CD "Liner Notes" -- Melodies of St. Kilda
Picture this: An aging and frail gentleman residing in a care home in Edinburgh, Scotland, slowly walks into the room that contains an old, out-of-tune piano, and sits down to play music that no one has ever heard before.
That gentlman was Trevor Morrison; the year was 2005. Trevor could still remember the music he had learned some 60 years earlier from his piano teacher who told him that the tunes came from St. Kilda, a group of islands in the North Atlantic that had been uninhabited since 1930.
The article below, "Timeline -- How this music came from Trevor's piano to Carol's dulcimer" will give you all the background information related to this project.
That gentlman was Trevor Morrison; the year was 2005. Trevor could still remember the music he had learned some 60 years earlier from his piano teacher who told him that the tunes came from St. Kilda, a group of islands in the North Atlantic that had been uninhabited since 1930.
The article below, "Timeline -- How this music came from Trevor's piano to Carol's dulcimer" will give you all the background information related to this project.
| KILDA TIMELINE |
It has long been a goal of mine to produce a CD with all slow, soft, contemplative, relaxing music, and when I discovered these St. Kilda melodies I realized that such a CD would indeed be the perfect format to feature these haunting tunes. With the help of my recording engineer, and using tracks purchased from an online source, we put together a continuous background track with the sounds of seagulls, ocean waves crashing against rocky cliffs, wind and rain, and even a thunderstorm!
The CD is divided into nine tracks but runs from beginning to end with no interruption between tracks. It is 45 continuous minutes of pure meditational calmness, guaranteed to bring peace and relaxation while you listen. Stretch out, put on your best headphones and close your eyes, and you will be instantly transported to this beautiful place.
Trevor did not name these songs himself -- the titles of each of the songs were arbitrarily assigned by Decca Records UK, who produced the first CD in 2016 containing all of Trevor's original recordings along with a variety of arrangements produced by various well-known Scottish musicians. https://www.lostsongsofstkilda.com/
Each song was named for one of the islands or sea stacks within the archipelago known collectively as St. Kilda.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/learning/features/stories-from-st-kilda
The first four tracks are named after the larger islands of the archipelago. Only Hirta was ever inhabited, but the other three were used as additional pasture.
1. Soay (DAD - D major)
2. Dùn (DAD - D major)
3. Boreray (DAD - A minor; capo on 3rd fret)
4. Hirta (DAD - E minor; capo on 1st fret)
The next four tracks are named after the sea stacks (Sea stacks are all that's left of larger islands, gradually worn away by eons of wind and water.)
5. Stac Dona (DAD - D major)
6. Stac Lee (DAD - D major)
7. Stac Levenish (DAD - D major)
8. Stac An Armin (DF#A - D major)
And finally, the last track was named by Stuart McKenzie and Priscilla Weaver (please refer again to the "Timeline" document above) when this initially overlooked track was discovered after the Decca CD was produced.
9. Memories (DAD - E minor; capo on 1st fret)
All these solo tracks were recorded by Yours Truly on a Folkcraft Custom Series Standard Dulcimer, built especially for me with the Three-Legs Manx national symbol, by Richard Ash of Folkcraft Instruments in Woodburn, Indiana. This instrument is set up with three equidistant strings, and has the "additional" 1+ and 8+ frets. (Carol Walker is a Folkcraft Endorsing Artist.) www.Folkcraft.com
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1. Soay 5:25
2. Dùn 5:53 3. Borerary 4:27 4. Hirta 4:29 5. Stac Dona 5:16 6 Stac Lee 4:50 7. Stac Levenish 5:38 8. Stac An Armin 5:25 9. Memories 3:38 |
Cover photo property of Stuart McKenzie; used with permission
Background ambient tracks provided by Pond5 www.Pond5.com Mixed and mastered by Larry Moser, Huntington, NY ©2022 Carol Walker The Music Lady LLC PO Box 839, Denville, NJ 07834 All arrangements copyrighted. WARNING: All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, broadcasting, and public performance prohibited. Recorded, printed, and manufactured in the U.S.A. Caution: This CD may cause extreme relaxation. Do not attempt to drive a motor vehicle or operate heavy machinery while listening. |
A percentage of the sales of this CD (and accompanying book) will be donated to this charity -- ACE IT -- in Trevor's memory. Stuart McKenzie was a volunteer for this charity when he first met Trevor at the Silverlea Care Home. ACE IT.org.uk
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