Éire - A homage to Ireland

Difficulty level orchestra: 3 - soloists: 4

One of the most well-known export products of Ireland is the ‘Irish folk music’.

Some of the songs in this traditional style of music originated centuries ago. From the 1960’s on interest in Irish folk music has been growing again, and as a result many of these songs are still popular today. 

In the famous Irish pubs this music can often be heard live. Bands like ‘The Chieftains’ and ‘The Dubliners’ have grown to world-famous acts with their contribution to the genre.

Instrumental dances are also part of this tradition: the jigs, reels and hornpipes, played on traditional instruments like the Irish wooden flute, the fiddle, accordion, guitar, bodhrán (an Irish drum), the Uillean pipes (Irish bagpipes), and tin whistle.

Another name for tin whistle is ‘penny whistle’, because of the extremely low costs of the material originally used in the fabrication of these instruments. This flute gives the music much of its character.

‘Éire’, Irish for ‘Ireland’, has been chosen as the title for this composition by composer Peter Habraken. It’s a musical homage to this fascinating country. With this piece the composer tries to make a connection between Irish folk and Dutch music for wind orchestra.

The tin whistle initiates an exciting orchestral dance, is answered by the solo clarinet, and after that, gradually more and more instruments join in for a glorious orchestral conclusion.