Sponsored By: Herbin Jewellers
- Saturday Wolfville Farmers’ Market
- Saturday 2:30 PM Manning Memorial Chapel
Born amidst a widespread longing to reawaken the gatherings for traditional music and dance that were held in stasis by the pandemic, Delhaven is a young, traditional Gaelic band hailing from rural, mainland Nova Scotia. Rapidly garnering the attention of ethnomusicologists, they have become an in-demand resource for local dance communities and grasped the intrigue of music lovers alike. Delhaven takes its’ name from the tiny fishing and farming community in Kings Co., Nova Scotia where one of the musicians, Jenny, was reared up, and where they began to craft music together.
Their music draws its inspiration from nature and poetry, and is fuelled by a reverence for history and passion for living tradition. The duo is powered by the strong vocals of Morgan Davison, also a fine hand on bodhrán, guitar and low whistles, and renowned fiddler, Jenny Melvin, who has dedicated herself to the continual practise of unearthing and sharing traditional dance tunes, and punctuates her music with the occasional selection on harp, concertina and backing vocals.
Much of the music has been passed down by older family members and mentors, and some of it has been sourced from the collections of Nova Scotian musicologists like Helen Creighton and Carrie Spinney Grover. Several selections have been brought back from Jenny’s days studying music in Ireland, and there are some original compositions included for good measure.
1) 0:00 Oran na hÈala (Song of the Swan)
The song being metaphoric in nature, a swan is only known to sing in the few days before it passes. Oran na hÈala is traditional Gaelic song which we learned from Nova Scotian ethnomusicologist Helen Creighton, the words and translation provided by her source, Jim Hughie MacNeil.
2) 2:01 The Humours of Ballyloughlin and The View Across the Valley
The first tune is an older and well known jig among uilleann pipers and the melodic and ornamental exploration in the fiddle part is intended to reflect on that. The View Across the Valley is a lovely reel, somewhat recently composed by John Brady. We enjoy his composition immensely and thought the title fitting for a group from the Annapolis Valley to play.
3) 4:47 The Flowers of Doocastle and The Humours of Tulla
Passed down to Jenny in her formative years on the fiddle, the Flowers of Doocastle is a nod to the County Mayo roots and a single reel, an older form of dance tune still often found locally. The second reel is well known the world over.
Background art seen in this video was painted by Maud Lewis.
