Sacred Airs on the Wire-Strung Harp, Vol. 2 Classic Hymns

In the 12th century, the Welsh cleric Giraldus Cambrensis wrote:

"Irish bishops, abbots, and saints were accustomed to carry a harp wherever they went, delighting in playing it with a spirit of devotion."

The blind Irish harper Dominick Mungan (1715-c.1787), who lived in the 18th century, is said to have loved Old Hundredth above all other tunes.

For many years, I have wondered what kind of church music Dominick heard and played.

This album is the result of gradually building a repertoire of hymn tunes, now collected into two volumes.

Volume 2 features well-known hymns such as Nearer, My God, to Thee and Amazing Grace, together with traditional English and American hymn tunes.

While researching Athlone, a melody included in Volume 1 and sometimes attributed to Turlough O'Carolan, I was led to the hymnals of Charles Wesley. Although many of these melodies were originally composed as hymn tunes, they reflect the musical spirit of 18th-century Britain in a way that feels remarkably approachable, and I found them to blend beautifully with the sound of the wire-strung harp.

Because hymn texts are often sung to different melodies, I have generally used the tune names rather than the hymn titles as the track titles on this album.

All performances were recorded using a single 20-string wire-strung hinoki (Japanese cypress) harp (op.361), designed and built by the performer. The instrument is adorned with beautiful Celtic-inspired artwork by Japanese painter Tomoko Nakai, whose design makes this harp truly one of a kind. I hope you enjoy its distinctive voice.

For notes on the individual pieces, please visit:
https://note.com/carolanacademy/n/n27c12d6c5dd4