Book Review: Irish Traditional Slow Airs Volumes III - V

By Dr. Andrea Intveen, Music Therapist, Ulm, Germany

Volumes III through V of John Clark’s arrangements of Irish traditional Slow Airs are now available in LANA's online Music Store. As in the previous two volumes, the tunes come in three different versions: First, the tune on its own, then the same with embellishments and chord indications, and last but not least, the tune with harmonies, as well as chord indications. Volume III contains 30 tunes, Volume IV another 32, and Volume V adds another 44 tunes to the collection. The pieces are intended for solo or ensemble playing on melodic and accompanying instruments.

Personally, I have been playing them on my small Gärtner alto lyre that I only got fairly recently after not being able to play lyre for quite a few years (due to the lack of an instrument). I actually find the pieces in all five volumes ideal for getting into it again, having become a bit “rusty” on the lyre. I usually play the tune on its own and later with harmonies – I haven’t had the courage to approach the embellished versions yet. This usually works quite well for me, and mostly the fairly limited range of my small instrument isn’t a problem. Very rarely, a few notes are “missing” but it is easily possible to improvise around it. The tunes are also nicely playable with guitar, tin whistle, low whistle, or violin – just to mention a few possibilities.

In working my way through the books, I found some favourites among the pieces. For example, “Port Na bPúcaí” (Tune of the Fairies, No. 84, Volume III). I perceived it as etherical, light, and clearly modal in quality. The harmonies – perfectly set by John with movements of parallel fifths – give the tune a lingering impression. Or No. 76 in the same volume (Marbhna Luimní/Lament for Limerick): I heard it for the first time played by the Chieftains many years ago (“Limerick’s Lamentation”), and played it on tin whistle myself. It’s one of the few pieces in this whole collection I actually knew before. I really enjoyed playing John’s version with its absolutely gorgeous harmonies on the lyre. Tune No. 101 in Volume IV with the impressive title “Separation of Soul and Body” was apparently wrongly attributed to Turlough O’Carolan. But whoever the original composer was, it is a lovely melody – again brought to life in a most beautifully melancholic way by John’s harmonies.

“Last Night, As I Was Thinking of the Ways of the World” is piece No. 153 in Volume V. While playing through it, I perceived it as calm, pensive, and almost dreamlike. I also liked No. 168 in the same volume very much (“The Song of the Blackbird”), possibly because of its peaceful character.

The few tunes I mentioned here are of course only a fraction of the vast collection John created. They are all quite special in their own way and very well worth playing. This collection of Irish slow airs is a gem for every lyre player, no matter what skill or level of playing. I can only vaguely imagine the enormous amount of work that is behind this very impressive compilation of tunes. I would highly recommend these books to any lyre player.