Book Description

This book contains 15 Irish airs arranged as fiddle (violin) duets and trios from melodies composed by Turlough O'Carolan. Carolan was a blind Irish poet, composer, and traveling harper who lived from 1670 - 1738. Each song has a melody and two melodic harmonies to choose from. The songs can be played as duets repeated using the different harmonies, or all parts can be played at the same time to form a violin trio. The tunes are airs, and are therefore played at a slower tempo than a lot of traditional Irish fiddle music. All of these arrangements can be played in 1st position, making it an approachable book for beginner and intermediate violin players. The difficulty level varies for the different pieces. This book is great for musicians performing with a friend or small group. The arrangements are appropriate for weddings and formal acoustic performances. The harmonies can even be used by a soloist with a looper pedal. It is also helpful for teachers who want to accompany their students. Those who study classical violin repertoire, and are interested in Irish folk music, may notice some of these songs have a "Baroque" spirit to them. This book promotes listening closely to other players while performing a part, and learning how melodic harmonies can fit with a melody line. Happy Fiddling! CONTENTS: Introduction: - A Summary of Irish History that Influenced Carolan and His Music - A Brief Biography of Turlough O'Carolan Sheet Music: - Captain O'Kane - Fanny Power - Carolan's Welcome - Carolan's Receipt (Dr. John Stafford) - Colonel John Irwin - Morgan Megan - Eleanor Plunkett - Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady - Sir Charles Coote - Si Bheag Si Mhor - George Brabazon's 2nd Air - Princess Royal (Miss MacDermott) - Planxty Hewlett - Denis O'Conor - Carolan's Concerto. If a song requires page turns using the book's primary note size, a second version is included using smaller notes so the song fits entirely on 2 pages. The lower harmony, "Harmony 2," was arranged keeping the common registers of the violin and viola in mind. All three parts are written in treble clef, but the second harmony only briefly goes onto the violin's "e-string" for two songs. The arrangements use familiar key signatures that have one or two sharps. Occasionally, a d-sharp is used as an accidental for e-harmonic minor songs. About the Arranger: Katy Adelson is an American fiddle player, composer, and arranger residing in Colorado. She has released digital music albums and singles, and has posted many free online fiddle tune sheet music arrangements on her website. She has created online fiddle lessons and music videos on YouTube. This book is published by Golden Aspen Music.