The Complete Carolan Songs & Airs for the Irish Harp | CD Pack

The Complete Carolan Songs and Airs is arranged for the Irish Harp by Caitriona Rowsome.   This remarkable book is a valuable new resource for those wishing to play and sing the music of this extraordinary 18th-century blind harper. This comprehensive collection gives a unique perspective to the music of the great Irish harper-composer, Turlough Carolan (1670-1738). Caitríona Rowsome has combined Carolan’s surviving airs with sensitive and appropriate harp settings, metrically matching them with Carolan’s surviving lyrics for the airs. Many of the airs are not commonly known as songs, and some include lyrics published here for the first time. For each of Carolan’s Irish songs, an English interpretation is also provided. These are in the form of translations, paraphrases and, in some cases, English songs that give a context to – and a broader understanding of – Carolan’s Irish verse. Particularly fascinating and enlightening are her translations of the Irish lyrics and poems, which giv