The harping tradition essay Flashcards
What was harping tradition
The harp is the national symbol of Ireland. Tradition was an aristocratic art tradition, highly skilled, unlike normal Irish music. The occupation was very prestigious
Who were the patrons of the harping tradition and how did patronising go into decline
Old English and Old Irish aristocrats were patrons of the old Irish Harp. Irish society changed with English reign and few could patronise the arts so harpists became itinerante, travelling in search of work.
What does itinerate mean
travelling in search of work.
Describe the old playing style with an example
Involved plucking wire strings with the fingernails. I heard this style of harping listening to Paul Dooley on the Old Irish harp.
When did harping start to decline and as a result who were the harpists
From the 16th century the tradition went into decline and almost all harpists were blind.
Describe the new NEO harp playing methods
New Neo harp has gut strings and is played with the fingertips. It has levers to change the key.
Describe the style of playing the new harp using an example
I could hear this new style and sound of the Neo Irish harp listening to Michael Rooney, TG4 composer of the year winner, playing. He also uses dampening as his individual style.
What music was popular in the 17th/18th century and name a harpist who was influenced by this with quote
Back in 17th and 18th century Italian, Baroque style music was popular which I can identify in the work of “the last of the great Irish bards”, Turlough O’Carolan.
Which Baroque composers influenced O’Carolan’s music
O’Carolan’s music was influenced by that of Vivaldi, Corelli and Geminiani.
Talk about Carolan’s Concerto and italian influences
His pieces were often entitled concertos, for example the ‘Carolan Concerto’. Played by the Chieftain’s I heard the italian influences with scales, dynamics and use of sequences. There was also use of florid passages which sounded classical in style.
What was the Belfast harp festival
In 1792 the Belfast Harp festival was held to revive interest in Harp music.
How many harpists took part in the belfast harp festival and who was the oldest
11 harpists took part. Denis Hempson was the oldest at 97 years of age. He was important as he gave us an insight into harp music 100 years previously.
What collector was present and what was his purpose
Edward bunting was present at 19 years of age to record the music of the harpists and so the music became a literary tradition also.
What was the process of recording the music used by Edward Bunting at the Belfast harp festival
He dictated the melody during the performance and then translated the dots and lines into a readable copy called the fair copy. Then it was prepared for publication. However If Bunting missed part of a tune he made it up.
Why did the harp tradition go into decline
The old harp was impractical as it could only play in one key and could not keep up with chromaticism .
