Customer Reviews

Celtic Lullaby

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I listened to this CD of Celtic lullabies twenty or thirty times before reading the liner notes. Although I couldn't understand most of the songs--they are sung in Gaelic, Scottish dialect, Cymric, and Manx Gaelic as well as a few words in English--I found the music cheerful and gently soothing.

Then I read the liner notes.

Scratch cheerful.

I suppose it was too much to expect the Celts to be cheerful. Many of these lullabies also double as laments. The last track of the CD, "Darling Gregor" is a wife's lament for her executed husband, chief of the Clan MacGregor of Glenstrae. The last verse your baby will hear as he or she falls asleep is "My sweet-spiced apple/ Lies with the back of his head to the ground." Luckily, your baby probably doesn't understand Scottish Gaelic.

Various singers and instrumentalists recorded these lullabies, all of them specialists in their particular branch of Celtic music. Scottish folk singer, Jean Redpath might be the best-known artist on this CD. She sings "Hishie Ba" unaccompanied, which is ruefully perfect for this Lowlands lullaby since it expresses the viewpoint of an unwed mother.

Most of the songs have minimal accompaniment on instruments such as guitars, lap harps, mandolins, flutes, whistles, and small pipes. "Morag's Cradle Song/ Water Kilpie" and "Now I am Asleep" are instrumental pieces for harp and wooden flute, respectively.

The voices range from a pleasant, but nasal baritone, a husky alto who sounds consistently flat to an ear unaccustomed to Celtic music, a softly blurred soprano, to a Welsh choral group called Plethyn, who sing eerie, four-part harmonies. Some of the solo voices double up upon themselves through the miracle of modern recording techniques. Other than this, none of the singers go in for complicated vocal techniques. All sing in a tender, disarmingly simple fashion.

Although somewhat difficult to read because of eccentric fonts and several misspellings, the liner notes are well worth perusing as a brief introduction to the magic of Celtic lullabies. I was especially taken by the warning: "Be wary of translations that rhyme, especially---they often completely misrepresent the original!"

Don't buy this CD just for baby. It has a fine sampling from various Celtic traditions, from a Manx slumber song to a beautiful little Cymric lullaby, "Si Hei Lwli" with only four repeated notes.

I bought this CD out of sheer desperation while at a "baby fair". This is the one and only CD I can really count on to calm my son down. Even at 2+ years old, he relaxes when he hears the calm voice saying "Night night...sleep tight...don't let the bugs bite...if they do, squeeeeeze them tight...", etc. on the first track.

Every other "lullaby" album I've had has irritating instruments/parts/songs on it, or worse...fast-paced music somewhere in the middle (Hello? Someone get these people a clue!). I don't consider a loud "Jack and Jill" song to be a "lullaby", especially in the middle of the tape. Sheesh.

The info inside is interesting...and the lyrics (although some's in a different language for most of us) are in there if you want to try to sing along.

If you get one lullaby CD, truly, this one will work. A sleeping baby/toddler is a wonderful thing. :) I think I'll [...] buy this as a baby shower gift...it's well worth it!

This CD was given to us as a gift when our son, Liam, was born. We have turned it on nearly every night when he goes to bed for over 2 1/2 years now. He's been learning Irish while he sleeps. We've played it so much that we need to buy another one. This is great music to raise your children on. Our son's a sweet charming boy....we're convinced, the lullabies have played a role.

We have played this CD so many times since my daughter was born that I know it by heart. The music is wonderful and isn't intrusive at all.

And a little hint for you - it's longer than most lullaby CD's by about 30 minutes! That's something great when you have a tiny one who will only sleep as long as the CD plays! =)

This CD is so amazing I have already purchased it for someone else. My 10-month-old can be extremely agitated for whatever reason, and when he hears the music start, he immediately calms down. We call it "the magic CD" and are considering buying another copy so we always have one in his room and one in the car. An added bonus is that we like the music, so playing it over and over again for him does not grate on our nerves!

Like others who have reviewed this CD here, we were given this CD as a gift, and our daughter has listened to it every night (no joke) for 20 months. It's incredibly soothing. She helps us hit the "play" button because it's so part of our routine! I can't wait to give this CD as a gift to someone else!

My husband and I both love Irish Traditional music and we decided to try this tape for our daughter, hoping it wouldn't be overly sentimental. We were delighted from the first hearing and are still enjoying it. More importantly, our daughter loves it too! We keep it in the car and play it whenever she gets fussy; she is out before the second song plays. It is especially helpful when she is teething. I am now buying a copy for all of my relatives and friends with babies and toddlers. This is a tape that babies will continue to love as they grow and adults won't tire of hearing it.

my daughter has been listening to this tape at bedtime for most of her 20 months. We find it soothing and unique and when she's ready for bed she says "enini" (the first song)to let us know to start the music.

This music is music out of another moment in time. It is very soothing, and wonderfully peaceful. The perfect sounds to lull yourself, or your family into a much needed quiet time in this busy world of ours. Perfect for children of all ages.

I was pleased to get this CD as a gift because I generally like this kind of music. But this is not what I really expected and I hated it at first. I didn't make it past the first half dozen songs. I am currently giving it a second chance and do like it much better than I did originally.
My best advice is that you listen the samples that Amazon makes available so that you know exactly what you are getting.