Wednesday 1 September 2010
Tune of the Day: The Lonesome Boatman
Irish slow air
This tune was composed by Finbar Furey of the Irish folk band The Fureys. There are many different versions of the piece around, and even its author plays it in many different ways! That's why the sheet music only provides the basic structure of the melody, without going too much into detail; it's up to you to add ornamentations, according to your own personal taste. The main tune is usually preceded by an improvised introduction, which is often made up of glissandi and bird calls (although not exactly in the style of Vivaldi) and is played at a fairly slow tempo.