Customer Reviews

Fair Play (Celtic Harp)

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I've been a fan of Patrick Ball for years and was delighted to hear of a new release. Upon first listening to Fair Play I was reminded of why. The sound of his harp and the expertise he brings to it make me glad I'm on the same planet with this wonderful musician.

More than twenty years ago, I was working on an organic farm and one of the other workers had a tape of Patrick Ball's first album. The music captured me and eventually led me to build a wire-strung harp of my own and learn to play it, although I never became very good at it.

Patrick's music is unlike any other you'll ever hear for two reasons. The first is the harp. There are only a handful of people alive today who can play the wire-strung Celtic harp well: Patrick Ball, Ann Heymann, and a couple of others who are even less well known. The harp is strung with brass wires that have a tremendous sustain and clarity, often likened to bells. If the harpist does not damp notes, they ring on and on, causing a cacaphony of sound that drowns the music. On average, I find that I have to damp about two-thirds of the notes I strike; I'm not sure about Patrick's arrangements. Damping has to be done at precisely the right time, and noiselessly, to be inconspicuous (although you can hear it easily if you're a harpist yourself; after learning to play, I heard much more depth in Patrick's recordings). This makes the instrument many times harder to play than a gut- or nylon-strung harp, which is why it was estimated in the seventeenth century that it required at least seven years of study to become proficient. But the work is well worth it. Letting a note continue to ring creates implicit harmonies and additional complexity -- listening deeply to a piece is kind of a musical "reading between the lines." There is nothing like it on earth.

The second reason that Patrick's music is in a category all its own is the musicianship. His arrangements are extraordinary. This is not the jaunty dime-a-dozen fare that has soured you on the Celtic genre, nor is it New Age plunk-a-plinking. Patrick knows how to blend the musicality of each song perfectly with the instrument. He is like Miles Davis in that he plays all the notes that the music needs, and not a note more. His playing is delicate, with a complexity that springs both from the instrument's characteristics, and his own thoughtfulness. The fact that the instrument's voice is so clear makes it possible for him to strike notes very softly, but yet make them audible clearly over stronger notes; thus, there is a tremendous dynamic range, with gentle melodic lines weaving in and out of each other, complementing each other but not interfering. Patrick's playing and arrangements are understated yet complete. He lets the music speak for itself. The result is that nothing could ever speak more powerfully.

You cannot understand the beauty, grace, and power of this recording by listening to the samples. You need a quiet room and a really good stereo or a set of high-quality headphones. Did I mention that Patrick's recordings are an audiophile's dream? I played one of them for my uncle, who runs an audiophile business for billionaire clients, and he was astonished (and so was I!) at the recording. The instrument sounded like it was in the room with us. We both fell silent and listened for several songs without speaking. My uncle is a rock-and-roll guitarist, and I think it took him by surprise that a brass-strung harp could hold him like that.

Patrick's recordings are all masterpieces, but I would say that over time he has become more mature and sophisticated in both his playing and his arrangements. His recent recordings are more subtle and nuanced than his first, although listening to it still takes me back to the fields where I first heard it in the Farm Use pickup truck we drove around.

Patrick Ball is renowned for his playing of the Celtic (Irish) harp. He is superior in every way. The music is a joy to hear.

I already had one CD by Patrick Ball, and wanted to build my collection. This music, played on a brass strung Celtic harp, is at once relaxing and energizing. I put it on my computer at work, and when the day is particularly stressful, I turn on the CD, and within minutes my mood improves, and my concentration increases. It's also great for driving-makes being stuck in traffic much less painful!

The music of Patrick Ball is unique in that it is played on the wire-strung Irish harp. The notes ring in a way that regular harp notes do not. This album is intimate and soothing but that is not to say it is for sleeping. For any aficiando of Celtic music, it is full of moving melodies and counterpoint. Most of the songs a purely harp but are very full-sounding. Listen to the sound samples.