October Winds: Music for Halloween and Beyond...
"The October winds lament around the castle of Dromore..." and echo in my imagination, continuing to inspire my musical projects and festival offerings in this busy and rewarding Autumn! As you may know, the modern celebration of Halloween descended both from traditions associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain as well as customs from the Christian feast of All Hallows Eve (the Even of All Saints).
The following eloquent quote from Tlachtga: Celtic Fire Festival by John Gilroy describes well the nature of the earlier feast:
“The idea that Samhain is a juncture between the two halves of the year saw it acquiring the unique status of being suspended in time - it did not belong to the old year not the new. It could be said that time stood still on this night and the implications of this were immense. During this night the natural order of life was thrown into chaos and the earthly world of the living became hopelessly entangled with the world of the dead. But the world of the dead was itself a complicated place, peopled not only by the spirits of the departed, but also with a host of gods, fairies and other creatures of uncertain nature.”
Some of the eerie little vocal effects at the beginning of this track remind me of the "Wisps" in the Dinsey Pixar film Brave, which is strangely appropriate since Merida is heard to recite this verse (with considerable discomfort!) during the film as part of her princess duties! It is based upon an English
Renaissance verse by Sir Thomas Wyatt.
Dougie MacLean- "All Together"
https://youtu.be/ZlnGd8Rv9Ew?si=Pqa99AIpQdNgbGRY
Dougie MacLean creates a lighter mood with his upbeat 1990's reel to celebrate the spirit of the ceilidh and of the festival! I have many festivals on my calendar, so I am looking forward to many days of musical celebration! I love the inebriating little fiddle instrumental at the end of this set; its little modal surprises are simply intoxicating!
This delightful collection of old songs about supernatural creatures of fantasy was recorded and published in France. A multi-instrumental ensemble (including mountain dulcimer!) as well as several fine vocalists bring this music to life with freshness and enthusiasm. It's a wonderful introduction to traditional folk music on these themes, and among my personal highlights are "The Elfin Knight" (Scottish) and "Liti Kjersti og Elvekjongen" (Norwegian).
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