A Victorian Noël: Robin Petrie

Performers: Barry Phillips, Cheryl Ann Fulton, Danny Carnahan, Robin Petrie, Shira Kammen, Tom Constanten
Robin Petrie, hammered dulcimer
Cheryl Ann Fulton, harp
Shira Kammen, violin
Tom Constanten, piano
Barry Phillips, cello
Danny Carnahan, guitar & octave mandolin
An enchanting companion album to A Victorian Christmas... Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans officially outlawed all festivals, including the ancient Yuletide celebrations so beloved by the people. In rediscovering the ancient feast of Christmas, the Victorians searched throughout Europe to find old carols, transporting them across borders and language barriers. Here is a collection of well-known melodies from Provence: Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabella; Burgandy: Patapan; Germany: O, Tannenbaum; France: Wherefore This Great Joy (Angels We Have Heard on High) - along with lesser-known gems from Poland, Alsace, Sicily, Finland, Holland, Austria, Catalonia, Denmark, Galicia and the Basque country.
Robin Petrie has been performing popular and seldom-heard dulcimer music since 1980. She is heard regularly on National Public Radio and has appeared in Europe and across North America with Danny Carnahan. The two have recorded five albums: Cut and Run, Two for the Road, Continental Drift, Journeys of the Heart and No Regrets. Robin's sparkling "Indie" award-winning style can be heard on other Gourd albums including A Victorian Christmas, Oktober County, Dream of the Manatee, Simple Gifts, The World Turned Upside Down, Tree of Life, Autumn in the Valley and Wondrous Love. The instrument shown on A Victorian Noël is Robin's restored 1875 Mackenzie Piano Harp, patented and built in Minneapolis along the lines of a small spinet. About 30 Mackenzie piano harps are known to survive today.