Mel Bay presents Castles, Kirks and Caves Traditional Tunes From Scotland and Ireland [Paperback]

Abby Newton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2009

This is the second popular book of beautiful Celtic tunes compiled and arranged for the cello by Abby Newton. Most of the tunes in this collection are from her recent recordings, Castles Kirks and Caves and Ferintosh. The book is organized in three parts: Tunes, Sets, and Duos. The first part, Tunes, contains an assortment of twenty-eight tunes culled mostly from the well know Scottish and Irish traditional tune books including collections by Capt. Simon Fraser, Patrick McDonald, Niel Gow and James Oswald. The second part, Sets, consists of several tunes played in succession. Part three, Duos, includes two part scores (with treble and bass lines) that come mainly from James Oswald's Airs for the Seasons and Burke Thumoth's Collection of Scots and Irish Tunes 1745.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Abby Newton is an unusually versatile cellist who is active on both the folk and classical music scenes. Her first solo recording of traditional Scottish music was released in 1997 and has received excellent reviews both in the United States and Great Britain. Crossing to Scotland brings the cello front and center and features a stellar group of supporting musicians. Over the past two decades, Abby's association with Scottish musicians Jean Redpath and Alasdair Fraser has taken her on tours throughout Scotland and the United States with special appearances on the Prairie Home Companion. In October 1998 Abby was invited to perform as a soloist at the Big World Music Festival in Glasgow. From there, she toured Scotland as the featured performer in several enthusiastically received concerts. While in Scotland, she conducted workshops. These gatherings gave her the opportunity to discuss the tradition of the cello in Scottish music. Abby has also taught individuals and workshops in the United States. For the past seven summers, she has been the instructor of Scottish cello at Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle School in California. Her teaching stresses the use of the cello both as a melodic and rhythmic instrument. Abby is well known to other folk musicians for her extensive work in the recording studio. Since the early 1970s she has composed and performed cello parts for over fifty recordings by a variety of important folk artists includign Jean Redpath (with whom she has made 15 albums since 1974), Priscilla Herdman, Kate McGarrigle, Bonnie Rideout, "Puirt a Baroque" and the Jay Ungar/Molly Mason duo. In 1997 Abby formed Celtic Crossing, for which she enlisted a group of three musicians from the Hudson Valley region of New York. The band performs music from Britain and America with a special emphasis on the Scottish tradition. Classical music continues to ben an important part of Abby's musical life. She is particularly drawn to baroque repertoire and feels that there is a musical kinship between the baroque style and that of the traditional Scottish music of that period. She has performed frequently with the American Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic and the Caecilian Chamber Ensemble. She currently performs with the Olive Trio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078667587X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786675876
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,759,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)