Stephen Hartke

TWO SHETLAND BRIDAL TUNES  (1981) for Violin Duo Duration: 4 Minutes I.  Da Bride's a Boannie Ting II.  Da Scallowa Lasses I composed these two arrangements of traditional Shetland Island fiddle tunes for my own wedding to Lisa Stidham.  In Shetland, bridal parties are often led to and from the ceremony by a pair of fiddlers, and since our wedding was to take place out of doors, it seemed most appropriate (and practical) to have the music provided by violinists -- in this case, our friends Michelle Makarski and Ronald Copes.  The title is a little bit of a misnomer, as the first piece, the processional, actually makes use of two tunes:  the lively Da Bride's a Boannie Ting and the more stately Unst Bridal March.  Da Scallowa Lasses is not strictly speaking a bridal tune, but it makes a joyous and sprightly recessional.