As part of the Edinburgh International Harp Festival I directed the Manx harp ensemble Claasagh to lead over 100 harp players in the playing of my mini-suite of tunes from the Isle of Man (Manx tunes) entitled “Mannin Aboo”.
The pieces were arranged to be easily accessible by all levels of players, with a focus on the enjoyment of playing the tunes in a big harp ensemble, with minimal rehearsal (we had 15mins on the day to rehearse the huge harp ensemble!) and to have them still playable as stand alone pieces.
The sheetmusic of the suite “Mannin Aboo” is now available to download now for free HERE
I hope you enjoy playing them, and please do share them around!
Here’s some info on the tunes:
Arrane ny Nie: A Traditional lullaby that the Manx fairies used to sing to their babies whilst washing them in the river.
Auldyn River: This beautiful tune was written a few years ago by Manx guitarist Paul Cringle and has become absorbed into the tradition on the Isle of Man.
Flitter Dance: The tune used for the dance of the same name, associated with the collection and cooking of shellfish on Good Friday.
Hop-tu-Naa: A song in celebration of the Original Celtic New year – Oie Houney – now celebrated in modern times as Halloween. At the harp festival this tune was played in a set with “Three Little Boats” and “Moirrey ny Cainle” (available in Claasagh Vol. 2 and Claasagh Vol. 1 respectively, all downloadable from www.rachelhair.com/shop), performed solo by Claasagh, and then everyone played Hop-tu-naa together.