Für das Weihnachtsfest passt wohl kaum ein Instrument besser als die keltische Harfe mit ihrem wehmütigen Glockenklang, dazu weiche irische Flöte. 13 Lieder vom mittelalterlichen „First Noel“ bis zum romantischen „Stille Nacht“, vertraute Weisen aus Europa und Amerika. Ein Geschenk, das im Innersten tief berührt.

the project

Patrick Ball's holiday recording, The Christmas Rose, is a celebration of Christmas, with Celtic style and tradition. This assortment of favorite seasonal classics performed on the wire-strung Celtic harp reverberates with a crystalline, bell–like sound that recalls the crisp beauty of newly fallen snow glistening on a Christmas morning.

Ball performs his own festive arrangements on Celtic harp, occasionally joined by Irish penny whistles and the Irish uilleann bagpipes. The selections include God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, The First Noel, and Auld Lang Syne. His delicate, deeply resonant renditions of What Child Is This? and Silent Night call forth the blessed stillness of that first Christmas eve, while his performances of less familiar carols like the fourteenth century French tune, Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella and the German canon, Give Us Peace, add to the sense of freshness and discovery in this sixteen piece collection.

"The story of Christmas is one of joy and hope," says Ball, "Joy that a Savior is born, and hope that His coming will bring us peace. It seems fitting then, that the Celtic harp should play the music of Christmas, for this legendary, brass–strung instrument has brought joy and hope to the Irish people for over a thousand years."

the artist

With a vast knowledge of folklore and music from the British Isles, Patrick Ball follows in the footsteps of his Celtic forebears. He laces his international performances with tales and whimsy from time immemorial, collecting anecdotes and music on numerous trips to the land of his ancestors. Patrick Ball travels with a handmade, brass–strung harp, made by the master harp builder, Jay Witcher of Houlton, Maine.

biography

discography

tracklist

1 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Anonymous (16th century English) 2'29"
2 The First Noel, Anonymous (13th or 14th century English) 3'06"
3 What Child is This? (Greensleeves), Anonymous (16th century Irish or English) 4'29"
4 St. Basil's Hymn - Traditional Greek children's New Year's carol 2'31"
5 O Come, O Come Emmanuel adapted by Thomas Helmore from a 9th Century Latin Song 3'05"
6 Silent Night (Stille Nacht) by Franz Xaver Gruber 4'05"
7 Oxen and Sheep (Entre la Boeuf et L'Ane Gris), Traditional (17 century French) 4'03"
  The Carol of the Birds [Whence Comes This Rush of Wings Afar?] (Nöel de Ausels), Traditional (French)  
8 Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella (Un Flambeau Jeanette Isabella), Anonymous (14th century French) 2'36"
9 Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace), German canon 3'44"
10 La Berceuse de Muffe, Traditional (Belgian) 4'34"
  We Three Kings by John H. Hopkins  
11 Jesus, Jesus, Reat Your Head, Anonymous (19th century Appalachian) 3'36"
12 The Gloucester Wassail / When Blossoms Flowered 'Midst the Snow 2'53"
  (The Christmas Rose), Traditional (18th century English)  
13 Auld Lang Syne, Traditional (Scottish) 4'31"
  Total Time: 45'57"