Book Coverartwork by Cynthia Crawford
2011 update: I am currently beginning to play my harps again after a long break, (due to some muscle injuries). I am still very interested in harps, especially Early and Celtic music for harp. My book is still for sale- At present, I am the only person selling this book, and there are only a few copies left. I don't know if I will reprint it after these are gone.
Here is the information for purchasing the book:
Book Cover
artwork by Cynthia Crawford
To order
Dragon Tales/Creature Kinships
P.O. Box 347
Norwich, Vermont 05055 U.S.A.
If ordering from Canada, add $6.00 U.S.dollars shipping and handling
If ordering from anywhere else, add $ 8.00 U.S. dollars shipping and
handling. Please make checks payable to Cynthia J Crawford.
Or you can use Paypal:
The music is transcribed directly from the lute tablature, and trans-
posed from mostly F and Bb key signatures, to C and G with one F key sig.
This music ranges from quite easy to moderately difficult. A lot depends on
how you play it, i.e. fast, embellished, etc. It is lovely just as it is
for beginners, and can be played with great virtuosity, as can be heard
on various recordings. My intention was to make the
music available to a broad range of harp players.
The notation is in treble and
bass clef. I have avoided those pieces with a lot of chromatic changes-
perhaps in a later book...
This is some of the music on Robin Williamson's
two albums "Legacy of the Scottish Harpers", on Scottish lute recordings
by Ronn McFarlane, Jakob Lindberg, Paul O'Dette, the Baltimore Consort,
and the Rowallen Consort, with Bill Taylor, wire harp. and Robert Phillips,
lute.
It should be noted that not all the music here is of Scottish origin, as the lute books were written, most likely, by teachers for their students. Included are a variety of tunes that were probably played in Scotland , and popular at the time. They are charming and appropriate music for the harp. The music most likely to have originated as harp tunes are those entitled "Port". The "Canaries" are probably English in origin, and there are a few French titles, such as "Curent" and "Gabot". The remainder are old Scottish tunes, similar to those found elsewhere in, for instance, in Willian Dauney.s book entitled "Ancient Scottish Melodies" where there is a great similarity in style and tonality. (An excellent resource, by the way, containing transcriptions of the "Skene" manuscript from the early 17th century, also originally found written in lute tablature. There are extensive notes on the tunes, and in this manuscript there are also tunes clearly not Scottish in origin or style, but likely played and popular in Scotland . )
My husband, Wayne Cripps, has published all of this music in 2 volumes,
written in lute tablature in the original keys.
Thank you for your interest. I have had many requests for info. and orders.
I will try to answer individual questions not covered in this message as
soon as possible.
If you want to chat about something please feel free to contact me at
cynthia dot crawford at gmail dot com
Cynthia Crawford's Home Page- Art and Photography-Creature Kinships
Answers to frequently asked questions:
This is a book of music transcribed from the Straloch and Rowalllan
lute manuscripts with a short introduction, bibliography, discography and
music reference. I expect to write more about this music for
various journals at a later date. I will post a notice if that occurs.
The Music
Straloch
Rowallan
Dragon Tales, P.O. Box 347, Norwich VT, 05055 USA