Making Off
 |
Harmonization
For the first CD dedicated to O'Carolan's compositions (MAN 4966) I have harmonised and arranged twenty pieces for classical guitar exclusively; for the second CD (MAN 5026) I have widened the orchestration of nineteen new pieces by the Irish bard to recorders, to the mandolin, the fiddle, the sistrum, the mandola and percussions.
As for the previous recording, I have drawn from what seemed to me a most serious and well documented source: the two volumes of Donal O'Sullivan entitled "Carolan, The Life Times and Music of an Irish Harper" in which are gathered all Carolan's themes together with the historic of each piece.
Turlough O'Carolan created his own style between the harpers and the Italian baroque composers' tradition. He used to say how charmed he was by Antonio Vivaldi and how delighted he was by Arcangelo Corelli. We know how much he admired the violonist and composer Francesco Geminiani he met in Dublin at the end of his life. It would seem that during this meeting he composed his famous "Carolan's concerto" (MAN 4966).
It explains that in many compositions we find sequences, imitations or a jig in coda in the style of the Italian masters but close to the traditional Gaelic style, Carolan's initial training to which he pays tribute with his last creation "Farewell to Music" (MAN 4966).
In accordance with the Irish traditional music, those pieces come down in the form of simple melodic lines devoided of any indication as to the harmonisation or handling of the bass and we do not have any reliable record on how the composer or his fellow harpers handled those pieces at the time.
I have therefore taken the freedom to enlight one or the other side by the harmonisation and the choice of instrumentation, by choosing a sonority between traditional music and baroque music, between Ireland and Italy.
These instrumentations are excellently perfomed by Benoît Sauvé who interprets or improvises with the same astonishing virtuosity on different recorders, by Robert Le Gall who expresses himself with the same confidence on the violin, the mandolin, the sistrum or the mandola and by my famous collegue Claude Engel who had the kindness to cross guitars with me in two pieces.
For a century, a movement of writers, musicians and intellectuals worked successfully together to give back to the Gaelic culture and language its place in Ireland. The Celtic music has now found its strength and radiance in Irish hearts but also in the entire world.
That is why it seemed essential to me to record in addition to O'Carolan themes (MAN 5026), two traditional dances that cannot be ignored: the Reel, a dance from distant nordic origins, and the most Irish dance: The Jig.
Solace marks the third part of the trilogy devoted to O'Carolan. It is a tribute to the Irish musician. All the compositions recorded here are, indeed, original creations. They respect the spirit of the bard's compositions and more generally the soul of Celtic music.
Pascal Bournet
Two examples
| Maurice O'Connor Third Air | Ligne mélodique | Midi file |
| Maurice O'Connor Third Air | Harmonization & arrangement Pascal Bournet | Midi file |
| Katherine O'More | Ligne mélodique | Midi file |
| Katherine O'More | Harmonization & arrangement Pascal Bournet | Midi file |
