The Wheel of the Year

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The Wheel of the Year"

Leona Wade
5 years ago
Views:

1 The Wheel of the Year Eight Harp Pieces for the Ancient Holidays by Carol Wood

2 Table of Contents Notes. Imbolc: Invocation to Brigid.. Ostara: The Spring Equinox..6 Beltaine: Little Goats.8 Midsummer s Eve: Fireflies 0 Dance for Lughnasadh Mabon: The Autumn Equinox.. Samhain: The Thinning Veil.6 The Holly King..8

3 Notes While all eight of these Celtic holidays may not be truly ancient, several of them certainly are; some, like Samhain, have had Christianizing veils cast over them but have kept many of the pre-christian customs associated ith their celebration. Interested harpists ill find a ealth of available information about these holidays, their names, and their customs. These notes try only to explain a fe things about the eight harp pieces and their sources of inspiration. Imbolc, February st or nd, is also the Feast of St. Bridget or Brigid and is associated ith the ancient goddess of that name in Celtic mythology a smith and a poet. St. Bridget is sometimes touchingly regarded as the protector of the lambs born at this time of the year, hen the spring aroaches but can still seem far aay. Ostara is the name sometimes given to the neo-celtic celebration of the Spring Equinox. Interestingly to historians of language and mythology, Ostara (or Eostra) seems to refer to an ancient Germanic goddess of the spring, the dan, and fertility. Her name is also related to east and Easter. This piece depicts the dan of the day and of the year. Beltaine, the joyous celebration of spring s armth and ealth of floers and ne greenery, occurs on the first day of May. Here in Vermont all this joy is reflected perfectly in the capering of the adorable little goats in our dairy farms. The longest day of the year and the shortest night mark the Summer Solstice Midsummer. Since long before Shakespeare s funny and lyrical play A Midsummer Night s Dream, the Summer Solstice has been associated ith magic, and the fireflies in my garden remind me of Titania, Oberon, and Puck. Lughnasadh, on August st, is the festival of the first harvest. A version of the name of this festival survives in Manx and Scots Gaelic as ell as in Irish Gaelic, and the name itself derives from Lugh, one of the most iortant Celtic gods. The Puck Fair of County Kerry, ith its horse market, music, and dancing, as almost certainly a continuation into the 0 th century of Lughnasadh, and so for this holiday I coosed a dance that is almost, but not quite, a traditional jig.

4 Mabon marks the Autumn Equinox and the end of summer; for me, it is a istful moment of the year extremely beautiful yet transitory. Samhain is one of the most significant celebrations in the Celtic year the ord itself means the end of summer, the beginning of the dark part of the year. It survives even in non-celtic countries as Halloeen, thanks to its adoption into the Christian calendar as All Hallos Eve. It is said to be the time hen the veils beteen this orld and the next are at their most thin. The Winter Solstice is marked in many European cultures as a time for celebrating the birth of the ne light and a time for decorating ith evergreens like holly. For The Holly King, I used modal and traditional versions of the carol The Holly and the Ivy, because I love the lyrics references to the rising of the sun, and the running of the deer. Acknoledgements Victoria MacLeod created the beautiful depiction of the Celtic Wheel of the Year used on the cover. I am deeply grateful to Mary Radspinner, John Gill, and everyone at Afghan Press and Melody s Traditional Music for their friendship and suort over the years. My husband has alays scrupulously honored the time it takes to practice and coose, and I am deeply grateful to him for his encouragement and his love.

7 6 for Victoria MacLeod Ostara: The Spring Equinox Andante p fi fi Carol Wood fi fi 9 U o 8 p o o o U 06 Carol Wood. All Rights Reserved. j > > > > > o j J o J fi j J J o J o > > > J J fij o Ó fi fi mf

11 0 Midsummer's Eve: Fireflies Andante Carol Wood # o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Ó Ó Ó Delicately # o o o o o o o o Ó Ó Ó 6 # # o o o o o molto rit. o o A teo o o o o o o o o sim.... # o o o o o o # o o o o o o o o o o o o o o rit. A teo # # o o o o o o o o o Ó o o o o o o rit. A teo # # o o o o o o o o o o o rit. 06 Carol Wood. All Rights Reserved.

12 # # A teo o o o o o o o o o o o o o 7 # o o o o o o # o o o o o o o o o o o o o o # o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Ó Ó Ó # o o o o o o o o Ó Ó Ó molto rit. A teo 5 # o o # 8 poco rit. # # Carol Wood. All Rights Reserved. o

17 6 Samhain: The Thinning Veil 5 ~~ 0 8 Andante moderato A teo ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 06 Carol Wood. All Rights Reserved. ~~~~~~~~~~~ poco rit. Carol Wood o o o o o o o o o Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó ~~~~~~~~ o o

21 Your respect of the copyright las ill help suort the musicians and arrangers ho created this ork, and ill encourage more harp music to be produced in the future. Please do not make multiple copies to pass on to others. You can help keep donloadable harp music viable and available by encouraging your students, friends and relatives to purchase their on copies. Thank you for your assistance in this endeavor.

22 Music for the Harp by Carol Wood A Gathering of Friends Dances for Harp and Flute Friends Near and Far Homage to Yeats Mermaids Saxon Songs Saxtons River Suite Three Christmas Carols (lo voice and harp) Songs for Married Lovers The Beasts of Bethlehem The Chaucer Songbook The Wheel of the Year The World of Dreams and Other Art Songs Afghan Press Music for the Harp.AfghanPressMusic.com 900 Wheel - Wood

Wheel of the Year ~ Yule

Wheel of the Year ~ Yule The Wheel of the year describes the traditional Pagan festivals of the seasons. Articles will focus around these festivals of the seasons, giving you information and guidance on