News
Hello illuminators, innkeepers, ironmongers and ivorists! This is me (Erik) and Andy Irvine. Andy is a living legend withing the irish folk community, famous from the band Planxty, amongst others. Today he was performing in my home town, at my work place, (on St Patrick's day!) together with the utterly marvelous band Quilty. To me, this was both musically and personally a really big deal.![]()
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Andy, with his and Planxty's music, has been a big inspiration for many musicians over the decades, swedish ones included. He has according to me, had a huge impact on irish music in general, and thusly also on swedish folk music and it's progression, since many therein were heavily influenced by this music. Andy and Planxty (clearing the way for bands like Dervish, our own Quilty, and many others) is in part the reason I took up folk music to begin with (first irish, then swedish, then medieval). Both with his own music, but also being an inspiration for swedish musicians that have in turn also been a major musical inspiration for me. And also, if you have some imagination, leading to the current combination of playing folk music and metal in AO! I mean, we didn't just pick up the hurdy, a pair of pipes and decide creative medieval metal one morning. It is a long and winding road over many years and many previous bands that have lead to the present. And this little tale is a part of that!![]()
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Having the privilage to meet him, and finally after some 25 years, hearing him play and sing live, and sharing a late night whisky to sum it up, will give me inspiration and energy for next 25!![]()
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Was the gig brilliant? Oh yes, of course it was!![]()
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Sláinte!![]()
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/Erik
Good day to you fiddlers, friars, fishmongers, farriers, fools and fletchers! Today is a day when the 3rd century Saint Valentine often is commemorated, and was martyred on this date. However, it is also the world moraharpa day!![]()
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The moraharpa, a drone instrument, is an older version and ancestor of the more common swedish nyckelharpa. Traditionally the sound holes of the moraharpa are heart shaped, which has led to that the international moraharpa day is the same day as of Sainte Valentine.![]()
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Here you can hear Cantiga No 10 ( CSM10 ) - 'Rosa das rosas'.![]()
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The Cantigas de Santa Maria (CSM) consists of 420 poems with musical notation, written in medieval Galician-Portuguese language, hailing from the middle of the 13th century.![]()
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Mikaels moraharpa and it is built by the pioneering drone instrument luthier Leif Eriksson.![]()
Erik's cittern is built by master luthier Christer Ådin.