Celtic Duets

Celtic Duets
for Flute and Accordion
Arranged by Martin Tourish
Published by Universal Editions
Includes score and flute part

Contents:
Ae Fond Kiss
The Forgotten Highland
Na Ceannabhain Bhana
Beth yw’r Haf i Mi?
Rosilin Castle
Paddy McMenamin’s Mazurka
If There Weren’t Any Women in the World
A Man’s a Man for All That
The Bodmin Riding March
Danse Macabre
Cota Ghearr Sgiobalta
The Atholl Highlanders
The Boys of Malin

Preface:
This collection of Celtic music, arranged for flute and stradella-bass accordion represents the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish and Breton traditions. While the pieces are graded from easy to intermediate level, any notated version of Celtic music is considered by performers to be ‘skeletal’, hence placing the greatest value on a knowledge of the individual traditions in question. I have written some general information on performance practice in Appendix 1 in order to give you a sense of the journey that you are undertaking.
This collection spans three centruies of music-making in five countries: from the blind bardic harpists of the eighteenth century to the international touring bands of the present day. Within national styles, there are many regional styles. The Donegal style, to draw from my own locality, can be more deeply understood as a multiplicity of rich local styles. In addition to this, there are multiple sub-genres at play. Scotland, for instance, incorporates a Scottish Country Dance style, in which the accordion music plays an integral part, but they also have their ballad tradition that includes the songs of Robert Burns, the music of the Islands, the bagpipe music and their general traditional music amongst other forms. Of course also, within these, you have a rich tapestry of personal styles: icons whose voices have inspired generations and shaped the identity of whole traditions. As with the masters of the Western Art Music tradition, studying the legends of Celtic music is a lifetime’s work.
What I really hope for, however, is that this collection will inspire you to look a little further. While I have selected pieces that have inspired me and have often been the soundtrack to wonderful experiences in these Celtic areas, this book is really an invitation to you, the reader, to embark upon your own journey. Seek out the musicans, go to the places, listen to the records, and view what can be veiwed online. There are communities of people who are actively on the same path; get out to the numerous festivals and gatherings all around the world and meet them. This is where the heart of this living tradition lies and it is there for everyone.
I wish you well,
Martin Tourish, November 2018