Blog posts about Sea Tangle: Songs from the North, an album of works for voice, violin & harp. This is a completely self-produced album full of songs with ancient myths and folk tales from Alaska, New England, Scotland, and Iceland.
Joining Maren Montalbano on the album are violinist Rebecca Harris and harpist Christa Patton, as well as composers Melissa Dunphy and Emily Lau, whom she has commissioned to write new music for this album.
In these posts, Maren explores the poems, stories, and processes involved in putting on this project, from an in-depth look at folk tales to editorials on current global affairs, all relating to the album and commissioning project.
Queen Maeve, jealous of the love of Fraoch for her daughter, sends him on a deadly quest for rowan berries that grow above the dragon’s mouth. Maeve’s daughter, guided by love, delivers a golden blade to Fraoch that helps him slay the beast; sadly, he himself is killed in the fray. Am béud chuir an […]
Scotland is full of legends of the selkie, an enchanted being that lives most of her life as a seal and comes to shore every so often to shed her seal skin and to mate with a man. If you find her skin and hide it from her, she will be unable to change out […]
Aillte is a warrior who, while traveling as a mercenary, falls in love with the wife of the powerful King of Lochlin. They run away together, taking refuge with the Fayne, Aillte’s clan in the Hebrides. Furious, the King of Lochlin descends with his army and the hosts of nine other clans upon the Fayne. […]
Morar is a small village on the west coast of Scotland. Every culture has call and response songs for communal physical labor, and this song has been sung during harvest for centuries. Heiteagan àirin huhuro, Heiteagan àirin hùo. A Mhór-thir bhoidheach, gorm do chò-ta, Fiamh an òir air t’aodainn. Heiteagan… Ianach canntaidh thu ‘s a’ […]
Two sisters sit out on a reef, reflecting on their childhood. They love the same man, yet he has chosen the younger sister for his bride. The jealous older sister lulls the younger sister to sleep with a song, braiding her hair with the seaweed that grows on the rock so that she is trapped […]
Sea Tangle Arranged by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser Voice, harp When I stumbled upon this cycle, I immediately noted that there were no recordings of these songs even though they were written in the early 20th century. Curious, I sang through some of them, and was captivated by the care and attention with which Marjory Kennedy-Fraser and […]
The wait is over! On December 21, 2016, the album will officially “drop,” and Maren will perform the music of Sea Tangle: Songs of the North to celebrate the occasion. If you have a group of 6 or more people, you can receive an additional 20% discount! Contact Maren for a discount code. Featuring the […]
The instrumentalists playing the music of Sea Tangle are talented women from the Philadelphia area. Maren Montalbano is thrilled to be working with them both, and their combined experience with new and early music will create a unique blend of ancient and contemporary storytelling. Violin Praised for her “impeccable tone, pitch, dynamics and phrasing” (Chestnut […]
A Viking warrior princess? Yes, Long before Grace O’Malley sailed the seven seas and possibly even before Xena wielded her chakram in the Mediterranean, there was Hervor.
Philly Singer Creates Opportunities for Women with New Album (& Your Support) Maren Montalbano’s album emphasizes the talents of women composers and women performers, battling the gender gap in classical music. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WILLINGBORO, New Jersey – Maren Montalbano, a professional singer in the Philadelphia area, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to […]
