Donegal Bay is the largest bay in Ireland, at the northwest coast of the “green island”. Three Irish counties border each other there: Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo. In the same manner, Florian Ziller combines three sections of typical Irish music styles in his rhapsody “Donegal Bay”: At the beginning we hear a soft, lyrical flute melody, then more and more instruments and a drum rhythm join in to accompany. This part depicts the calm and slightly melancholic side of the green island. A fast passage in 6/8 time follows in the style of an Irish folk dance. It merges into the even faster final part of the composition. Hearing the rapid 2/4 time rhythm that accelerates towards the end, you can almost visualize how quickly the Irish dancers move their feet.

Sample Score