🎶 The Little Red Lark 🐦 (An Old Irish Air ☘️) arr JW Clokey | Galway Cathedral, Ireland
· 14.08.2023 · 03:18:23 ··· ··· Monday ·· 1 (1)
Jerry Martin Joseph Waddell Clokey (August 28, 1890, New Albany, Indiana – September 14, 1960, Covina, California) was a student of Edgar Stillman Kelley. He served as dean of the School of Fine Arts at his alma mater, Miami University 1939-46 and had previously been professor of organ at Miami University (1916–1923) and Pomona College. His work included two symphonies including the "Dorian" Symphony, two orchestral suites, a string quartet, a cello and violin sonata, twelve choral works in large form, five operas, organ suites, many organ pieces, and more than a hundred published choral works. He visited Northern Ireland in 1953 and connected with his Irish relatives!
"The Little Red Lark" appears in "Irish Songs and Ballads" and is attributed to Alfred Perceval Graves (1846-1931). The lyrics are included below, however this beautiful melody is now more commonly heard as a "slow air" - in traditional Irish music, it is common for the more lyrical instruments (flute, fiddle and uillean pipes) to take a break from the usual ceili dance music to revisit traditional melodies. I have heard this tune, with its Irish/Gaelic title "An Fuiseógín Dearg" - for comparison here are two links: the first to Seamus McGuire on fiddle, the second to Willie Clancy, one of Ireland's most famous Uillean Pipers.
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UhrKpGullU
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chuktDl0ufI
Clokey arranged this as an "Encore transcription," - and I could really see this captivating an America audience at the end of an organ recital! The piece was composed in Claremont, California on Sept. 10, 1933, and published by J. Fischer & Bro. in 1934.
It was a privilege to play this as part of a recital in Galway Cathedral on July 27th 2023. https://recitals.galwaycathedral.ie/summer-concerts-2023/jeremiah-martin-organ
Read about the magnificent organ here: https://recitals.galwaycathedral.ie/about/organs
We learned of wonderful connection between the Cathedral and the Clokeys. "There are some wonderful stained glass windows - by George Walsh (featured towards the video). George and his father Stephen came North both specifically to work in Clokey Stained Glass Studios which had a high reputation, and did much of his training there including his apprenticeship under the chief designer Olive Henry. Small and interconnected world. The two of them went off to USA for a time, and on return joined harry Clarke Studios."
#organ #irishmusic #galway
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Here is Charles Villier's Stanford arrangement and setting
https://www.libraryireland.com/Irish-Folk-Songs/Little-Red-Lark-1.php
Oh swan of slenderness,
Dove of tenderness,
Jewel of joys, arise!
The little red lark,
Like a rosy spark
Of song to his sunburst flies.
But till thou art risen
Earth is a prison
Full of my lonesome sighs;
Then awake and discover
To thy fond lover
The morn of thy matchless eyes.
The dawn is dark to me.
Hark! o hark to me,
Pulse of my heart, I pray!
And out of thy hiding
With blushes gliding
Dazzle me with thy day.
Ah, then, once more to thee
Flying I'll pour to thee
Passion so sweet and gay.
The lark shall listen,
And dewdrops glisten,
Laughing on every spray.
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