I won’t ask if you’ve ever longed for something… I believe all of us have! Many of us are longing for a lot of things right now… It can be anxiety-producing, overwhelming, stressful, and so much more! Yet longing can also be hopeful, even if it’s a tenuous hope, like fragile new Spring buds. This piece embodies these aspects of longing, with the intention of easing the negative ones.

Click the Play button below to listen.

Instruments:
Ocean Drum
Moon Harp
Ukulele
Nuvo jFlute

Click the Play button below to listen.

I wrote “O’Carolan’s Lyre” 2 years ago and did play it on my lyre. Today, however, I play it on ukulele and flute, with ocean drum. But I’m still calling it “O’Carolan’s Lyre.”

Turlough O’Carolan was a blind Irish harper, who lived from 1670-1738. About 300 of his tunes are still in existance today. I’ve always wondered whether O’Carolan was totally blind. And either way, how did he travel from place to place? Did he stay in one place for a while and compose music for food, room and board, and/or pay? We may never know. We do know that he played the harp, and most likely it was a wire strung harp. If you haven’t heard one, it has a bright ringing sound, much brighter and more sustained than the nylon or gut strung harps we’re used to hearing.

I hope you enjoy this piece, even without a lyre!