With the release of"Barley Break" Lorraine Hammond, makes it absolutely clear that she is a premier stylist and musician on the Appalachian dulcimer. A multi-instrumentalist and gifted teacher, she is incessantly involved in a handful of music projects, concerts, festival appearances, school programs and music camps.

This is a wonderful collection of Elizabethan songs transcribed and arranged by Lorraine for Appalachian dulcimer."The sweet sound of the Appalachian dulcimer lends itself with good grace to the music of the Elizabethan era," says Lorraine in her introduction to this truly distinctive songbook. Originally published in 1977 and now back in print, this new, expanded edition of Barely Break provides helpful playing instructions and comprises 24 Elizabethan songs -- each one accompanied with dulcimer tablature, standard notation, and lyrics. Includes favorites like "Month of Maying," "Hey-Ho, Nobody Home," and "Greensleeves," as well as less familiar musical treasures, all of which will be welcome additions to any repertoire. A classic
that any musician will find invaluable.

You can order the "Barley Break" tape--and the book with music notation and tab--either directly from Lorraine or from Yellow Moon Press.

These selections are performed on Bear Meadow Standard Hourglass and a Sunhearth "Lorraine Lee" model (the equivalent of a Bear Meadow Concert Hourglass).

 

  1. "Christmas Lamentations", tuned to CDA; A haunting carol from 1586. Illustrates bowing technique.
  2. "Fortune My Foe", tuned to CDA; A ballad circa 1652, in a rich, dark minor setting which resolves to a major chord in the last measure.
  3. "Greensleeves", This traditional tune is given unusual treatment: Lorraine uses hammers on the Appalachian dulcimer!
  4. "Welladay, or The Earl of Essex's Last Goodnight", tuned to ADC; The Earl of Essex was executed in 1601 for leading a rebellion against the Crown. A good example of the Concert Hourglass' depth of voice.
  5. "Fair, If You Expect Admiring", tuned to DDGD; An air by Thomas Campion, from circa 1601.
  6. "I Care Not for These Ladies", tuned to DDGD; Another air by Thomas Campion. A wonderful example of the bass voice in the Concert Hourglass.
  7. "O Mistress Mine", tuned to GDD; This plaintive song is performed by the clown in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Act II, scene 3. Lorraine plays this selection with a felt plectrum, achieving a rich, dark voice.
  8. "Polly", tuned to GDD; This round appears in a collection published by Thomas Ravenscroft, in 1609. Another illustration of bowing and plucking technique.

Barley Break is wonderful addition to any music collection -- Lorraine plays all 24 Elizabethan tunes from the songbook with her unique style and skill. She begins most cuts with a faithful rendition of the dulcimer tablature in the book; then she develops each song into a fuller, freer arrangement to suggest the great flexibility of Elizabethan music. A great listening experience on its own, or as a tool for learning to play the songs.

"Barley Break" $9.95 Item #044
ISBN: 0-938756-40-0 Published - 1992

72 pages Perfectbound 8 1/2 X 11
$10.95 Item #043
ISBN: 0-938756-38-9 Published - 1992

"Barley Break -- Book & Tape Combination"
$18.95 Item #045
ISBN: 0-938756-39-7 Published - 1992

"Barley Break"
Bear Meadow
Audio