Valentine’s Day 2026 – Love, Music… and the Harp 💝
Valentine’s Day: from its origins to today
Valentine’s Day has its roots in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, associated with Saint Valentine, a Christian priest who became a symbol of love and secret unions. Over the centuries, this celebration has turned into an unmissable date for lovers… sometimes accompanied by a certain pressure, especially for gentlemen expected to find the perfect gift.
And yet, there is no need for grand gestures. A few sweet treats, some macarons, a nice meal at a restaurant, or even a simple evening at home can be more than enough. Most importantly, let us not forget something essential: we can also celebrate ourselves. Creating your own Valentine’s Day, learning to love yourself and take care of yourself, might be the most beautiful declaration of all ✨
St Valentin 2026
we can also celebrate ourselves. Creating your own Valentine’s Day, learning to love yourself and take care of yourself, might be the most beautiful declaration of all ✨
And where does the harp fit into all this? 🎵
The harp naturally lends itself to themes of love, tenderness, nostalgia, longing and passion. Valentine’s Day is therefore a wonderful opportunity to explore or rediscover pieces inspired by these emotions.
Les Amoureux De Peynet
The waltz: the lovers’ dance
With its gentle, flowing movement, the waltz is undoubtedly one of the dances most closely associated with love. Here are some titles that can be found in the “Waltz” section of the collection.
🎼 Accordion Waltz
Let me introduce you to this piece called Accordion Waltz. For once, I don’t have a specific source to share about the origin of this melody. However, having had a husband who played the diatonic accordion, this tune immediately spoke to me.
Its lovely waltz rhythm completely won me over, and I find that it translates beautifully to the Celtic harp — an instrument that works wonderfully with this style.
🎼 En avant blonde
En avant blonde is a traditional Acadian and folk waltz, often played at folk dances in France and Louisiana. It has been performed since the 1970s by groups such as Toussaint et Cousins, in collaboration with Marc Perrone and Perlinpinpin Fòlc.
The piece became a folk standard during that decade, notably popularized by Marc Perrone through recordings such as Gabriel Valse.
🎼 Astrid Waltz
This is a Swedish waltz originally taken from the repertoire of the group Norrlåtar (from Norrbotten), recorded on their 1978 album Urminnes Hävd.
The tune can also be found under various names: Astridin Vals, Astrid Waltz, Valse Astrid or Astreidin.
🎼 Inisheer Waltz
This piece is a composition by the Irish musician Thomas Walsh. It is generally considered to be a waltz, although some musicians describe it as more of a slow air because of its free and contemplative character.
🎼 Leaving Lismore
This tune is indeed called Leaving Lismore. Lismore (Lios Mòr in Gaelic) is an island of the Inner Hebrides, located in Loch Linnhe, in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. The melody evokes departure, nostalgia and deep attachment to a place.
🎼 Valvotun Yon Valssi
Valvotun Yon Valssi is a very beautiful traditional Finnish waltz, arranged by Arto Järvelä. A delicate and charming melody, perfectly suited to the harp.
My own compositions ❤️
Yes… I have also composed music inspired by love.
🎶 Éternelle
Éternelle is one of my very first compositions, born in 2009, at a time when music came to me as naturally as breathing. I remember that day very clearly: I had been singing a melody all day long, carried by a light and joyful inspiration. But the next morning…
it was gone. I couldn’t recall a single note. It had vanished, and I was heartbroken. Then, as if by magic, the melody came back to me in a dream that very night. It did not want to disappear. It wanted to live…
🎶 Eternal Love
I am happy to share Eternal Love with you, a new piece that continues the story of one of my earliest compositions: Éternelle. This is a deeply personal piece, originally written to celebrate my marriage to my husband. It carries the emotion of that unique day, as well as the joy of celebrating our love year after year — like a precious flame that continues to glow through time.
Later, this piece took on a new dimension when I offered it as a wedding gift to a dear friend, Godo, a talented illustrator. Godo is also the artist who created the beautiful artwork for my album Gwuid the Harpist – Return to Celtia, a project that brought us together through a strong artistic bond.
Cinema and video games: love in music 🎬🎮
Some of the most beautiful love themes can also be found in film and video game music.
🎥 Evenstar
Composed by Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Evenstar is one of the most moving musical themes of the trilogy.
It accompanies the love story between Arwen and Aragorn, and more specifically Arwen’s heartbreaking decision to give up her Elven immortality in order to remain with the man she loves.
🎥 My Heart Will Go On
Also known as Le Portrait, My Heart Will Go On is the theme song from the 1997 film Titanic. Sung by Céline Dion, composed by James Horner with lyrics by Will Jennings, it quickly became a worldwide hit.
It is one of the most-played songs in radio and television history, with over 18 million copies sold, and it earned an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and four Grammy Awards.
🎮 Priscilla’s Song / Wolven Storm – The Witcher 3
The lyrics describe the romance between Geralt of Rivia and Yennefer of Vengerberg. Geralt is the main character of The Witcher series, and Yennefer is his great love.
Priscilla, a romantic poet known by her stage name Callonetta, performs this deeply emotional song.
Impossible and tragic loves 💔
Traditional and folk repertoires are full of melodies that evoke impossible, lost or tragic love — a universal and timeless theme.
🎻 A Fig for a Kiss
A promising title indeed. A Fig for a Kiss is an Irish slip jig, known under many different names, including Fig For A Kiss, Figs For A Kiss, Gáire Na mBán, Humors Of Bottle Hill, Milk The Churn, Ní Maith Liom Pog, and many others.
🎻 Isabeau s’y promène
A traditional French song whose origins date back to the Middle Ages or the Renaissance.
It belongs to the repertoire of narrative songs transmitted orally and has evolved through many regional variations.
🎻 Jag Minnes Dig
Meaning “I remember you” in Swedish, this traditional song is often performed in a melancholic, gentle and introspective style.
It is sometimes attributed to Carl Michael Bellman (1740–1795), although this attribution is not entirely certain. It belongs to the Nordic tradition of nostalgic love songs.
🎻 La Blanche Biche
n old French traditional ballad of medieval origin, telling the tragic story of a young woman cursed to transform each night into a white doe.
In Ridley Scott’s film The Last Duel, the song is sung around a fire by one of the characters. It resonates powerfully with the fate of Marguerite de Carrouges, the film’s heroine.
🎻 Scarborough Fair
A traditional English ballad listing a series of impossible tasks set for a former lover. The Scarborough / Whittingham Fair variant is especially well known in Yorkshire and Northumbria, often sung in Dorian mode.
🎻 The Lady and the Grenadier
A traditional ballad from the British Isles, particularly well known in Scotland and Ireland.
It tells the story of a young woman seduced and then abandoned by a grenadier returning to war, filled with melancholy and regret.
🎻 The Skye Boat Song
A late 19th-century Scottish song adapted from a Gaelic melody composed in 1782 by William Ross.
It was famously reworked by Bear McCreary for the opening theme of the TV series Outlander.
🎻 Trop penser me font amours
A love song from the medieval French tradition, probably dating from the 15th century, expressing the inner turmoil of the lover’s heart.
Conclusion 💘
In the sheet music collection, you will find countless pieces that speak of love:
eternal love, impossible love, dramatic love, passionate love… love that suffers, perhaps, but never truly dies.
In the end, Valentine’s Day may simply be a beautiful excuse to make the strings vibrate, to let yourself be moved, and to remember that music — like love — can be shared… or quietly cherished on your own 🎶✨
Eve McTelenn
Maurice_Leloir