Customer Reviews

A Bard's Book of Pagan Songs: Stories and Music from the Celtic World

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

The book and the CD are both so colorful in word and song that you can't help but enjoy it. I love the stories that come before the written music, I love the written music, and I loved the CD. Believe me, the songs are contagious! I definitely didn't think I would enjoy it this much, but I did.

This book and CD are a sheer delight. Hugin the Bard takes the tales of the Mabinogion and breathes life into them through a mixture of song and story telling that have the ability to transport you back in time to a Wales thousands of years ago. Close your eyes and you can get a feel what it would have been like to sit in the hall of a great king and listen to the stories of heroes and adventures recounted to an enthralled audience by a Bard who was a master of his art. At the end of the CD you are left with a feeling that you just want to play it again and again.

This music will brighten your day and put a hop in your walk. My family enjoyed both the CD and the written music (for our own live performances). The book has fun stories for storytime too.

Wow. I really didn't expect to like this nearly as much as I did. The music on the CD is wonderful. Although I can't read or play music, I was able to make up my own tunes for some of the other songs. My family and I are going to enjoy this for a very long time. Thank You Hugin for such a lovely book.

Excellent! I love books which depict reasons and the why of music from around the globe but especially the celtic world! These songs, stories and tales are the real ways - so reflective of the times and how they were passed on. The fusion of various musical styles, customs, cultures, paganism of the Irish, the Celtic, Scottish, English, Welsch the ballads, the dance, the songs, were all fused together and was brought here to the new world the - Americas and then melded with the indiginous Spanish Indian of the Americas, and the real traditional music was born. This is the grass roots of our culture. As I listened I heard so many of the call and reply style of the fusion of black slave songs with the traditional music of the celtic people. I loved the tape and the book. It was refreshing and yes, you do want to learn how to dance the jig.

It was wonderful to hear the tales structured and set to music much like stories must have been presented in pre-literate times. The music even sounds like the old folk-song modes. Good CD to play while feasting after ritual and then good songs to play while the mead and ale are passed!

Singers / Bards / Pagans take note this book is great. The songs will have you singing along and tapping your toes. The text is great. There is in deapth information about many of the songs both personal and historical. For students of early history in the British Isles especialy those with an understaning or an interest in the Mabinogian this is a wonderfull resource. Hugin is able to re-tell many of the stories in the Bardic tradition allowing easy understanding of the many twists and turns inherant to the tales.

Turn off the TV, tune up the guitar, have a great night.

Ok, it's my fault. I didn't look at the back cover before buying. I trusted the title and other reviews. However, if your idea of bard/pagan is Pete Seeger and Country Joe McDonald, then this is the book for you. It's 60's Smothers Brothers/Clancy Brothers stuff - fine, except that's not what I was expecting. And, it's been done a million times before...hmmm...is this why this book is out of print? (And gee, couldn't they have at least performed a couple tunes in a different key?)

This is a wonderful book! You learn so much, not to mention its fun! My only critism is the font "A Bard's Book of Pagan Songs: Stories and Music from the Celtic World" was printed in, its kinda hard to read. Makes your eyes hurt after a bit. But, other than that, I had no problems whatsoever with this book. I reccommend it to all pagans and anyone who wants to learn more about Celtic paganism's history.

This is definitely a "topic specific" book, but if it's the topic you're looking for then you're in for a treat.

The author proceeds each musical score with a brief story about which the song is based. It's not cluttered with a lot of personal yarns. Very enjoyable. The CD is a great bonus!