The melodic sounds of the wire-strung Irish harp have been revived by San Francisco-born harper Patrick Ball. Performing on a harp based on an ancient Celtic instrument and built by master harp builder Jay Wircher of Houlton, Maine, Ball has become one of the leading interpreters of the music of Turlough O'Carolan, an 18th-century Irish harpist and composer. Although Irish music is the heart of Ball's repertoire, his albums and performances have also included traditional songs from Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Belgium and England.
The son of an attorney, Ball ...