Austin Symphonic Band Performing Song of Lir
Austin Symphonic Band. February 14, 2023 concert at the Connally HS Performing Arts Center in Austin, TX. ASB performing Song of Lir by Fergal Carroll. Music Director Dr. Kyle R. Glaser conducting. "The Sun Never Sets" Concert.
Video and Sound Production: Eddie Jennings
Song of Lir (2004)
Fergal Carroll (b. 1969)
Song of Lir suggests an Irish lament, or caoine, and much of the material is derived from a 17th century Irish harping tune, Captain O’Kane. The work was commissioned by Tim and Hillary Reynish in memory of their son William.
In Irish lore, Lir is the God of the Sea. As legend has it, his four children were turned into swans by his jealous second wife. They lived as swans for 900 years until the curse was lifted by the peal of the monastery bell tower.
Fergal Carroll was born in Tipperary, Ireland. His first instruments were trumpet and piano. He graduated from the Waterford Institute of Technology with a first class honors degree and was awarded the 1997 Good Shepherd Arts Award. In 2000 he graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, with a Master of Music degree in composition. Since 2005, he has served as the conductor of the Irish Defense Forces Band in Dublin.
Listen for:
• A broad melody with open harmonizations.
• Short segments of double-timed tempo.
• The pealing of the monastery bell
