Londonderry Air arranged for String Orchestra.

A big band version of the song is used as the theme for The Danny Thomas Show (a.k.a. Make Room For Daddy).

"Danny Boy" was used to represent Northern Ireland at the start of the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, sung by a choir of children on the Giant?s Causeway.

On November 25, 2014, the Vancouver Canucks used the song in honor of the recently deceased Pat Quinn, who played and worked in many executive capacities for the team.

There are various theories as to the true meaning of "Danny Boy". Some listeners have interpreted the song to be a message from a parent to a son going off to war or leaving as part of the Irish diaspora.

The 1918 version of the sheet music included alternative lyrics ("Eily Dear"), with the instructions that "when sung by a man, the words in italic should be used; the song then becomes "Eily Dear", so that "Danny Boy" is only to be sung by a lady". In spite of this, it is unclear whether this was Weatherly?s intent.

Why the name Londonderry Air? Londonderry and Derry refer to the same place, a city in the north of Ireland, and also to the surrounding county. Supposedly the city of Derry was founded by St. Colmcille, although archaeological evidence shows that people were living there thousands of years earlier. There is an excellent museum in the city, which is worth a visit if you want to find out more. The name of the city was actually "Doire", corrupted to "Derry" by people who can?t pronounce Irish. It thought to derive from an Irish root meaning "oak tree".

Moving quickly along in history, about a millenium later the government of England was having a difficult time colonizing Ireland because of the fierce and warlike clans living there, especially in the north of the country, Ulster. The monarchs of England, almost all of whom were notorious cheapskates, were continually looking about for ingenious ways to conquer places without actually having to put up the money themselves, or run the risk of unpopularity if they lost. In the case of Ireland, some of these schemes of the "Brish gummit" (as it is termed nowadays in Ulster) are still producing unfortunate long-term consequences.

In 1608, King James I gave the city of Derry to the City of London corporation. I guess the deal could be summed up by saying that if the City of London could figure out a way to chase all the inhabitants out of Derry, they would be allowed to keep the loot, minus a percentage for the King of course. If they lost, well too bad. In celebration of this historic agreement, the name of Derry was officially changed to Londonderry. (For further information, check out the Northern Ireland Tourist Board?s History of Derry.)

The linguistic outcome of all this today is that, if you think that King James?s deal with the City of London was a good idea, you call both the city and county "Londonderry". If you do, you are probably a supporter of the Unionist movement that seeks to keep Ulster a part of the United Kingdom. If you think it was a bad idea, you call both "Derry", and you are probably a supporter of the Irish Nationalist cause. Or you might just be someone who thinks it?s confusing for kings to be going around changing the names of places all the time for no good reason.

You can find plenty of discussion about the political side of the question elsewhere, but here let?s look at the musical side. We have an air, collected in county Derry/Londonderry, and it doesn?t have a title. What do we call it?

If you were a proper Victorian, there?s no way you were going to call it the Londonderry Air, much less the Derry Air, because of the improper sentiments that these titles might suggest. My parents tell me that in their youth in Australia, it was usually called the Air from County Derry. (This would, I suppose, support Winston Churchill?s theory that Australia was inhabited by "convicts and Irishmen".)

My mother also sends the following information, referring to an arrangement of the tune by the Australian composer Percy Grainger:

Just another note about Danny Boy, that I grew up in Australia believing to be the Air from County Derry. We were looking through some LP?s last night (back to vinyl yet!) and found a Mercury Wing Classical Favorites stereo LP SRW18060, COUNTRY GARDENS and other favorites by Percy Grainger {played by} Eastman-Rochester Pops, Frederick Fennell, conducting. The cover notes included the following: "Irish Tune from County Derry was harmonised in memory of Irish childhood friends in Australia." Considered by many to be Grainger?s masterpiece of harmonization, the tune was collected many years ago by Miss Jane Ross of New Town, Limavady, Ireland. Grainger has set it for many instrumental combinations. So there?s another variant on the name for it. It doesn?t say who wrote the notes, but the bits in quotes for each of the works on the record are Grainger?s original comments.

The references to Londonderry Air that I?ve seen don?t go back any earlier than the late 1930s. For example, the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) in February 1940. Bing Crosby?s version was recorded in July 1941 (reference). (So many different things I could check up on!) Londonderry was an important American naval base during WWII, but the US hadn?t come into the war in 1940.

Need an anthem fast? They are ALL in my store! All my anthem arrangements are also available for Orchestra, Recorders, Saxophones, Wind, Brass and Flexible band. If you need an anthem urgently for an instrumentation not in my store, let me know via e-mail, and I will arrange it for you FOC if possible! keithterrett@gmail.com

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Song List: Adoro Devote (th Century Plainsong) Allegro (Anon) Alman (Robert Johnson) An dro An Drochshaol (The Hard Times) An Italian Rant (John Playford) Andante (Anon) Aura Lee Ballade (Anon) Bear Dance (Anon) Beautiful Dreamer Believe Me If All Those Endearing Charms Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair Black Sunday Blessed Reunion Branle Double (Michael Praetorius) Cailin Deas Cr�ite na mB� (Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow) Call The Ewes Canarios (Gaspar Sanz) Carolan's Dream Carolan's Fancy Chanter's Tune Chestnut (John Playford) Childgrove (John Playford) Clancy's Wake Come With Me, My Giselle (Adam De La Halle) Coming Home Cooley's Reel Courting is a Pleasure Darling Nellie Gray Dont vient cela (Susato/Danserye ) Dowland's Ghost (W Bay) Down by the Sally Gardens Drowsie Maggie Endless Horizon Fair Flower Of Northumberland Fields Of Culloden Flint Hills Fortune My Foe (Anon) Gavotte (Michael Praetorius) Golden Fields Greensleeves (Anon) Greyfriars Bobby Grimstock (John Playford) Guardeme Las Vacas (Luis De Narvaez) Guilderoy Hard Times, Come Again No More Harvest Festival Hills Of Ireland I Dream of Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair I Went To Visit The Roses In The Pines Irish Prayer Jock O'Hazeldean John Anderson, My Jo Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier Just A-Wearyin' For You Just Before The Battle, Mother Kean O'Hara (First Air) Kemp's Jig (John Playford) La Folias (Gaspar Sanz) Lady Laiton's Almain (John Dowland) Land of Rest Londonderry Air Lorena Macdonald, Lord Of The Isles MacPherson's Farewell Mara's Theme Master Shardlake (W Bay) Meadowlark Meramec Echoes Mighty Lak' A Rose Moderato (Anon) My Irish Home My Lagan Love My Spirited Love Mystic Valley Ned Of The Hill New Day O Esca Viatorum (Louis Bourgeois) On The Cold Ground (John Playford) Once I Had A Sweetheart Ozark Memories Packington's Pound (Anon) Paper Of Pins Parson's Farewell (John Playford) Pastourelle (th Century French) Pigeon On The Fence Prairie Sunrise Prairie Sunset Pretty Peggy - O Quiet Summer Night Rainfall Remembrance Rose Of Sharon Saltarello (Vincenzo Galilei) Saturday Night Waltz Scarborough Fair Shady Grove She Moved Through The Fair Sheebeg and Sheemor Shenandoah Si pour t'aymer (Anon) Southwind Waltz Spagnoletta (Michael Praetorius) St Martin's (John Playford) Star of the County Down State Fair Storm Coming Summer Plans Sunflower Waltz The Bonny Light Horseman The Boys Of Ballisodare The Brave Lad The Church on the Prairie The Connachtman's Rambles The Flowers Of Sweet Erin The Green The Fragrance of Fall The Galway Shawl The Highlander The Highwayman's Reel The Lark In Clear Air The Lilting Banshee The Lonesome Dove The Long Road The Lost Child The Marsh of Rhuddlan The Mist Covered Mountain (Jig) The Mist Covered Mountains Of Home (Ballad) The Old Country The Old Homestead The Parting Glass The Rambling Pitchfork The Shearing's Not For You The Water Is Wide The Yearling TO a Wild Rose To Drive The Cold Winter Away (John Playford) Trail Of Tears Treasure Of My Heart Tutte Venite Armati (Anon) Village Meeting House Volte (W Bay) Wild Mountain Thyme Wilson's Wilde (Anon) Winfield Waltz

?�vocations? is a suite for Piano solo, impressionistic, contemplative much in the trail of Satie, Debussy or Mompou. Intimist and suitable for aesthetic pleasure. This is a series of works that will lead you into an exotic journey to far away places. Just letyourself be drift away to a better place where the sounds will healyour soul.

These Evocations range all degrees of difficulty, from very easy to more challenging ones. Therefore, are suitable for the classrom, recitals or family gatherings and parties.

Evocation I ? The Harvest

The harvest in Alentejo, Portugal, occurs when the fields become tanned and a soft, warm wind coming from the south blows. It is the time of the year when you grab your hat made of straw and you let yourself be sunk ina sea of rye.

Evocation II ? The Sepia photograph

Memories. They can be happy, bittersweet or painful... Sometimes nostalgia gets the better out of us. And then we are dragged into the past, into a suspended, slow and hypnotic time. Old sepia colored pictures in a drawer orscattered around our bed.

Evocation III ? The dead soldier

The battle is over. Amournful wife, the weeping children. An everlasting pain shutteringour heart. And the hope that wherever he is, he is in peace now. And we are all proud of him. Thank you for serving our country.

Evocation IV ? The composer

The tragedy of the blank page. An everlasting winter in our soul. Snow is falling, thepath is difficult to trail. Being an artist involves an incommensurable amount of suffering because we have to give it all. And even giving it all it isn't enough, and we feel drained and exhausted in the end.

Evocation V ? The Glowing Sun

The blond hair and the most radiant smile one could ever imagine. She is a glowing sun, like an everlasting shine in the sky. She doesn't walk, she floats with extreme elegance across the street, and in the corner, she doesn't turn ? she spins and swirls with heavenly grace.

Evocation VI ? The Far

Longing. Eternally. I hope you've read my letters. I hope you've heard my calls. I opened my heart to you. Why do you take so long? Why can't I hear your voice? Why do you keep me waiting here. Here, so close, yet... so far... alone... forever...

Evocation VII ? The Queen of Spades

The dark lady is the strongest in the deck. Mystical, fantastic, she wanders like a shadow in your world. Across the garden, carrying a sickle, she's just waiting to chop a head on the next turn.

Evocation VIII ? The Poem

A book, a sonnet. Fourteen verses with rigorous metric, with a defined purpose. A parlor game, a riddle. Can you guess what's hidden inside these wondrous sounds?

Evocation IX ? The Thinker

A desk loaded with books. The glasses. A mind always working, methodic, cold, rigorous. Numbers, hidden relationships, an everlasting connection with the abstraction.

Evocation X ? The Island of the Hydrangeas.

A paradise on earth, smooth rain, narrow and sinuous roads. Walking, then biking, then driving around. An adventure in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Evocation XI ? The Near

When you're here everything will be beautiful. I can see it already in my head, the endless, passionate love, a tender sweet kiss that will last forever. Your lips on mine, while holding hands, in the bench, in the garden, under the tree. You are the one.

Evocation XII ?Saffron rice

The rice is golden like your hair and your class. The sweet taste of nobility, the craft ofwisdom, the delicacy of experience. Maturity is what time brings, it is not a curse, it is a gift that we should embrace and respect.

?Anthology? is a collection of fifty themes and melodies in a smart format developed by Ray Pool. It is in ?enhanced lead sheet? format that includes fully fingered melody lines, and in-depth liner notes, unlike traditional fake books. Conveniently indexed according to topic (folk, Celtic, children, hymns, spirituals, plainsong, Jewish, Christmas, opera, and classical), alphabet, and level so that no matter what, the harpist may always find his/her music. It includes four pages of basic chord progressions, and helpful performance notes. Perfect for the harpist of any type or level!
Includes: Air (?Water Music?), All Through the Night, Amazing Grace, Angels We Have Heard on High, Aura Lee, Away in a Manger, Barcarolle, Blest Be the Tie That Binds, Candle Blessing, Chanuka Chag Ya?fe, Cockles and Mussels, Creator of the Stars of Night, Down By the Salley Gardens, Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, Erev Shel Shoshanim, Fairest Lord Jesus, Hinnei Mah Tov, Humbly I Adore Thee, I Gave My Love a Cherry, I Know Where I?m Goin?, I?m a Little Teapot, Intermezzo, Jacob?s Ladder, Kum Ba Yah, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, Let Us Break Bread Together, Loch Lomond, London Bridge, Lord, I Want To Be a Christian, Lullaby (Brahms), Morning, Musetta?s Song, O! mio babbino caro, Old Hundredth, Polovetzian Dance #1, Rondo in C (Clementi), Shalom Chaverim, Sheep May Safely Graze, Shenandoah, Silent Night, Sonata in C (Haydn), Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, The Farmer in the Dell, The Harp That Once, The King of Love, This Old Man, To a Wild Rose, Traumerei, Un bel di vedremo.