Nordic folk songs (Danish String Quartet)
Movements
i Dromer, ii Bridal Trilogy part II, iii Shine you no more
Notes
Dancing is the whole point of a song like “The Dromer.” The tune was discovered in an 18th-century Danish collection, but its roots are Scottish. There’s a drone underneath a prancing melody — a perfect stand-in for a bagpipe.
Bridal Trilogy part 2 is a traditional danish folk tune from a tiny village called Sønderho in the western part of Denmark. It’s the second tune in a set of three wedding tunes which dates hundreds of years back.
Tonsgaard’s “Shine you no more” was inspired by the 16th century English composer John Dowland, but plays out more like an Irish reel.
