 66 074 0002 1 67 077 0238 0 67 077 0002 1 64 083 0238 0 64 083 0002 1 60 064 0238 0 60 064 0002 1 62 076 0958 0 62 076 0002 1 62 085 0238 0 62 085 0002 1 64 084 0118 0 64 084 0002 1 66 070 0118 0 66 070 0002 1 67 088 0230 0 67 088 0010 1 71 073 0240 1 64 084 0023 0 71 073 0455 0 64 084 0002 1 69 070 0238 0 69 070 0002 1 66 072 0238 0 66 072 0002 1 67 079 0958 0 67 079
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:The Lark in the clear air
M:3/4
Q:1/4=69
K:G
d5B|G3/2F/2FGEC|D4D/2E/2F|G3ABc|A2d2dB|G3/2F/2FGEC|
D4DE/2F/2|GBE2AF|G4DD|G3FG/2A/2B/2c/2|d4e3/2d/2|
dBGABd/2c/2|B2A2dB|G3/2F/2FGEC|D4DE/2F/2|
GBE2AF|G6||

If you'd rather hear the tune without the hassle of translating try new MIDI site

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 06:48 AM

Thanks for the lyrics, Alice & John, I've been trying for ages to track them down. I plan to sing this lovely song at a an Irish song nite on March 19 at the Chestico Museum in Port Hood, Inverness County, Cape Breton. jasmine

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: radriano
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 11:14 AM

Dear Alison and others:

The ABC notation posted that is generated by an automated program doesn't work well. I know you're hearts are in the right place but inaccurate notation is frustrating if not downright useless. If you can, double-check the notation for accuracy. If you can't double-check the results why post at all.

At the expense of ruffling some feathers out there,
radriano

Subject: Tune Add: THE LARK IN THE CLEAR AIR
From: radriano
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 01:09 PM

The corrected ABC notation for Lark in the Clear Air is:
X:1
T:The Lark in the clear air
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=69
K:G
d6B|G3/2F/2 FG EC|D4D/2E/2F|G3ABc|A2d2dB|G3/2F/2 FG EC|
D4DE/2F/2|GBE2AF|G4DD|G3FG/2A/2B/2c/2|d4e3/2d/2|
dB GA Bd/2c/2|B2A2dB|G3/2F/2 FG EC|D4DE/2F/2|
GBE2AF|G6||

There are a number of reasons that the original ABC notation posted for Lark in the Clear Air was incorrect. Midi files are created by people playing the melody who don't always hold out notes to their correct length. This is fine when you are listening to the Midi file because the human ear compensates for such discrepancies but when an automated system is used to translate the Midi into ABC notation the result is often faulty. In addition to this the notation comes through without any spaces between notes and spaces, in ABC notation, are used to denote note groupings.

radriano

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 26 Feb 00 - 05:02 AM

This song is probably a translation/adaptation from the Irish, as are many of Samuel Ferguson's lyrics. Someone had a request on Gaeilge-L a few months ago seeking the Irish language lyrics and he hasn't found them yet. Can any Mudcatters help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: GUEST
Date: 15 May 03 - 12:42 AM

I am trying to find the melody for this song.   I have the lyrics and cannot read the abc ranscription. I only need it in standard music notation.   Anybody out there who could help me find this?
Thanks!   Jill

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 15 May 03 - 01:09 AM

Lyrics (the verse added by Mudguard is not in the original poem) and a nice midi are at: Lark in the Clear Air
Barry Taylor also has a nice midi.
Sir Samuel Ferguson was the composer of this popular song in its usual form, but often recordings and website comments list it as traditional. Supposedly a translation from the Irish, but I read somewhere that Ferguson had a bit of John Jacob Niles in him. There are several musical settings for it.

The Cambridge Singers, conducted by John Rutter, have a grand version (on cd) which they refer to as traditional.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 15 May 03 - 07:44 PM

It's in "Folksongs and Ballads Popular in Ireland" Volume 1 (green cover) - Ossian publications - ISBN 0 946005 00 1 . For a very modest price you get this and 58 other songs! I paid £2.50. for my copy in the Trinity College, Dublin Library shop some years ago: I have seen it in other music book shops in Scotland and England, now up to about £4. There are 3 other books in the series, which gives you over 200 songs with notated melody line and guitar chords.
For a nice recording, try Cara Dillon's version.
Tattie B

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: Felipa
Date: 15 May 03 - 08:01 PM

If I remember correctly, it turned out there wasn't an Irish-language original for this one (though there may well have been some inspiration from traditional material), but there has been a more recent translation made into Irish from the Ferguson lyrics. I'll try to check that out.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: Felipa
Date: 17 May 03 - 02:27 PM

I haven't got the translation into Irish yet, but there is a somewhat older song that may have gone to nearly the same air, Caitlín Ní Uallacháin. And other sources give the name of the tune collected by Lady Ferguson as "The Tailor's Son" or "an Tailiúr"

For further details, see my message at this thread Lark in the Clear Air - tune title

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: GUEST,m
Date: 05 May 05 - 12:53 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Lark In The Clear Air
From: Mooh
Date: 05 May 05 - 10:49 PM

Fwiw, there's a good fingerstyle guitar arrangement of the tune (no lyric) in Mel Bay's Celtic Encyclopedia Fingerstyle Guitar Edition by Glenn Weiser ISBN 0-7866-3411-1.

Peace, Mooh.