Through the Heather / Curl the Locks

Donnellan Collection; performed by Darren Mag Aoidh.

‘The first reel, Through the Heather, is notated without key signature in the manuscript. I have treated it as Dorian, with two sharps. Since the two parts are so concise there is great scope for imagination and the tune has a certain hypnotic and satisfying feel to it. As noted in other tunes in the collection, there are challenges for the fiddle play with leaps across strings, repeated notes in the middle of phrases, all of which need to be considered if false accents are to be avoided. I treated Comb the Locks as a fellow Dorian tune – Donnellan has given the tune the key signature of A minor, but 1 sharp seems more logical here. The balance and symmetry in the first part of the tune with the contour ascending and dropping again, and on a bigger scale in the second part spread out over the 8 bars, make this a rewarding tune to play.’
                                                           Darren Mag Aoidh, Fiddle player for ORIEL ARTS

Oriel Arts © Ceoltaí Éireann 2018

Music Manuscript

Through the Heather No. 73 Donnellan in A Hidden Ulster

Printed music manuscript transcription here:  73. Through the Heather – Schottische

No. 73 Through the Heather – notation Darren Mag Aoidh copyright ORIEL ARTS 2017

              Curl The Locks No. 101 Donnellan Collection in A Hidden Ulster

Printed music manuscript transcription here:  101. Curl the locks

No. 101 Curl the Locks – notation Darren Mag Aoidh copyright ORIEL ARTS 2017