【Song Commentary】Album "Irish Airs vol. 1: Whispers of the Metal-Strung Harp"
On October 10, 2025, Keisuke Teramoto will begin the release of "Irish Airs vol. 1: Whispers of the Metal-Strung Harp".
This is a collection of harp airs that I would like you to listen to quietly during the long autumn nights.
Please listen on streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music. If you do not use a subscription service, you can also download it from iTunes and other platforms.
This album features simple and beautiful melodies passed down in Ireland since ancient times, performed on a single 27-string maple metal-strung Irish harp named "Old Cinnamon (op. 347)." The recording was done with a single microphone, and no sound processing such as EQ or compression was used, allowing you to enjoy the natural resonance of the harp as it is.
The album contains a total of 15 tracks, including traditional slow airs from old Irish harp music, sean-nós, love songs, and well-known pieces in Japan such as "The Last Rose of Summer," "Danny Boy," and "Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms."
Irish airs are music that speaks quietly; they have a charm that draws you in, even though they are never pushy.
This work was created by handling the performance, recording, arrangement, and instrument making all by myself, bringing out the rich tone of the harp to its fullest.
Tracklist
1. The Melody of the Harp, Ceolta Cruit
A monophonic melody included as No. 1066 in the collection (1902-5) compiled by the composer Stanford from the manuscripts of the 19th-century folk music collector Petrie. It is also included in Petrie's 1855 collection, where it is noted as having been obtained from John Edward Pigot (1822-1871), a lawyer from Cork. Pigot obtained it from a manuscript owned by the Galway historian James Hardiman (1782-1855). Petrie considered it a very old melody and expressed regret that the lyrics attached to this song were unknown.
2. Do you remember that night?
A beautiful melody from the Munster region in southern Ireland in the 18th century. It is a sad song about a groom who drowned while crossing the River Shannon with his relatives in a boat after a wedding.
Published in 1872 by the historian P. W. Joyce, who transcribed it from the singing of Michael Dinneen, a farmer in Coolfree on the border of Cork and Limerick. Joyce did not include the lyrics, but Petrie's collection (1855) contains Irish and English lyrics obtained from Eugene O'Curry. However, a different melody is recorded there than the one by Joyce. Later, in O'Sullivan's "Songs of the Irish" (1960), a version combining O'Curry's lyrics and Joyce's melody was published.
Do you remember that night?
When you were at the window,
Without hat or gloves,
Without a coat to shield you from the cold,
I reached out my hand,
And you passionately took it,
And I stayed by your side,
Until the lark began to sing.
Do you remember that night?
When you and I were together,
At the root of the rowan tree,
On a freezing night,
You rested your head on my chest,
And played the flute gently,
That night, I never thought,
That the bond of our love would come undone!
Oh, my beloved from the depths of my heart,
Come one night, as soon as you can,
When everyone in the house is fast asleep,
So we can talk alone,
I will hold you in these arms,
And tell you my story,
Your gentle, calm, and soft words,
Have stolen even the view of the Kingdom of God from me!
The fire in the hearth is still smoldering,
The light is not out,
The key is under the door,
Please pull it out gently,
Mother is asleep,
And I am wide awake,
Fate is in my hands,
And I am ready to go with you!
3. The Gentle Maiden, Mo Ghradh Ban a'm Threigan, My Fair Love Leaving Me
The first piece was transcribed by Edward Bunting (1773-1843) from Miss Murphy in Dublin in 1839 and published in his 1840 collection. It is noted as "Very ancient, author and date unknown." It is thought to have been an Irish song, but no lyrics remain. Titles such as "I am a long time here" and "The Bare-Headed Poor Old Man" are also occasionally seen in the manuscripts. The Journal of the Irish Folk Song Society, Vol. X, contains different versions titled "It is my deep sorrow" and "Owen Coir."
Also, it is recorded under the title "The Gentle Maiden, or Men of the West" in the third volume of the collection by the Limerick fiddler Roche (1927).
The second piece is from the collection (1872) of Patrick Weston Joyce (1827-1914), a historian and folk music collector from Munster in southern Ireland. It was transcribed from Lewis O'Brien of Limerick. It was likely a song, but no lyrics remain, and only the Irish and English titles "Mo Ghradh Ban a'm Threigan, My Fair Love Leaving Me" and the instruction "Slow and with feeling" are written. The title can be translated as "My beautiful lover who abandoned me," but "Ban" can also be translated as "white." This sad and beautiful melody overlaps with the memory of my white and beautiful cat, Cinnamon, who is no longer here, which is why I chose this translation.
4. Love, Be near me, Caoin Róis
The first piece, "Love, Be near me" (A ghradh luighe lamh liom [A ghrá, luigh lámh liom]), was in the repertoire of the blind harpist Patrick Quinn (c.1745-aft. 1810), transcribed by Bunting and published in 1809.
The second piece, "Caoin Róis" (Gentle Rose), is a truly beautiful air said to have been composed by the harpist Pádraig Mac Giolla Fhiondáin (Patrick Linden, 1666-1733) for a poem by the blind Ulster poet Séamus Dall Mac Cuarta (c.1650-1733). Both were close friends of O'Carolan. Linden's mother, Siubhán Mac Ardghail, was a harpist born into a family of poets who also composed music. His son was also a harpist of the same name (a teacher of P. Quinn) and was friends with the blind Arthur O'Neill. He invited Linden to the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival, but Linden declined, citing his shabby appearance. O'Neill gave him the clothes he had with him, and they parted ways with a promise to meet there. However, the promise was broken, and O'Neill was said to be very disappointed.
Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin's "A Hidden Ulster" contains detailed lyrics and commentary on this song. Róis Ní Raghailligh (Rose O'Reilly), sung about in this poem, was a young girl who sold socks at the market. When the blind Mac Cuarta fell into a river on his way to the market and was soaked and made a laughingstock, she took pity on him, brought him home, and provided him with a change of clothes. Mac Cuarta wrote the poem for this gentle Rose.
A piece written down as a monophonic melody by Bunting's assistant, the uilleann piper James Cody, but never published.
My gentle Rose has nine golden curls,
Waving softly, hanging gracefully over the grass.
Each lock has a luster like amber,
They are always shimmering, curled and twisted like spun thread.
She possesses a charm that strikes the hearts of young men,
And wears the three most beautiful jewels under the sun.
She is the one with the greatest beauty, her neck as white as a lily,
And on her chest are two perfectly rounded breasts.
Courteous Rose, of the blood of the Rally family,
Her beauty is truly evident in her features,
Even the stars shining in the night sky cannot compare to the brilliance of her two eyes.
A maiden's breasts, a neck as white as snow,
They would defeat both the Irish and the English.
But will you show pity to poor me?
Blind, worn out, and sunk in deep suffering, I am dying for you—.
5. The Black Phantom
A beautiful monophonic melody included as No. 579 in the Petrie/Stanford collection (1902-5). It bears the note 'From the Revd Father Walsh.' As there is no other information, the meaning of the title is unknown, but it was likely a song. Father Walsh was the parish priest of Iveragh, Kerry, and one of Petrie's informants.
6. The lark in the clear air
A love song for which the Irish poet Samuel Ferguson (1810-1886) wrote lyrics to an old folk melody. The original tune is the Sligo Air from Petrie (1855).
Gentle thoughts overflow in my chest,
And my heart dances enchantingly into the sky,
Whenever the lark's song
Resounds in the clear air.
That person's soft smile
Gave light to my hope,
Tomorrow I will surely be able to tell them
All of my thoughts.
I will tell them all my love,
The longing from the bottom of my heart,
I feel that they will surely listen,
And will not refuse me.
Just thinking that,
My soul is filled with joy,
Whenever the lark's song
Resounds in the clear air.
7. The Last Rose of Summer, The Youngman's Dream, Danny Boy
The first piece is a work for which the Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852) wrote lyrics to 'The Groves of Blarney' from Holden's collection Vol. 1 (c.1805). A passage 'ad lib.: Ullogaun' is added to the original source. This means 'lament,' indicating that this song was a lament.
It traveled to Japan and became known as 'Niwa no Chigusa' (1883, original title 'Chrysanthemum'). The song that became the basis for 'The Groves of Blarney' is considered to be 'The Youngman's Dream,' which was passed down by the old harpist Denis Hempson (1695-1807), and the other side branched off into 'Derry Air' and 'Danny Boy'.
The second piece is a work that Bunting transcribed from the blind harpist Denis Hempson, O’Hampsey (1695-1807), who lived to be 112, and published in 1796. It is a piece in my own repertoire that I have played for many years, and because I perform it improvisationally, it retains almost none of its original form. From this song, pieces such as 'Derry Air,' 'Danny Boy,' 'The Groves of Blarney,' and 'The Last Rose of Summer' were derived.
The original song of 'Danny Boy,' 'The (London) Derry Air,' was originally a song of unknown title collected by Miss Jane Ross (1810-1879) of Limavady, County Derry. The folk music collector George Petrie (1789-1866) received the sheet music from Ross and published it in 1855. Ross (or perhaps it was Ross's brother) learned this song from a fiddle played by an old man in Limavady, and the old man's father had learned it from a harpist. Since Limavady is near the town where Hempson lived, it is possible that the harpist was Hempson. Incidentally, the name 'Londonderry' was added by the British as a nuisance, and the locals call it by its original name, 'Derry.' I also avoid the name 'Londonderry Air,' and when I perform this song, I use the name 'Danny Boy' (for which the British poet Frederic Weatherly wrote lyrics in 1910).
Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh, Danny Boy, oh, Danny Boy, I love you so
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying
If I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an 'Ave' there for me
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be
For you will bend and tell me that you love me
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me
This song has also become a hymn, included as Hymn No. 157 'The Storms of This World' and No. 229 'From the Joyful Garden of Learning (Graduation Ceremony)' in the second volume of hymns.
8. The Sixpence
An air included in Smollet Holden's collection Vol. 2 (c.1805). The poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852) wrote the poem 'It is not the tear' for it.
Those tears are not shed in this very moment
When the cold earth has just covered him
Those tears do not speak of how much the departed friend was loved
Or how deeply he is mourned in our hearts
They are tears shed over days and years
In a life cast in shadow by his absence
They are the one memory
Cherished long after the light sorrow has faded
That memory, like a sacred flame
Burns deep within our hearts
And when death comes, our souls shall be united
With that heart which no longer knows sorrow
Holden was a British military band composer and a Freemason. His son Francis and his daughters were also folk song collectors, and while the Holden family were true collectors, no manuscripts survive, and information regarding their informants or where they obtained these pieces of music is unknown. He was also acquainted with the Irish painter and folk music collector George Petrie (1789-1866).
9. Jemmy, My Thousand Treasures, Jimmy Mo Mhile Stor
From the collection (1872) of Patrick Weston Joyce (1827-1914), a historian and folk music collector from Munster. A sorrowful song widely known in southern Ireland. It is a song of a woman lamenting her lover Jemmy who has gone across the sea. This is thought to be a metaphor for James II, who fled to France, and was sung by the Jacobites.
Joyce includes a song with the following lyrics under the title "Drahareen-O-Machree (Little brother of my heart)."
Maidens, I pray you, pity this lament
I am but a young girl, mourning and grieving for my beloved
That my love is not by my side
Is too painful, and breaks my heart
And every day, I weep
For "Jemmy, mo mhíle stór" (my thousand treasures, my beloved)
He also introduces a verse, noting it was sung with the following lyrics as well.
I am a young man who loves country games
I always showed my face at Irish fairs and festivals
The true sons of Bacchus—
That is, the merry drinkers, were always my companions
But now, that "Drahareen-O-Machree" (my beloved)
Has been taken from me...
10. The Blackbird
Transcribed in 1803 from the Mayo harpist Dominic O’Donnell, and published by Bunting in 1840. A piece favored by the Jacobites (Catholics who supported James II). The "Blackbird" refers to Bonnie Charlie, Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788). Also known as the "Young Pretender," he was the grandson of James II and attempted a failed rebellion in Scotland in 1745. The Bunting manuscripts note that Arthur O'Neill described O'Donnell as a "good player." O'Neill was a sharp-tongued man who called most harpists "tol-lol" in skill.
11. Ned of the Hill (Eamonn a' Chnuic)
A famous Irish ballad that exists in many different versions. This combines the version in Roche's collection Vol. 3 (1927), No. 3 (the words "nós na Ronne" are written next to the title, but the meaning is unknown), and the version in Vol. 1 (1911), No. 3 (labeled "3rd setting"). The song is about Éamonn Ó Riain (1670-1724), a nobleman and outlaw (rapparee) who lived at the same time as Carolan and fought against the British army. Éamonn became a wanted man after shooting an official who tried to seize a cow from a poor woman. On a rainy night in 1724, he visited his relative Tomás Bán Ó Dubhuir. Tomás, wanting the 300-pound reward, cut off Éamonn's head with an axe while he slept.
"Who is outside, with a voice of passion, knocking at my door that is firmly bolted?"
"I am Edmund of the Hill. I have walked long through mountains and valleys, soaked and frozen."
"My beloved, my treasure, the most I can do is cover you with the hem of this garment. Black gunpowder will be fired at us like rain, but we shall die together!"
"I have wandered long outside, exposed to snow and frost, and can approach no one. My fields are unplowed, my horses unhitched, and all is lost!"
"I have no friends (I only lament that), no one to shelter me in the early morning or at night, so I must go across the sea to the east, for I have no kin there!"
12. The Brown Haired Girl (Cailin na Gruaige Doinne)
A beautiful melody included in the collection (1995) of the uilleann piper Tomás Ó Canainn (1930-2013) from County Derry.
I left that girl in the fields of Sroil
Her mother was surely angry
Angry that she gave her love
To a man like a wanderer without a path.
Not possessing a mountain of gold coins
I am a man with nothing to rely on
Yet she made the flower of life bloom for me
She was, without a doubt, still a young girl.
And how proud I must have looked,
With that brown-haired girl.
I tell everyone the story
Of how defeated, weak, and foolish I have become
Just waiting for her return,
Thinking of her every night and every Sunday morning.
The center of my heart
Has been stolen by a fierce and deep love
It is my love for the brown-haired girl.
Even the fish leap from the water to hear her voice
Her beauty is so dazzling
That my heart will never be satisfied,
Without that brown-haired girl.
13. The Song of the Books (Cuan Bhéil Inse, Amhrán na Leabhar)
From T. Ó Canainn's collection (1995). "Amhrán na Leabhar" means "Song of the Books." A piece played slowly on the uilleann pipes. A work by the poet and musician Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1785-1848) from County Kerry. When Ó Súilleabháin was a schoolteacher, another full-time teacher was appointed, so he had to move to a different school. Possessing a vast number of books, he sent only the books by boat while he traveled by land. The story goes that the boat carrying the books ran aground and they were lost.
14. Dermot of Barna's Cat (Cat Dhiarmaid na Bearnan)
Composed in a hexatonic scale that omits the 6th note. An Irish-language song (monophonic) included in the Journal of the Irish Folk Song Society, vol. xx (1923), p. 13. Obtained from Seán Ó Cuill (1882-1958), who won the 1902 Oireachtas for collecting Irish-language songs (words only).
Composed by Diarmaid O Cruadhlaoich (Dermot Crowley), a tailor from Ballyvourney, County Cork. His two sons, Tadhg and Padraig, were also said to be poets.
A story about Dermot, who goes on a grand adventure across 336km of southwestern Ireland to retrieve his stolen cat. He finds the cat safely and is even granted the land of Barna by the local lord. Many local place names and names of real people appear throughout.
Exhausted, weakened, troubled, and miserable,
I have been out of spirit for some time now.
This is because, ever since I heard the "Lament of Dermot of Barna,"
it has been terribly painful to have to tell his story.
When my hero arrived at Wooden Bridge,
he stopped at the tavern as he always did.
He ordered a quart (about 1.1 liters), treated everyone to a round,
and was a cheerful drinker, no less than Bacchus, the god of wine.
Local rumors also say he was a generous and cheerful person.
He had been staying there for a while,
when a brazen villain or a street sweeper appeared,
and threw his (Dermot's) bag over the wall.
The bag contained various things, and I have no intention of telling you everything,
but among them was a beautiful white-faced cat.
That cat was a master hunter who never missed a mouse,
whether in the hay shed or inside the building.
Losing such a cat was a great loss for the entire region.
When he came to me to lament, I said to the brave man—
"You must get it back."
He immediately called his brother Stephen,
and he rushed out at once.
He raced between Bandon and Ballineen,
ran to the good harbor of Kinsale, then turned back to Mallow,
struggled in the woods of Oulig,
and nearly drowned at the ford of Caba.
He searched the mountains and dark hills of Iveleary,
and reached as far as Keimaneigh in the far west.
Flanked by the mountains of Doohill and Sheehy,
he downed a pint of ale at Kealkill.
After that, he searched the lands of the Breenys thoroughly,
crossed the Mealagh River and headed further west,
traversed every thicket, cave, and Knock na Reime,
and had dinner in Glengarriff.
He headed straight for Castletownbere,
and did not stop until he reached Cametringane.
He passed through Eisc na gCaorach,
and went to Kenmare via Bonane.
He visited Kilgarvan and Kilfaddamore,
did not overlook the hideout at Eisc an tSéipéil,
passed through Ceap an Leamhain and the woods of Clohan,
and appeared in Derrybonane in the morning.
But so far, he had found no clues,
so he crossed Eisc Caol,
and searched both sides of Loch na bhFrainc and Loch Cúm an Déise,
as well as Cúm na gCapall.
He reached Loch Leane and Múileann Léise,
and searched the Bishop's house thoroughly.
Then, a prophet named Aigí Eagar sympathized with him,
and told him the cat was in the direction of his home, behind him.
He bounded through Minish,
and did not miss Glenflesk.
He crossed the river to Foiradown,
and stopped at Inch on his way back.
Of course, he crossed the Clyda River and the hills of Lackroe,
and crossed the A' Fholl an Ghabha River.
Then, on Sunday morning, at Billy Chount's house—
he heard the meow of a cat from under the bed.
He immediately ran to the constable,
and Billy Chount was arrested without a struggle.
He was brought before Dr. Baldwin,
and a deportation order was issued immediately.
On his way through Ardrum, he met Sir George,
and greeted the gentleman of the "Gate Mansion."
Sir George then granted him full ownership of the Barna farm—
on the condition that Billy Chount be returned to his wife and children.
15. Believe me, if all those endearing young charms
Thomas Moore set new lyrics to the old traditional music "My Lodging is on the Cold Ground." In our country, it is well known by the title "Spring Day Flowers and Radiance," translated by Keizo Horiuchi.
In the essay "Sunflowers" from Lafcadio Hearn's (1850-1904) "Kwaidan" (1904), there is an episode where he describes being deeply disturbed as a child by hearing this song played by a wandering, vulgar harpist.
This melody is well-known through pieces such as the Harvard University alma mater 'Fair Harvard' and the hymn 'When I Survey the Wondrous Cross' (Hymn 467).
The original 'My Lodging Is on the Cold Ground' was written by the 17th-century English poet William Davenant (1606-1668) and set to music by Matthew Locke (1621-1677). That melody is completely different from the one known today as 'The Last Rose of Summer' (often associated with 'The Groves of Blarney'). It is believed that the melody was replaced in 18th-century Scotland.