Pedal or Lever Harp

Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite PDF Download by Kathleen Blackwell-Plank

Item #p7900
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$12.00

For lever or pedal harp.

Kathleen Blackwell-Plank's Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite is for intermediate harp players and includes two polkas from Ireland, a Breton An Dro, and a lullaby from Shetland, Scotland, all featuring the wren.

Here's part of Kathleen's introduction.
The wren, the third smallest bird in Europe, figures large in the Celtic music traditions. Its Latin name, troglodyte, means cave dweller. The birds also like to nest and roost in hedges and bushes. When the Celts settled in Ireland and Wales, they believed that wrens were messengers between humans and deities. It was thought that wrens could connect to divine forces and bring luck during the short, dark days of winter. When Patrick arrived around 431 CE and introduced Christianity, he incorporated old Celtic beliefs and rituals into expressions of their new faith, including the lore of the wren. One myth of the wren deals with its cleverness. God set a challenge to determine the King of all birds. The wren tucked himself in the wing feathers of the eagle. When the eagle soared high above the other birds, the wren popped out and flew even higher, declaring himself to be the King of all birds.

Wren Polka No. 1 - Ireland
This lively dance tune is in G major (1#). It uses the special harp technique of prés de la table in marked passages where notes are plucked near the soundboard, changing the sonority of the harp.

The Wren: Breton An Dro - Brittany
The An Dro in is a traditional Breton circle or line dance. This movement is in E minor (1#), the relative of G major. Glissandi and rolled chords suggest the movement of the bird.

Wren Song: Shetland Lullaby - Scotland
This lovely lullaby in A minor (no sharps or flats) is unusual because of its 4/4 meter. Many lullabies are in triple meter to suggest rocking or lulling a child to sleep. This lullaby uses repeated melodic patterns and alternates between the A minor and F chords to create a rocking feel. In the introduction, interludes, and the coda, the harp technique of sons xylo is used, and half-notes are ornamented with grace notes to suggest bird calls. The fluttering of bird wings is created by a special glissando technique.

Wren's Escape - Ireland
The final movement is a polka in G major (1#). The introduction uses the sons xylo technique where indicated. Due to the lively melody, the left hand uses simple, long chords.

This lovely edition includes Kathleen's beautiful Wren Series watercolor paintings.

This 17-page PDF includes 12 pages of music. Chord symbols are included, but no fingerings.

This product is a PDF file, to be downloaded to your computer. We do not sell it as regular printed music. It is only available here in this PDF download format.

Click on the blue titles below to see a sample of the first few lines of music.

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