Arontius of Bygelswade

.....Have been on a kick for Irish / Celtic Isles music lately and currently have an old Magical Strings tape playing on the boom box. It is an old tape that is un-named by them, but was what they hawked during their performances during the Folklife Festival of 1980. That was the first year I attended the Festival. It was a magical event for me. Music was everywhere at the Seattle Center, and the intense crowds hadn't started appearing as yet.

.....Phillip Boulding was alternating between playing harp and penny wistle and Pam Boulding was pounding away on the hammered dulcimer. They were both relatively new to the Seattle Folk Music scene, but they certainly named themselves very aptly. Their music wove magic in the air. I was just enthralled with it. The notes literally danced in the air and you could feel the chords wrapping around the May Pole. Very heady stuff.

.....I have a stack of Magical Strings albums. As the years go by you can see the steady progression of their music. Technically, it gets better and better. Phillip picks up more styles, as well as a greater range of instruments. They travel the world musically, anywhere from Irish classics to South African rhythems to Central American stylings. It gets quite intricate.

.....But I find that when I want to hear some really good 'Celtic' music, I find myself digging out that old cassette tape and throwing it into the tape recorder. Their oldest recordings are still the best. It doesn't have the same polish of their newer stuff, but the freshness of it still exhilerates. Like the proverbial teenagers who have just discovered love.

.....Makes me want to open the hammered dulcimer case and see what I can do to tune the old girl. I am seriously wanting to make some music again. I miss it a lot. Need Inga to move back home so that we can get the recorder consort going again. :-)

.....I really should give Inga a call and see how she is doing.....

.....Aaron / Arontius.