THE CELTIC VIOL – Jordi Savall, Andrew Laurence-King (Hybrid SACD) ALIA VOX

The Celtic Viol is set to be the most successful demonstration yet of Jordi Savall’s extraordinary technique and depth of feeling for the indivisible oneness of music, be it written or oral, “classical” or “folk. An admirer of Celtic music for thirty years, in recent times Savall has worked his way through all the major 17th, 18th and 19th century collections of Scottish and Irish music, choosing from over 10,000 pieces the 29 heard here. Savall’s knowledge of Renaissance and Baroque music, and his experience with Spanish, Arabic, Jewish and East Asian musical idioms, all contribute to the extraordinary success of this unique project. Savall is accompanied only by the harp of Andrew Lawrence-King, a long-time Savall associate and himself a legendary figure in early music. The Celtic Viol comes packaged with a glossy 144 page booklet.

Music expresses and prolongs what words cannot say, and time acts as a filter, distilling these orally transmitted melodies and paring them down to the truly essential. And that is how all these pieces, in the majority of cases by anonymous authors, thanks to their vitality, beauty, emotion and charm, have become an indispensable part of the celebration of the most significant moments in the different stages of our daily life. Songs to dispel sadness or celebrate good news, dances to express moments of happiness and joy, laments to overcome the loss of a loved one or the memory of an unhappy event… All these wonderful yet fragile works represent the sensitive and most intimately personal contribution of often marginalized or persecuted cultures to the history of musical creation. They remain and will continue to remain in our hearts as the true voices and the essential spirit of a civilisation which has succeeded in staying alive, thanks to music – the memory and soul of its historical identity.

Intèrprets
Jordi Savall
6 String Treble Viol by Nicolas Chappuy (ca. 1750) in pieces 1-3, 9-11, 15-29
5 String Treble Viol by Nicolas Chappuy (ca. 1730) in pieces 4-8
5 String Treble Fiddle made in Italy (ca 1500) in pieces 12, 13, and 14

Andrew Lawrence-King
“Queen Mary’s Harp,” copy by Tim Hobrough in pieces 1-3, 9-11, 15-19, 22 and 24
Psalterium in pieces 20, 21, and 25

Llista de temes
I

1. The Musical Priest / Scotch Mary Traditional Irish 3’42
2. Caledonia’s Wail for Niel Gow Simon Fraser (1816 Collection) 3’52
3. The Humours of Scariff Traditional Irish 2’07

II

4. Alastair MacAlastair Strathspey by Nathaniel Gow 2’12
5. Tom Brigg’s, Jig Ryan’s Mammoth Collection 1’07
6. The Globby O, Jig Ryan’s Mammoth Collection 1’58
7. Lord Moira’s & Jinrikisha Ryan’s Mammoth Collection 1’34
8. Sackow’s (Jig) Traditional Irish 1’44

III

9. Hard is my Fate Traditional Scottish 3’01
10. Chapel Keithack William Marshall (1822 Collection) 3’14
11. Gudewife, Admit the Wanderer Simon Fraser (1816 Collection) 2’47

IV

12. Macpherson’s Lament James Macpherson (ca.1675-1700) 2’55
13. Tullochgorum Traditional Scottish Reel 1’31
14. Pretty Peggy Traditional Scottish 1’14

V

15. Twas within a furlong of Edinburgh Town H. Playford’s Dancing Master 1696 2’32
16. Màiri Bhàn Òg: Mary Young & fair Simon Fraser (1816 Collection) 4’28
17. Dowd’s Reel Traditional Irish 2’46

VI

18. Lady Mary Hay’s Scots Measure Scottish Dance 2’23
19. Carolan’s Farewell O’Carolan (1670-1738) 4’07
20. Gusty’s Frolics Donegal Tradition 1’51
21. Emigrants Reel Ryan’s Mammoth Collection 1’49

VII

22. The Lamentations of Owen Roe O’Neill O’Carolan 2’42
23. Princess Beatrice W.B. Laybourn (1835-1886) Book III 1’40
24. Prince Charlie’s Last view of Edinburgh Traditional Scottish 3’25
25. Trip it Upstairs (Single Jig) Traditional Irish 2’21

VIII

26. Mrs. McPherson of Gibton William Marshall (1822 Collection) 1’50
27. Tuttle’s Traditional Irish 2’59
28. Lament for the Death of his Second Wife Niel Gow 5’33
29. The Gander in the pratie hole Traditional Irish 1’46