Joseph Sowa

• Born: 

Fantasy on an Irish Tune

• Composed: 
  
• Premiere: 
  
• Duration: approx. 8 minutes

The Cliffs of Moher rise almost 400 feet (~120 meters) above Ireland’s western Atlantic coast. The traditional jig of the same name resembles those cliffs in how it cascades from prominent high opening notes. As with all traditional tunes, “The Cliffs of Moher” exists in many variations. 

I encountered both the cliffs and the tune in the summer of 2024. As my parents and I hiked for miles along the cliff’s edge, the cliffs remained constant, yet each new bend revealed a fresh perspective. My piece Fantasy on an Irish Tune reflects that experience. 

It takes “The Cliffs of Moher” tune as its basis and follows in the Irish storytelling tradition, where stories grow and change while remaining recognizable. Rather than presenting the tune straight through, the piece weaves together fragments and phrases from different versions of the melody—sometimes layering them, sometimes letting them echo and answer each other. 

Just as a skilled seanchai [a traditional Irish storyteller] might spin a single tale to suit the moment, so this piece unfolds through transformations of the melody. Each new context illuminates different aspects of its character, much as changing light and weather reshape the experience of a landscape. These moments flow into one another, creating a musical narrative that reflects how tradition keeps things alive by allowing them to change. 

Fantasy on an Irish Tune was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University and the American Composers Orchestra, with support from the Steven R. Gerber Trust. 

—Joseph Sowa, composer