Before the hymn, “Let All Things Now Living,” this traditional Welsh tune was already well-known as “The Ash Grove.” One source
points out that many people recognize the hymn because of the familiar melody. I agree – I was one of these people! I played the melody on pennywhistle and recorder long before I knew it was a hymn. This just shows the timeless and versatile nature of music!
My arrangement is played on lyre. I hope you enjoy it!
1. Calm is the sea.
Bright is the causeway.
Narrow it stretches
Over the view.
Open my eyes.
Clearly I see it,
Path of my purpose.
I’m walking through.
2. Tide rising high
Darkens the causeway.
Narrow it hovers
Over my fear.
Fog from the deep
Clouding my vision,
Making the bridge
From me disappear.
3. Here is the way,
Shining in sunlight.
I travel onward,
Guided and sure.
I realize
Only perception
Strays from the channel
That’s mine evermore.
Accompanied by Sunny, my lyre, this song is in the Dorian mode, which is grounding, and common in shanty songs. It’s about 7 minutes long, with musical interludes for meditation. I do hope you enjoy!
This is the first song I’ve written in 18 months! I’ve written a few instrumental pieces, meditations, and many poems; but I’ve missed the songwriting–lyrics, melody, accompaniment, singing… And even trying to remember the lyrics to make just one good recording all the way through! Thank you, Sue! 🙂
“Dix” is the original title of this melody. It was composed by Conrad Kocher in 1838. The lyrics were written by Folliott Sandford Pierpoint in 1863. Though the text has been set to other melodies, Kocher’s tune is perhaps the most common. It’s the one I learned as a child, and I play it here on lyre. Enjoy, and please share!
Charles Wesley’s well-known hymn is based on an older Bohemian hymn, whose author is unknown. The version we know today was written by Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist movement, in 1739. The original Bohemian title was “Jesus Christ is Risen Today,” while Wesley’s title was “Hymn for Easter Day.” More recently, it’s most often known by its first line, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.”
Enjoy this lovely hymn, played on lyre, and have a blessed and happy Easter!
You’ve probably heard this well-known hymn in praise of the vast world of nature that God created. Maltbie Davenport Babcock, a minister, wrote the lyrics as a 16-stanza poem. It was first published in 1901, after his death.
In 1915, Franklin L. Sheppard chose 3 verses for the hymn and set them to the tune “Terra Beata,” meaning “Blessed Earth” in Latin.
Please enjoy my lyre arrangement, and feel free to download and share the mp3!
One last nod to St. Patrick’s Day and the theme of Irish music–at least, for now.
Here is a medley played on zither, alto recorder (called treble in the UK and elsewhere), and lyre. It contains “Star of the County Down,” which is a traditional Irish tune, and “Carolan’s Dream,” written by Turlough O’Carolan.
I call this “I Dream of County Carolan,” as a way of bringing the titles together. There is really no such county in Ireland. 🙂
“Star of the County Down” is played on zither. “Carolan’s Dream” begins with recorder and is then played on lyre. This is great for relaxation, stress relief, and meditation.
I hope you enjoy this, and feel free to download and share the mp3 above!
Here are 3 Irish/Celtic tunes played in succession. The first one is original, called “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’m no O’Carolan, and what I’m playing here is not a harp, but a lyre. That’s where the first tune gets its name. I wrote “O’Carolan’s Lyre” as a tribute to this well-known, but still mysterious blind harper of the 17th and early 18th century.
The tunes that follow were composed by O’Carolan. They are “Brian Boru’s March” and “Planxty Eleanor Plunkett.” Each of these 3 pieces has an A section and a B section. I play them in the form AABB.
I wrote this song in about 2002, on a small harp. I wasn’t in a relationship at the time, so it was more of a wish or a prayer, than something I had. I share it now, nearly 18 years later, with the encouragement that dreams do come true!
Sunny, my Lynda Lyre, has the same range as my first harp did, so this is the original accompaniment for the song.
Love Ballad – Lyrics
1. Let me lay my head upon your shoulder;
Let me tell you all the things I feel.
I won’t hesitate to say, “I love you,”
For the bond between us two is real.
2. Let me place a kiss upon your sweet lips;
Let me hold you in my loving arms.
You know that, no matter what, I’ll love you.
Never do I want to cause you harm.
3. Let me be the one, your one and only;
Let me be the one to whom you turn.
You can tell me anything you want to;
You can come to me when you are worn.
Johann Pachelbel wrote one of the most popular pieces of classical music, commonly called “Canon in D Major” or simply “Pachelbel’s Canon.” It is unclear when he wrote it, but suggested dates range from 1680 to 1706.
Here, Pachelbel’s recognizable bass pattern meets the traditional tune “Danny Boy,” or “Londonderry Air.”
I hope you enjoy my lyre arrangement, played in C instead of D Major, combining these timeless and beautiful elements!
Mystical Strings 
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