Schock.a.torum • Masque • McDermott c1600  (w/ flute, lute, viola da gamba)
A suite of McDermott pieces with the full consort pictured in the famous painting. This tune ably displays how well the cláirseach blends with a traditional consort. The gamba holding down the continuo with the cláirseach and lute seeming to trade off the melodic and tenor parts. The flute floats above it all, emphasizing the melody and always doubled by one of the string instrument. The cláirseach had become a favored court instrument for a time and these piece show way.

Conchubhar Mhac Coiréibhe • traditional Irish (w/  voice)
The first of several tunes to feature Ann’s husband Charlie singing, this traditional Irish tune displays how well the cláirseach and Charlie’s voice fit well together. Some nice variation in the ornamentation and phrase during the repeated melodic elements of the tune.

Lamento di Tristan • la rotta • 14c Italian (w/  vielle)
The lament begins with a real dark and grainy sound of the bowed vielle and then high above it the plaintive treble of the cláirseach.  An effective lament, that as with the Irish laments seem to do more then mourn a person but to illustrate their life with sound.This is followed by an Italian estempes with all the lushness that you would expect. Nice brusque but not overbearing it complements the Lament very well as an Irish lament will be followed with a jig. Again the completer sounds of the vielle bring out the depth of the metal strings.

Kaniad San Silin • medieval Welsh
This has to be one of my all time favorite pieces of music. I fell in love with it from Bill Taylor’s excellent Two Worlds of the Welsh Harp and immediately felt it would be a stunning piece on wire strings. Imagine my surprise and delight to hear Ann performing it at the first Dusty Strings harp symposium. At last a recording of Ann’s take on this tune, so that I may hear it when I wish. This tune like much of the repertoire in the Welsh Robert ap Huw ms is theme and variations, in this case twelve variations. Ann plays each natural grouping of three variations before repeating the theme - an effective way of compressing the tune. The elaborate ornaments indicative of the bardic welsh style ring out beautifully on the cláirseach whose natural resonance and sympathetic vibrations add a rich sonic layer for the simple and striking tune.

Port Robart • Airrgeann Mór • 17c Scottish/medieval Irish (w/ voice)
Port Robart is played as a prelude to this take on Irish bardic poetry. After an initial reading from Charlie, Ann plays a simple melody that is repeated many times in the course of this poem, Ann varies with the increasing dramatic figures and ornamentation following the dramatics of the poem. Ann utilized all of the various figures noted down by Bunting in his Ancient Music of Ireland for this purpose and this is a striking effect and also demonstrates Ann’s virtuoso abilities on the instrument.

Port Ballangown • Is eagal leam am bas • Jig • Ó Catháin, c1600
A suite of  Ó Catháin highlights both his composition skills as well as the wonderful tones of  the David Kortier made Trinity College replica.  Complemented as always with Ann’s stunning and graceful performance as well as her excellent arrangements of these tunes that emphasize the melody and provide a deep shimmering foundation.

Cailín ó Chois tSiúre mé • late 16c Irish (w/  lute)
Opening lullaby like, strummed on solo lute, it picks up as the cláirseach comes in.  The tune moves from picked notes to the lute with chording on the cláirseach to these rapid scales in accompaniment with the cláirseach taking the melody and a simple but deep harmony. By the end the tune,  it  is made of up these rapid notes on both lute and cláirseach with slow, resonant chording holding the tempo steady.

Cumha Ioarla Wigton • early 17c Scottish
I witnessed Ann performing this at the Big Sky Harp Conference in the summer of 2005. An amazing performance that stayed with me for a long time. This tune is an example of ceol mor on the cláirseach - a tune with a series of variations akin to the piobrachard of the Great Highland Bagpipe. In this case the variations were made for fiddle but Ann chooses to play these as recorded. The variations become increasing dense, rapid and difficult. The technique that Ann uses on these is nothing short of amazing. Rapidly playing them so they take on the sound of rapid ornamentation (and yet still ornamenting some notes) this piece really gives one the feel for the power and majesty the “big music” had during the height of the cláirseach.

Canaries • early 17c Scottish (w/  lute)
Another nice duet with the lute (these instruments really work well together and McFarlane’s playing is gorgeous) these canairies are made up of many short repeated figures. They trade of lead and rhythm on these pieces harmonizing at times and doubling at others. Out of these simple swirling phrases comes a rich stew of sound, melody and harmony.

Cumha a’ Chléirich • 18c Irish piobaireachd
From an 18th century Scottish ms comes this highland bagpipe piece curiously labeled as “one of the Irish piobaireachd ” As there are no other examples of Irish piobaireachd (beyond a few other oblique references in the Campbell Canntaireachd I believe). This example of piobaireachd has a nice melodic ground and only a couple of variations, not the extensive list of formalized variations one so often finds in piobaireachd. Again this tune, with its deep resonant harmonies and the brisk ornamentation hearkens back to the height of the power of the cláirseach.

Sith co nemh • early medieval Irish (w/ candlestick, voice)
An interesting piece that puts on display the deep research that the Heymann’s undertake for this music. An obscure medieval Irish poem, interpreted in the context of the even older Irish bee laws, set to a  piobaireachd from the Campbell Canntaireachd with everything from beaten candlesticks to the “queens piping” - the queen here being the bee queen. A very interesting and striking piece that admirably closes this stunning album. For those of us that play and love the Gaelic harp there truly has been no more anticipated album. Since Ann’s definitive solo recording Queen of Harps we have been awaiting an album to prominantly  feature her solo playing. This album does that and more in that it highlights the music from peak of the cláirseach time. Furthermore it is the first recording of Ann’s to feature her wonderful Kortier built Trinity College replica and this recording brings out the sound wonderfully.