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Land of the Long White Cloud Vol 1,2,3,4 are books that would be for the late intermediate level player and many were written so that Anna could play them at various occasions. They all have stories regarding who they were written for, or the event they were written about . Some are co-written by her partner, Shane Stewart, and have somewhat of a piping influence (bagpipes and whistles are his instruments), there are some which have an optional melody for a C instrument or harp accompaniment while the other instrument plays the tune. 11 pages.
Volume 1 Table of Content:
The Copper Rose (waltz)
The Copper Rose’s title is taken from a gift from a student after ten years of teaching her, and as I was writing this tune, the gift was in the music studio and kept catching my eye. This tune runs nicely into the next...
Telynor (air)
Telynor - the intro gives you a bit of time to change the Eb levers. Telynor is dedicated to a dear friend and harpist, Brynmor, whose sudden death at the end of 2014 stunned and shocked me. He was someone I was very privileged to have worked with and shared many laughs. As Bryn would say “ah, bless”
Madame Vinegar (waltz)
Madame Vinegar - without exposing anyone …..Madame Vinegar was the nickname given to a fellow musician who seemed determined to make our musical lives as miserable as she could. So, in order to balance up the universe, I wrote this lovely elegant and sweet tune to musically compensate for her unfortunate demeanour…… and from Madame Vinegar you can slowly lilt your way into The Sonsie Lass.
The Sonsie Lass (slow jig)
Windmill Road (slow reel)
Windmill Road was a tune that went round and round in my head before I got it on to paper. Then, it became an ear worm when the Auckland Harp Orchestra was rehearsing it - a good earworm though!!!
As He Gently Breathes (air)
As He Gently Breathes was written for my sons, after standing in the doorway to their bedrooms, listening to the sound of their sleepy breathing and thinking about what terrible sleepers they were as babies, and how glad I am that those days are over.
Aotearoa (the land of the long white cloud) ao - cloud, tea - white or clear, roa - long or tall
Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand. Legend says that the explorer Kupe’s first
indication of land in the distance was the long cloud which hung over the North Island of NZ
Most of my compositions have a story behind them….. and these are no exception! Giving
a title, or a story to a composition is, for me, to make up for a lack of lyrics, and it’s rare for me to sit and play these tunes without conjuring up the reason for the title, and the fun times
that happen behind the music.
For Lever and Pedal Harp
