Musician, writer, artist, holding degrees in biology and architecture. Student of ancient music, especially Celtic, European and Eastern European. Harper, exploring healing qualities of music, including modal music. Address: Coal Creek Canyon, Colorado, USA
Centuries, possibly millenia ago, Nazca people of what is today Peru developed an inrrigation sys... more Centuries, possibly millenia ago, Nazca people of what is today Peru developed an inrrigation system unique to our world. In one of the most arid locations on our planet they used wind, and spiral openings in the ground lined with rock, to draw deep waters to the surface through a series of shafts and underground aqueducts which eventually brought water to the surface for irrigation. This paper copares ancient irrigration systems from around the world with the unique system of the Nazca people.
The Salt Roads, including the Great Salt Road of modern day Germany, are ancient trade routes. ... more The Salt Roads, including the Great Salt Road of modern day Germany, are ancient trade routes. Salt was traded throughout the ancient world in Europe and the mediterranean for thousands of years. Salt - necessary for life, yet today easily avilable and even taken for granted - was known as white gold to our ancestors. Why? How was salt linked to the rise and fall of the Hanseatic League? How was salt transported in ancient times? Anient salt roads endured and became modern trade routes, some still in use today.
Singing Stones of Chaco Canyon: Tse' Biinaholts' a Yalti
The ancient architecture of Chaco st... more Singing Stones of Chaco Canyon: Tse' Biinaholts' a Yalti
The ancient architecture of Chaco stands in a remote canyon in the Southwestern United States, in high desert, at the end of miles and miles of rugged dirt road. Desert winds carry the spices of sage and soil… Chaco Canyon is a very, very old site of Ancient Pueblo Dwellers (formerly known as Anasazi). Chaco canyon and it's architecture are part of a collection of ancient architecture around the world which include sound mirrors. The technical knowledge to create sound mirrors is impressive, especially when built of monolithic stone by ancient peoples. This paper surveys research on Chaco Canyon's sound mirror, and also introduces additional sites of ancient sound mirrors around the world. Includes brief discussion of archeoaccoustics, a relatively new research field.
Tales of wonder from the court of King Alfonso el Sabio, c. 12 th century, Galicia A tale of thre... more Tales of wonder from the court of King Alfonso el Sabio, c. 12 th century, Galicia A tale of three harpers: Your writer, playing cantigas de Santa Maria at Colorado Renaissance Fair, summer, 2021, with two harpers from the court of King Alfonso el Sabio, Galicia, c. 12 th century. Note our postures, hands, and blissful expressions are so similar. Our two Galician harpers are probably playing a cantiga in parts-consider their hand positions. Le Cantigas de Santa Maria represent an amazing body of work from medieval Spain.
The lovely old air, Da mihi Manum, which in Latin means Give Me Your Hand, is said to have been c... more The lovely old air, Da mihi Manum, which in Latin means Give Me Your Hand, is said to have been composed by Ruaidri Dáll Ó Catháin, c. 1650. He is known in English as Rory Dall O'Cahan (1, 2). Legend has it that O Cathain was insulted by Lady Eglinton, who imperiously demanded he write her a tune. In a fine fit of bardic huff, O Cathain turned on his heel and stalked off. Lady Eglinton realized he was a bard of high status, and apologized for trying to order him around. O Cathain then wrote this tune for her as a peace offering. It is interesting that it has a Latin title, rather than Gaelic. This is also said to be part of a body of ancient harp music hidden in lute manuscripts in Scotland...
The Straloch Lute Book was a handwritten manuscript produced c. 1627 - 1629. A copy, also ... more The Straloch Lute Book was a handwritten manuscript produced c. 1627 - 1629. A copy, also written by hand in the early 1800's, resides in the National Library of Scotland (ms adv.5.2.18). This manuscript includes several "Ports," a type of song believed to have been composed on the ancient wire-strung harp of our distant ancestors. This article explores available information and history on the "Ports."
Third article in a series of bardic history published in Harptime in 2017. Ireland has an ancien... more Third article in a series of bardic history published in Harptime in 2017. Ireland has an ancient tradition of music, harps, harpers, and bards. Where do myth, legend and history meet? Are the ancient tales true?
Exploration of Bardic History in Albion, or Scotland. Bards were famous in antiquity as musician... more Exploration of Bardic History in Albion, or Scotland. Bards were famous in antiquity as musicians, and also played a much larger role in their societies. Who were these ancient bards? What did their instruments look like? What kind of music did they play?
Bardic Traditions: Cymru (Wales)
Published in Harptime, Jun 2017, Issue No. 61, Vol. 16, pp 3-5.... more Bardic Traditions: Cymru (Wales)
Published in Harptime, Jun 2017, Issue No. 61, Vol. 16, pp 3-5. Early history of Cymru, prior to the arrival of the Romans, was for the most part an oral tradition. There are many legends of bards and their music, but none written down until after the arrival of Latin. Turning to archeology, there is evidence of people living in Wales well before the end of the last ice age, thousands of years ago. Is there evidence of an equally ancient bardic tradition? According to mythology and lore, the answer is yes. Is there any archeological evidence? This paper is a preliminary exploration.
Amergin is the legendary bard who is said to have helped the Milesians enter Ireland many centuri... more Amergin is the legendary bard who is said to have helped the Milesians enter Ireland many centuries ago. He is said to have sung the wild waters calm, so the ships of the Milesians could land. Memory of The Song of Amergin lingers in the collective conscious of many Celtic harpers and students of Celtic history and folklore. Fragments of this story appear in multiple sources; only two were cited for Harptime due to space constraints. The Song of Amergin - Is it legend? History? Both? This short article is a brief introduction and retelling of the Song of Amergin. It was written for Harptime, the publication of the Colorado Celtic Harp Society.
Centuries, possibly millenia ago, Nazca people of what is today Peru developed an inrrigation sys... more Centuries, possibly millenia ago, Nazca people of what is today Peru developed an inrrigation system unique to our world. In one of the most arid locations on our planet they used wind, and spiral openings in the ground lined with rock, to draw deep waters to the surface through a series of shafts and underground aqueducts which eventually brought water to the surface for irrigation. This paper copares ancient irrigration systems from around the world with the unique system of the Nazca people.
The Salt Roads, including the Great Salt Road of modern day Germany, are ancient trade routes. ... more The Salt Roads, including the Great Salt Road of modern day Germany, are ancient trade routes. Salt was traded throughout the ancient world in Europe and the mediterranean for thousands of years. Salt - necessary for life, yet today easily avilable and even taken for granted - was known as white gold to our ancestors. Why? How was salt linked to the rise and fall of the Hanseatic League? How was salt transported in ancient times? Anient salt roads endured and became modern trade routes, some still in use today.
Singing Stones of Chaco Canyon: Tse' Biinaholts' a Yalti
The ancient architecture of Chaco st... more Singing Stones of Chaco Canyon: Tse' Biinaholts' a Yalti
The ancient architecture of Chaco stands in a remote canyon in the Southwestern United States, in high desert, at the end of miles and miles of rugged dirt road. Desert winds carry the spices of sage and soil… Chaco Canyon is a very, very old site of Ancient Pueblo Dwellers (formerly known as Anasazi). Chaco canyon and it's architecture are part of a collection of ancient architecture around the world which include sound mirrors. The technical knowledge to create sound mirrors is impressive, especially when built of monolithic stone by ancient peoples. This paper surveys research on Chaco Canyon's sound mirror, and also introduces additional sites of ancient sound mirrors around the world. Includes brief discussion of archeoaccoustics, a relatively new research field.
Tales of wonder from the court of King Alfonso el Sabio, c. 12 th century, Galicia A tale of thre... more Tales of wonder from the court of King Alfonso el Sabio, c. 12 th century, Galicia A tale of three harpers: Your writer, playing cantigas de Santa Maria at Colorado Renaissance Fair, summer, 2021, with two harpers from the court of King Alfonso el Sabio, Galicia, c. 12 th century. Note our postures, hands, and blissful expressions are so similar. Our two Galician harpers are probably playing a cantiga in parts-consider their hand positions. Le Cantigas de Santa Maria represent an amazing body of work from medieval Spain.
The lovely old air, Da mihi Manum, which in Latin means Give Me Your Hand, is said to have been c... more The lovely old air, Da mihi Manum, which in Latin means Give Me Your Hand, is said to have been composed by Ruaidri Dáll Ó Catháin, c. 1650. He is known in English as Rory Dall O'Cahan (1, 2). Legend has it that O Cathain was insulted by Lady Eglinton, who imperiously demanded he write her a tune. In a fine fit of bardic huff, O Cathain turned on his heel and stalked off. Lady Eglinton realized he was a bard of high status, and apologized for trying to order him around. O Cathain then wrote this tune for her as a peace offering. It is interesting that it has a Latin title, rather than Gaelic. This is also said to be part of a body of ancient harp music hidden in lute manuscripts in Scotland...
The Straloch Lute Book was a handwritten manuscript produced c. 1627 - 1629. A copy, also ... more The Straloch Lute Book was a handwritten manuscript produced c. 1627 - 1629. A copy, also written by hand in the early 1800's, resides in the National Library of Scotland (ms adv.5.2.18). This manuscript includes several "Ports," a type of song believed to have been composed on the ancient wire-strung harp of our distant ancestors. This article explores available information and history on the "Ports."
Third article in a series of bardic history published in Harptime in 2017. Ireland has an ancien... more Third article in a series of bardic history published in Harptime in 2017. Ireland has an ancient tradition of music, harps, harpers, and bards. Where do myth, legend and history meet? Are the ancient tales true?
Exploration of Bardic History in Albion, or Scotland. Bards were famous in antiquity as musician... more Exploration of Bardic History in Albion, or Scotland. Bards were famous in antiquity as musicians, and also played a much larger role in their societies. Who were these ancient bards? What did their instruments look like? What kind of music did they play?
Bardic Traditions: Cymru (Wales)
Published in Harptime, Jun 2017, Issue No. 61, Vol. 16, pp 3-5.... more Bardic Traditions: Cymru (Wales)
Published in Harptime, Jun 2017, Issue No. 61, Vol. 16, pp 3-5. Early history of Cymru, prior to the arrival of the Romans, was for the most part an oral tradition. There are many legends of bards and their music, but none written down until after the arrival of Latin. Turning to archeology, there is evidence of people living in Wales well before the end of the last ice age, thousands of years ago. Is there evidence of an equally ancient bardic tradition? According to mythology and lore, the answer is yes. Is there any archeological evidence? This paper is a preliminary exploration.
Amergin is the legendary bard who is said to have helped the Milesians enter Ireland many centuri... more Amergin is the legendary bard who is said to have helped the Milesians enter Ireland many centuries ago. He is said to have sung the wild waters calm, so the ships of the Milesians could land. Memory of The Song of Amergin lingers in the collective conscious of many Celtic harpers and students of Celtic history and folklore. Fragments of this story appear in multiple sources; only two were cited for Harptime due to space constraints. The Song of Amergin - Is it legend? History? Both? This short article is a brief introduction and retelling of the Song of Amergin. It was written for Harptime, the publication of the Colorado Celtic Harp Society.
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Papers by Valerie Wedel
The ancient architecture of Chaco stands in a remote canyon in the Southwestern United States, in high desert, at the end of miles and miles of rugged dirt road. Desert winds carry the spices of sage and soil… Chaco Canyon is a very, very old site of Ancient Pueblo Dwellers (formerly known as Anasazi). Chaco canyon and it's architecture are part of a collection of ancient architecture around the world which include sound mirrors. The technical knowledge to create sound mirrors is impressive, especially when built of monolithic stone by ancient peoples. This paper surveys research on Chaco Canyon's sound mirror, and also introduces additional sites of ancient sound mirrors around the world. Includes brief discussion of archeoaccoustics, a relatively new research field.
Harptime, December, 2017, Vol 16, No 4, Issue#63
Harptime, September, 2017, Vol 16, No. 4, Issue #63, pp 1,2,4-5
Published in Harptime, Jun 2017, Issue No. 61, Vol. 16, pp 3-5.
Early history of Cymru, prior to the arrival of the Romans, was for the most part an oral tradition. There are many legends of bards and their music, but none written down until after the arrival of Latin. Turning to archeology, there is evidence of people living in Wales well before the end of the last ice age, thousands of years ago. Is there evidence of an equally ancient bardic tradition? According to mythology and lore, the answer is yes. Is there any archeological evidence? This paper is a preliminary exploration.
Published: Harptime, June, 2018, Issue #65, pp 3,7-8.
The ancient architecture of Chaco stands in a remote canyon in the Southwestern United States, in high desert, at the end of miles and miles of rugged dirt road. Desert winds carry the spices of sage and soil… Chaco Canyon is a very, very old site of Ancient Pueblo Dwellers (formerly known as Anasazi). Chaco canyon and it's architecture are part of a collection of ancient architecture around the world which include sound mirrors. The technical knowledge to create sound mirrors is impressive, especially when built of monolithic stone by ancient peoples. This paper surveys research on Chaco Canyon's sound mirror, and also introduces additional sites of ancient sound mirrors around the world. Includes brief discussion of archeoaccoustics, a relatively new research field.
Harptime, December, 2017, Vol 16, No 4, Issue#63
Harptime, September, 2017, Vol 16, No. 4, Issue #63, pp 1,2,4-5
Published in Harptime, Jun 2017, Issue No. 61, Vol. 16, pp 3-5.
Early history of Cymru, prior to the arrival of the Romans, was for the most part an oral tradition. There are many legends of bards and their music, but none written down until after the arrival of Latin. Turning to archeology, there is evidence of people living in Wales well before the end of the last ice age, thousands of years ago. Is there evidence of an equally ancient bardic tradition? According to mythology and lore, the answer is yes. Is there any archeological evidence? This paper is a preliminary exploration.
Published: Harptime, June, 2018, Issue #65, pp 3,7-8.