A centuries-old harp with its own built-in amplification device will feature at Celtic Connections in a concert at The Tron Theatre on Saturday 31 January at 8pm.
The bray harp was designed to cut through the hubbub of dances and gatherings in castles during the fifteenth and sixteenth century.
It’s one of three types of Scottish harp that Karen Marshalsay will be playing in a concert showcasing her latest album, Eadarainn a’ Chruit: Between Us the Harp with an all-star line-up of guests.
“Harp players were the ceilidh band leaders of the day back in the renaissance and baroque eras,” says Karen.
Buzzing
“And the bray harp was the instrument they played. Each string has a ‘bray’ – a small piece of wood – that makes a buzzing effect, not unlike the sitar.
“If you put that together with a crumhorn and a tabor, or hand drum, that would have been the band that people danced to.”
For Eadarainn a’ Chruit: Between Us the Harp, Karen invited a group of friends – legends, really - to the studio.
“Legends is an overused term,” says the East Neuk of Fife-based musician. “It’s an appropriate description however for Cathal McConnell, who is one of the great figures in Irish music and the only surviving founding-member of the world-renowned Boys of the Lough.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play with Cathal’s trio for some years now and it was great to have the trio, with Cathal singing and playing flute and Kathryn Nicoll playing viola, on the album.”
A past winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Competition, Kathryn Nicoll is a stalwart of the traditional music session scene, playing regularly at the music’s spiritual home in Edinburgh, Sandy Bells, among other venues.
Also appearing on the album and the concert are piper and Gaelic singer Allan MacDonald, who is one of three piping brothers from Glenuig in Lochaber who have made a huge contribution to pipe music.
Harp players were the ceilidh band leaders of the day back in the renaissance and baroque eras - Karen Marshalsay
Alison Canard, who is the doyenne of Scottish traditional harp playing and a mentor and friend of Karen’s, will double the impact of the bray in a rare bray harp duo with Karen.
“The bray harp won’t have been heard very often at Celtic Connections over the years and it’s a sound that can take people by surprise,” says Karen.
“The one I play is a modern version based on an old design but it sounds as the brays would have done back in the day.
“I’ll also be playing the more familiar lever harp, which is the harp you generally see in traditional music, as well as the wire-strung harp, which comes in two sizes, small and baby-sized!”
Karen layered all four harps into a track that she released as a single, Uncle Hugh’s Lullaby, in advance of the album and she was surprised and delighted to find radio stations coast-to-coast across the U.S. including it in their playlists.
Influences
With a playing style that’s deeply connected to the piping tradition, she has earned praise for both the purity of her phrasing and her ability to add character to a melody with decoration in a musical journey has included projects with musicians from India, Africa and Paraguay and appearances as featured soloist with the Russian String Orchestra.
In addition to the Cathal McConnell Trio and solo concerts, Karen also plays with the long-established Scottish group The Whistlebinkies.
“I’m really looking forward to playing at the Tron Theatre because it’s essentially the album launch concert,” she says.
“It’ll also be great to have Cathal, Kathryn, Allan and Alison with me because although we’re old friends, they’re all serious influences on me and significant figures in traditional music.”
- Karen Marshalsay plays The Tron Theatre on Saturday 31st January at 8pm, tickets https://www.celticconnections.com/event/1/karen-marshalsay-eadarainn-a-chruit-between-us-the-harp
