Harp and Traditional music by Celtic Muse	Merry & Bright  Harp for the Holidays

Celtic Muse - Music to gentle the spirit and gladden the heart. Celtic Muse follows their acclaimed recording Wind and Wood with Merry & Bright, a winter-themed collection of evocative Celtic and Early music. Celtic Muse, the duo, began at a Renaissance themed wedding in 1995,and has since become a Northwest favorite, appearing in popular venues ranging from the Portland Christmas Revels to winning the 1999 Northwest Regional Scottish Harp Competition. Valerie Klemetti Blessley's musical adventures began with learning the flute and recorder as child. She has since added harp, pennywhistle, bodhran and kantele to the mix. Valerie studied harp with David Harper, in Albuquerque, NM and Marion Fouse in Portland, OR. When not playing harps, Valerie assists her husband, Dr. Mark Blessley, in making them. She has a degree in visual arts. Look for her book of harp music, entitled, Songs I Can Play at www.pacifier.com/~blesses/. Jennifer Pratt-Walter seeks to transmit her reverence for the Celtic harp with an expansive repertoire of Medieval, Renaissance, folk, classical and original works. She has been at the harp since 1986, studying with Marion Fouse. Jennifer also plays recorders and unique percussion. She was the 1999 Pacific NW Scottish Harp Competition solo champion, and volunteers her talent in the hospital setting. Her debut album "Ancient Realms" is an Amazon.com harp best-seller. Recordings such as this require the work and support of many caring people. We are grateful to our husbands, Dr. Mark Blessley (our harp builder) and Craig Walter, and our families for their unfailing faith in us, and to the fine harpers and musicians who generously shared their music and instruments.

Sound bites
1. Merry & Bright	MPEG 3	Real Audio
2. Wexford Carol	MPEG 3	Real Audio
3. Ding Dong! Merrily on High	MPEG 3	Real Audio
4. Hyfrydol	MPEG 3	Real Audio
5. Lux Hodie	MPEG 3	Real Audio
6. Orientis Partibus	MPEG 3	Real Audio
7. Hole In The Wall	MPEG 3	Real Audio
8. Taladh Chriosta	MPEG 3	Real Audio
9. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent /     Rousseau's Minuet	MPEG 3	Real Audio
10. Il Est Né	MPEG 3	Real Audio
11. Quand Je Voy Hyver Retourner	MPEG 3	Real Audio
12. In The Bleak Midwinter	MPEG 3	Real Audio
13. Abbots Bromley Horn Dance	MPEG 3	Real Audio
14. Harper's Croft	MPEG 3	Real Audio
15. What Child Is This?	MPEG 3	Real Audio
16. Petit Vriens	MPEG 3	Real Audio
17. Auld Lang Syne	MPEG 3	Real Audio
18. Simple Gifts	MPEG 3	Real Audio
19. Bannish Misfortune	MPEG 3	Real Audio
To play these sounds bites, you must have the Real Audio player or a MPEG 3 player. You can get the Real Audio player at http://www.real.com. You can get a great MPEG 3 player at http://www.winamp.com. Also, you can check out http://www.mpeg.org for other MPEG players and information on MPEG.

Buy the CD

You can obtain Merry & Bright at Soundtracks. Also see other harp CDs:   Wind and Wood - A Sylvan Dance, by Celtic Muse.   Ancient Realms, by Jennifer Pratt-Walter.

Acknowledgments

We offer our heartfelt thanks to our families and friends during the countless hours of planning and production of this recording. Thanks also to Michelle Balkenhol and Cathy Cushing for the loan of their instruments, to Ena K. Grant for graphics, inspiration, and to Marion Fouse, Kim Robertson, and Cynthia Shelhart for generously sharing their harp arrangements. Many thanks to Burke Harris of Soundtracks for his expertise and upbeat attitude, he is always singing! Recorded, edited, and mastered at Soundtracks, Battle Ground, WA, August - September 2000. Produced by Celtic Muse (Jennifer Pratt-Walter, BMI, and Valerie K. Blessley, BMI, all rights reserved) and Burke Harris of Soundtracks. Cover art and layout by Valerie K. Blessley, © 2000, all rights reserved. Research and text by Jennifer Pratt-Walter, 2000. Valerie's harp: Songbird model by Mark Blessley. Jennifer's harp: Lyrica model by Mark Blessley. Recorders by Moeck, Heinrich-Adler, Roessler, Gill, and Hohner. Flute by Armstrong. Pennywhistles by Sweet. Kantele by Ala-Kuha, Toysa, Finland. As ye bide the gathering night, Let all hearts be Merry and Bright! Contact: Jennifer: Lyrica@prodigy.net   duim.com/jennifer Valerie: blesses@pacifier.com   www.pacifier.com/~blesses

The Harp Ring letters in { } are "access keys" which some browsers can use. {P}revious Site {1} Skip Previous Site {2} List Previous 5 Sites {L}ist All Sites {N}ext Site {3} Skip Next Site {4} List Next 5 Sites {R}andom Site This web site is {o}wned by Rick Duim and is a proud member of The {H}arp Ring which is a free service made possible by RingSurf. You can click here to {J}oin The Harp Ring. Please send your questions or comments about The Harp Ring to {E}ric Foss The Harp Ring administrator. Click here to get your {F}REE Winged Harper E-Mail account.