[bksvol-discuss] Re: harper's gift for Kim, Daria, Music lovers and all

  • From: Dasha Radford <dasha95@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2012 14:27:14 -0400

Thank you for this I will go and download it after my first lesson this 
afternoon.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 1, 2012, at 3:30 PM, "Kim Loftis" <kll2277@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Dear Lissi,
>  
> Oh, wow!!!  I'm so deeply touched by your beautiful post and your 
> ever-so-thoughtful gift.  It was Celtic harp music that brought me to the 
> harp in the first place, so I have no doubt that this beautiful book will 
> serve as a continuous wellspring of inspiration as I travel this path as a 
> beginning harpist.
>  
> Abundant gratitude to you and to Evan for making this available!!!  I'm 
> deeply moved by your sharing, and will send you a personal note off-list in 
> the next few days.  You definitely sound like a kindred spirit after my own 
> heart.  *smile*
>  
> Hugs and Thanks,
>  
> 
> From: Estelnalissi
> Sent: Friday, August 31, 2012 10:04 PM
> To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] harper's gift for Kim, Daria, Music lovers and all
> 
> Dear Kim, Daria and Booksharian Friends,
> 
> We read the glad news that you are the owners of new harps and are going to 
> be taking lessons. Quickly Evan scanned, I proofread and Madelyn approved a 
> book that we think you’ll love, our way of helping to support, to inspire and 
> to get you off to a grand start.
> 
>  
> 
> Playing Celtic harp in a group and with a harp partner was my joyous pleasure 
> until I had to stop due to injury and illness. Harping was truly heavenly for 
> me, the exercises, the practicing of technique and musical phrases, the 
> tunes, the performing and the mystique of carrying on the musical traditions 
> of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. I loved researching the sources of the music 
> and weaving what I learned into my performances. When I became unable to 
> play, Bookshare gave me a place to continue my exploration of all things 
> Celtic from fact to fiction, from way back then until now. I still have what 
> seems like mountains of Celtic related books to add to the collection, but 
> the mention of your start on the difficult but extremely rewarding road to 
> becoming harpers caused me to search out my very well read and loved copy of 
> A Harp of Fishbones for you.
> 
>  
> 
> This book has the blessing of Derek Bell, Harpist to the Chieftains. He was 
> tremendously influential in reawakening interest in the Celtic Harp.  I cried 
> the day he died and still miss his presence in the world of Celtic music. 
> Missing the sweetness of his playing and the added authenticity of his 
> contribution to their sound, the Chieftains often invited local harpists to 
> join them in the cities where they played on tour. This participation has 
> been a high point in the careers of fortunate harpers across the United 
> States and elsewhere. It was a wonderful    way to honor Bell’s mission to 
> popularize and raise the Celtic harp worldwide.
> 
>  
> 
> So many of the people and places named in A Harp of Fishbones call to mind 
> tunes I loved playing and hearing on the CDs in my Celtic music collection. 
> Traditionally harp tunes are named for 1. People who sponsored the harpist, 
> 2. Musicians from whom a harpist learned the tune, 3. The town or even the 
> road where the tune was first heard or learned, and 4. The characters or 
> historic events which inspired the tune. Harpers were often asked to 
> commemorate relatives living, but usually dead, particularly fallen in 
> battle, of a harper’s sponsor. Harpers were also purveyors of news which was 
> best passed on in poetry or song in a culture where written language was 
> rarely or never used. Surprisingly, British landowners whose ancestors 
> invaded Ireland or who were gifted the land by British royalty, rendering the 
> rightful owners homeless or making of them hapless renters, actually grew to 
> love Ireland and were responsible for supporting harpers and preserving their 
> legacy.
> 
>  
> 
> You have a world of musical discovery before you if you track down further 
> information about the people, places and tales in A Harp of Fishbones. I like 
> to call Turlough O’Carolan, the blind harper and composer of over 170 tunes, 
> Ireland’s Mozart. His lovely works combine the Baroque music of the period 
> with the traditional lilt of Celtic traditional music. You will find many 
> recordings of various collections of his work. His story and that of several 
> other known harpers is in this short book along with many folk tales.
> 
>  
> 
> Here are the short and long synopses.
> 
>  
> 
> 27 tales of the small lap Harp over the centuries. They are primarily Irish 
> and other European. They emphasize harp music’s power to entertain, uplift 
> and even perform magic, particularly when there is love and dedication in the 
> harper. A treasure for harpers, music lovers and everyone. Pictures are 
> described.
>  
> Complete Synopsis
>  
> [from the back cover]
> “Twenty-seven tales of mystery, passion, intrigue and enchantment--discover 
> the deadly outcome of Uaithne's prophecy, where Thady Elliot's love of 
> whiskey led him, why the harp of the Dagda Mor fell silent, how O'Carolan was 
> duped, and the cruel fate of the harper who burned his harp to keep his 
> faithless lover warm.
> A collection of some of the most beautiful--and most powerful--Irish and 
> European folk tales, fairytales, and legends to have been written on the 
> theme of harping, along with colourful reminiscences of some of the great 
> Irish harpers, explanatory commentaries, and a bold, iconoclastic 
> introduction by the compiler, Russell Walton.
> "Harpers will love these stories, but this is not just a collection for 
> connoisseurs, it will delight all kinds of readers, and touch anyone who has 
> a feeling for music."
> Derek Bell Harper to the Chieftains
> These tales come to life when accompanied by the playing of and listening to 
> Celtic and other folk harp music. They can be the foundation for the 
> musician’s presentation of various kinds of tunes in performance. They will 
> also inform and add depth to the listener’s appreciation of harp music.
>  
> Comments
>  
> Is written with British spelling such as occurrence, civilisation and 
> favourite. A large quantity of Gaelic names and words are used as well as 
> words in several other languages like the African crwth. Antiquated languages 
> are also used such as: dun, Thorskfjord, and courtesy for courtsey. All of 
> this considerable amount of irregular spelling has been checked with the 
> print copy of the book that was scanned.
>  
> 
> We are so fortunate to volunteer for Bookshare, an organization which 
> encourages us to follow our passions to add any book of our choosing that 
> isn’t already accurately rendered in the collection. We have the honor of not 
> only adding to the collections numbers, but to its depth and diversity. We 
> have the opportunity to make our bookish dreams and those of Bookshare’s 
> membership, come true.
> 
>  
> 
> May your harps always play in tune.
> 
>  
> 
> Always with love
> 
>  
> 
> Lissi

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