Welcome!
Welcome to the Talisman Music website. Here you will find musician and teacher Carl Thor, Celtinalia, Hands4/Stepwise, and Bandwidth. We also for a decade hosted the web site for Vancouver's monthly 2nd Friday contra dance, Contra in the Couve! which, sadly, is no longer happening.
Featured events
See our Calendar for all our events.
- [1/20/24] Upcoming: Bandwidth will play for the Corvallis contra dance February 3. The Occasionals
(Alan Snyder and Carl Thor will play for the Eugene contra dance February 24.
See our calendar page for all
the details and more future dates.
- We are deep into the process of updating our book of tunes written by Carl Thor, "Come to the Dance Hall." Every tune in the (2009) 2nd Edition is being reviewed and edited, and dozens of newer tunes will be added for this 3rd Edition. After a trip to Arizona and the holidays, this project is ramping up again. The plan is to make the new book available in print or as a digital download. Watch here for updates.
- Although we have been performing less often since the start of the pandemic, we have not been idle during this time. See below for some new ways to engage with our music.
Find us online
- Music lessons: I am conducting hammered dulcimer and piano lessons remotely over the internet, using the Zoom video conferencing platform. In this new environment, there is zero risk of infection, and geography is not a limiting factor! On-site lessons in Vancouver are now also an option. If you would like to begin lessons, please get in touch.
- BandCamp: Did you know that musicians only earn a fraction of a cent when you
listen to their music through a streaming service like Spotify? Even if you buy a
download through a service like Apple Music, only a small part of the sale trickles down to the artist.
But there is a better way for you to support us and the other musicians you love! We are now
on BandCamp, a site where you can purchase downloads and physical recordings (streaming
comes along with your purchase), and the artist receives about 80% of your payment!
We'll be adding more of our music over time, so keep an eye on our
BandCamp site.
“Follow” us to be notified of new releases. - Facebook: You can keep track of what we're up to by visiting our
Facebook page.
“Like” us to see our posts in your feed. - YouTube: We've produced and participated in some cool music videos over the past
four years, which you can find on our YouTube channel. You'll find playlists of our commercially available recordings,
as well as a playlist of stuff we like from other sources.
For best results, subscribe to our channel. - Sheet Music Plus: A growing number of our compositions and arrangements can be
purchased as PDF downloads through the Sheet Music Plus online store. Visit
our page here to explore our titles!
For some unknown reason our server will not reliably display the above link.
If you don't see the link, please copy the following URL and paste it into your browser to go to our SMP page:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/carl-thor-talisman-music/14002?aff_id=657155 - SoundCloud: We primarily use SoundCloud as a platform for band demo tracks, new recordings that aren't quite “studio quality” and some of our more “esoteric” music. Stuff you won't find anywhere else. Listen for free. Check us out here.
Listen
With so much work out in the world cancelled, we've had more time to devote to composition, recording, and publishing, and we have launched a Talisman Music Facebook page, where we will announce new events and projects. Check us out at: facebook.com/TalismanMusicWA
The CDBaby Store for purchasing physical CDs and digital downloads has shut down,
and we're in the process of adjusting to that loss. You may still find some dead-end links to the
CDBaby store throughout this website, but we'll be correcting those as we continue our migration to
BandCamp.
And, of course, you can always find CDs and other products in our Web Store.
No Caravan of Despair, music by Carl Thor and the Talisman Digital Symphony
Orchestra, is now available for download. Lush and exotic, this four part suite evokes images of
desert caravans and celebrations under the starlit sky. Find it at our
BandCamp site.
Here's a sample.
See video of Celtinalia playing the great Irish tune, “Banish Misfortune” — our blessing for these troubled times.
See video of Hands4 playing “A Happy March for David” — written in 2020 by Carl Thor and dedicated to our now-departed friend, David Kaynor.
See video of Celtinalia performing “Crossing the Bar” at the Northwest Folklife Festival, 5/26/19. Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson set to music by Rani Arbo.
I was honored to play hammered dulcimer for a recording of “I
Wonder As I Wander” by the Chor Leoni Men's Choir, directed by Erick Lichte.
Listen here:
https://youtu.be/iCxnMik0W7o and find their albums here.
Learn
I offer private lessons on hammered dulcimer and piano in Portland or Vancouver, and occasional dulcimer workshops in Portland and the Willamette Valley. Most teaching is still remote, over Zoom, due to COVID, but I am beginning to see students on site in Vancouver. See Lessons or Contact us for more info.
Dance
We had a contra dance in Vancouver, WA from 2010 until 2020. Sadly, with COVID-19,
the closure of the Hazel Dell Grange and various other factors, Contra in the Couve! is now history.
It was great fun while it lasted. Many thanks to all the dancers, volunteers, musicians, and callers
who came out to support our dance.
Featured Products in our Web Store
- Deep Peace for SATB choir: Sheet music for a beautiful Irish Blessing, by Sara Martin & Carl Thor.
- Instrument and musician angel ornaments from Tewksbury Ornaments.
- Hammered Dulcimer ornament, hand-crafted by Tewksbury Ornaments - a Talisman Music exclusive!
- Come to the Dance Hall tune book: Out of print since 2020, the all new Third
Edition is in the works, available later this year!
Dulcimer News
Spring Dulcimer Rendezvous
Registration is now open for the 2024 Hammered Dulcimer Rendezvous, to be held May 16-19 at Oral Hull Park just outside of Sandy, OR. Visit nwdulcimer.com for more information.
Services offered by Talisman Music
Live Music
- Music for stage shows, weddings, parties, and other events
- Music for contra dancing, English Country dancing, family dancing, waltz
Recordings, Published Music and Other Products,
available through our Web Store
- Recordings by Talisman Music artists and others
- Sheet music and tunebooks by Carl Thor, Hank Laramee, and others
- The Portland Collection tune books and CDs
- Hand-crafted hammered dulcimer ornament and other music themed ornaments
Composition and Arranging
- Downloadable sheet music of our original compositions is now available at:
SMP Press
For some unknown reason our server will not reliably display the above link.
Please copy the following URL and paste it into your browser to go to our SMP page:
https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/carl-thor-talisman-music/14002?aff_id=657155 - Original music for folk dancing, special occasions, film and video, etc.
- Music arranging and production of lead sheets, scores, and parts for your music
Education
- Private lessons and group instruction in hammered dulcimer and piano
- Hammered dulcimer instruction materials