Four Irish songs: for soprano, Irish harp and string orchestra

Abstract

These four songs are related mainly by the simple harmonies commonly found in folk idioms and rhythmically by the movement from duple to triple meters, followed by a return to duple. Constantinides orchestration calls for strings only, and for the most part, the first violin doubles the vocal line throughout all for songs. The other strings mainly provide a chordal background, and are subservient to the Irish harp as the featured solo instrument.