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Introduction

"Larksong" is the piece of music that accompanies The Circle, Book 2 in the second Artesans trilogy, Circle of Conspiracy. It is unique in that the reference to "Larksong" doesn't actually appear in The Circle, but in Chapter 4 of The Challenge. The reason for this is that no song is specifially mentioned in The Circle, and so I decided that "Larksong" would be a good candidate to accompany this novel. It is also different in that it is purely instrumental - there are no vocals apart from some humming along in the final movement. In The Challenge, this music is played in Jed's inn, the Hazel Tree, so we have tried to recreate to some extent the atmosphere of a full inn. You will hear background murmuring at the start of the piece, and also applause and laughter at the end. Oh - and keep your ears open for my brother, David Snell, calling for "more beer" right at the end!

Even though I didn't get to sing on "Larksong" above humming with the final movement, I did finally get to play an instrument. My bodhran, which I have only been playing for around a year, makes an appearance, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing it!
Here I must also thank our wonderful guest musician, Susan Mallett, for her fantastic contributions on violin and viola. She is playing the part of Fiann, the Sinnian master bard. Many thanks, Sue!

"Larksong" written and arranged by Shepherd/Snell.
Guitarists: David Snell, Dave Peace, David Shepherd.
Violin/Viola Susan Mallett
Penny whistle: David Shepherd
Bodhran: Cas Peace


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