Here is an album of exquisite instrumentals that range from classic folk melodies such as Scarborough Fair, Ye Banks and Braes and The Ash Grove to many rare and unusual pieces - like two Welsh tunes found in Oxford's Bodleian Library and the Butterfly Hornpipe discovered in 1981 in the violin case of a 19th- century Yorkshireman. The use of oboe and cello alongside more orthodox folk instruments such as accordion, fiddle and guitar lends a semi - classical tone to the collection - a tone which is enhanced by the prominence of fast - rising classical harpist Margaret Knight. Peter Acty and Di Whitehead, both of Magpie Lane, and Paul Hutchinson and Paul Sartin from Bellshazzar's Feast are among the team of musicians, and Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie has also contributed a track. From pastoral English airs to jaunty Welsh dance tunes, from Scottish laments to lively Irish reels, this is an album to fascinate and delight.

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