Edward Bunting
Encyclopedia
Edward Bunting was an Irish
musician and folk music
collector.
, Ireland
. At the age of seven he was sent to study music at Drogheda
and at eleven he was apprenticed to William Ware, organist
at St. Anne's church in Belfast
and lived with the family of Henry Joy McCracken
. At nineteen he was engaged to transcribe music from oral-tradition harp
ists at the Belfast Harp Festival
in 1792. As Bunting was a classically trained musician, he did not understand the unique characteristics of Irish music, such as modes
, and when transcribing tunes he 'corrected' them according to Classical music rules. One proof of this is that some tunes published by him were in keys that could not have been played by the harpists. His notes on the harpists, how they played and the terminology they used is however invaluable, and also many tunes would have been lost if he had not collected them.
Bunting went on a number of collecting tours between 1792 and 1807, and was the first to transcribe music 'in the field' as played by the musicians. He realised the importance of the Irish words to the songs and Patrick Lynch was employed to collect these. Bunting, who lived in Belfast with the McCrackens until his marriage in 1819, moved to Dublin where he held the post of organist at St. George's Church. He died in Dublin on December 21, 1843 and is buried at the Cemetery of Mount Jerome
, Dublin.
Bunting's papers were lost for many years, but were rediscovered in 1907 and currently reside in the library of Queen's University of Belfast
. Donal O Sullivan has restored the original words to the airs that Bunting published without the airs.
The Chieftains
' 1993 album "The Celtic Harp" is a tribute to Edward Bunting.
, complete with 151 tunes. “A Dissertation on the Irish Harp and Harp
ers, Including an Account of the Old Melodies of Ireland” of about ninety pages is also included. With this final volume Bunting hoped to promote the antiquity not only of the Irish music
he had collected, but also of the Irish harp. He also wished to provide “the remaining airs of the collection arranged in true harp
style.”
The Preface
The Preface to this third volume allowed Bunting to state his opinions on modern usage of the ancient tunes, as well as rehash the event (“the great meeting of the Harpers at Belfast
, in the year 1792”) which had been his starting point in the music collecting field. This document begins with the author's defence of the value of studying Irish music of antiquity. Bunting claims that music passes through the ages unchanged, making it therefore just as good an indicator of the culture of the ancients as the study of “civil and military antiquities.” This music of the ancients originated in the educated bard
class of Harpers who travelled between the houses of the Irish gentlemen, performing, teaching, and composing
to please their current patron
. According to Bunting, because the words that accompanied melodies changed from county
to county, they were unreliable and had been left out for the most part from his collection.
Next, Bunting discusses the 1792 Harpers Festival. The Belfast Festival attracted eleven Harpers in total, ten from Ireland and one from Wales
. Bunting was contracted to notate the tunes played at this festival in an effort to preserve the ancient tradition, which was seen to be quickly fading. Gaining inspiration from his contact with the Harpers, especially Denis Hempson and Arthur O'Neill, Bunting visited counties Londonderry
, Tyrone
and the province of Connacht
in an effort to continue collecting ancient airs from “the country people” and to learn from Hempson whatever he could about the harp. After dismissing three earlier attempts at publication of ancient tunes (Burke Thurmoth in 1720, “Neill of Christ Churchyard, soon after,” and “Carolan's son” in 1747), Bunting goes on to say that his first collection, published four years after the Belfast Festival, “was the only collection of genuine Irish harp music given to the world up to the year
1796.”
Throughout the Preface, Bunting states his displeasure at the treatment ancient Irish
tunes had received at the hands of Sir John Stevenson
, the arranger for Thomas Moore
's extremely popular Irish Melodies series. While complimenting Moore's “elegant” poetry, Bunting “saw with pain, and still deplores the fact,
that in these new Irish melodies, the work of the poet was accounted of so paramount an interest, that the proper order of song
writing was in many instances inverted, and, instead of the words being adapted to the tune, the tune was too often adapted to the words, a solecism which could never have happened had the reputation of the writer not been so great as at once to carry the tunes he deigned to make use of altogether out of their old sphere among the simple and tradition-loving people of the country – with whom, in truth, many of the new melodies, to this day, are hardly suspected to be themselves.
Bunting allots three different time periods to the music
in his collection: “very ancient;” “the ancient;” and music “composed from the time of Carolan to that of Jackson and Stirling.” “Very ancient” tunes are either “caoinans or dirges” or “airs to which Ossianic and other very old poems are sung.” Despite his earlier arguments that words were unreliable, Bunting here uses their consistency to prove antiquity; meaning that if the same lyrics to a song are found wherever that song is sung, then it must be very ancient. Bunting also ascribes a particular “structure” to ancient songs, which he deliberates upon in his dissertation found later in this edition. Contrary to Thomas Moore's belief that modernity can be ascribed to all of the best native Irish airs, Bunting would put forth that the best airs are ancient and products of a time “when the native nobles of the country
cultivated music as a part of education.” Tunes with the label of “ancient” may be by unknown composers, but some were made by Scott, Lyons, Daly
, Conallon, and O'Cahan
. The third time frame contains pieces of “a more ornamental and less nervous style.” Bunting tells us that music from this time period was also “infected” with Italian music
, as this style was quite in vogue with the composers. In Bunting's opinion, the bard
Turlough Carolan, though a wonderful composer
, was particularly guilty of incorporating this foreign music into his compositions.
The Dissertation
Chapter 1
Bunting begins this chapter by refuting the established claim that the neglect or inclusion “of the fourth and seventh tones
of the diatonic scale
” are characteristic of the Irish tune. Through his study, Bunting has found that it is in fact the “presence” of the “Submediant
or major sixth
” (i.e. the sixth scale degree) in any given tune that lends it an Irish flavor. It is important to note, Bunting tells us, that what makes music Irish is not a “deficiency” of a tone or tones, but rather the inclusion of one. Continuing in his discussion of the “peculiarity” of “Irish melody,” Bunting lays out what he considers to be the harmony
of “three-fourths of our (Irish) song and harp airs” explaining that they “are for the most part in a major key, and in triple time; the modulation
of the first part of the melody
may be said to consist of the common cadence
; the
second part is generally an octave
higher than the first; it begins with the chord
of the Tonic
, and proceeds to the tone of the Submediant with the major harmony
of the Subdominant
, or to the Submediant with its minor
concord; but the harmony of this peculiar note
is most frequently accompanied by the major concord of the Subdominant; the conclusion of the air is generally a repetition of the first part of the tune, with a little variation.
Despite this eloquent description, Bunting contends that harp tunes (as opposed to airs) are “impossible” to fit into “any similar model.” However, these tunes do sound Irish because of their inclusion of the sixth scale degree.
Chapter 2
In this chapter, Bunting shares some harp music theory
and performance practice. He begins by refuting the trend then current to give Irish music too much “plaintive,” “national,” and “melancholy” feeling. Bunting claims to have been quite “surprised to find that all the melodies played by the Harpers were performed with a much greater degree of quickness than he had till then been accustomed to.”
A few pages later, Bunting includes a table of Irish
words for different harp parts, practices, and strings
. For example, Bunting claims that the Irish have a few different names for harps: Clarseach for “the common harp;” Cinnard-Cruit for “the high-headed harp;” Crom-cruit for “the down-bending harp;” Ceirnin for “the portable harp, used by the priests and religious people;” Craiftin Cruit for “Craftin's harp;” and Lub “a poetical name of the harp.” Following this is a description with small musical examples of each string on the harp, as well as the proper tuning
for the ancient instrument
. After this is a table of practices, also with musical examples. Some of these are bualladh suas no suaserigh or “succession of triplets
” and sruith-mor or “a great stream, ascending or descending.” To conclude the
chapter, Bunting gives the reader an idea of some “times
,” “moods,” and “keys
” used by the ancient harpers, as well as a vast vocabulary list of other Irish musical
terms. An online multimedia edition of these tables has been published at http://www.earlygaelicharp.info/Irish_Terms/
Chapter 3
Bunting opens chapter three with an introduction to George Petrie's 'Memoir of Ancient Irish Harp Preserved in Trinity College
.' In this introduction Bunting shows the reader two images which he analyzes with respect to the ancient way of playing the harp. Following this can be found a brief account of the Irish harp by Galilei
in 1581, from which Bunting concludes that the ancient harp must have had between twenty-nine and thirty strings.
Petrie's 'Memoir' begins with the legend of the origins of “Brian Boru
's harp,” currently housed in the library at Trinity College
. In Petrie's words, “we are told that Donogh, the son and successor of the celebrated Brian Boru
, who was killed at the battle of Clontarf
in 1014, having murdered his brother Teague, in 1023, was deposed by his nephew, in consequence of which he retired
to Rome
, carrying with him the crown
, harp, and other regalia
of his father,
which he presented to the Pope
in order to obtain absolution
.... These regalia
were kept in the Vatican
till the Pope
sent the harp to Henry VIII
, with the title
of Defender of the Faith
, but kept the crown
, which was of massive gold.
The legend continues, with Henry VIII giving the harp to the “Earl of Clanricarde
.” The harp subsequently passed through many Irish hands before Chevalier O'Gorman donated it to Trinity College. Petrie relegates this tale to the realm of invention, quoting Thomas Moore
's dismissal of the story. Moore bases his argument on the fact that nowhere in the annals of Irish history does this story exist, and in fact it can be refuted by the recorded fact that Donogh never possessed his father's crown
and by the arms
that rest on the harp itself. Petrie goes on to place the harp as an ecclesiastic instrument because of its small size. Now we move back to Bunting who informs us that the harp is of “exquisite workmanship”. With only “one row of strings,” this harp had “thirty in number”. It was also made of oak
and thirty-two inches high.
Next follows Bunting's discussion of several icons, which he uses to prove the date of the “Brian Boru
's harp” model as up until the seventeenth century. Immediately after can be found Bunting's dismissal of the idea that Irish musicians learned their trade from the Continent
. Instead, Bunting argues that the Welsh
imported Irish bards to teach them music. Moving on, Bunting examines in some detail three figures holding harp
s found on engravings. One that particularly interests him is of a naked bard holding a harp without a “fore pillar.” This type of harp Bunting likens to the Egypt
ian model. Bunting moves on to discuss the origins of the Egyptian harp, claiming that its origins are from the testudo
which itself derives from the cithara. Bunting continues his discussion with details of the greatness through the ages of the Irish harp, illustrated by the legends of St Brigid
and Angus King of
Munster
. Later, Bunting refutes the claim that there were no bagpipes
in Ireland, using as proof three depictions: two of a bagpiper going into battle; and another of a pig playing a bagpipe.
Chapter 4
In this chapter, Bunting goes into much greater detail about “efforts to revive the Irish Harp.” He discusses at some length the events of the meeting of the Harpers in Belfast, giving the names of all of the bards who attended. He gives the names as: Dennis Hempson, age 97; Arthur O'Neill, age 58; Charles Fanning, age 56; Daniel Black, age 75; Charles Byrne, age 80; Hugh Higgins, age 55; Patrick Quin, age 47; William Carr, age 15; Rose Mooney, age 52; and James Duncan, age 45. He also mentions the Welsh
harp
er, Williams, in a brief footnote. Here we also find an account of the failed Belfast Harp Society, which had hoped to educate a new generation of young Harpers.
Chapter 5
This chapter contains biographies of all of the Irish Harpers listed in Chapter Four.
Chapter 6
In this chapter Bunting included what he considered to be items worth noting in some of the pieces that are part of his collection.
Collections reissued
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
musician and folk music
Folk music of Ireland
The folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland.-History:...
collector.
Life
Bunting was born in County ArmaghCounty Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. At the age of seven he was sent to study music at Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
and at eleven he was apprenticed to William Ware, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
at St. Anne's church in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and lived with the family of Henry Joy McCracken
Henry Joy McCracken
Henry Joy McCracken was an Irish industrialist and a founding member of the Society of the United Irishmen.-History:...
. At nineteen he was engaged to transcribe music from oral-tradition harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ists at the Belfast Harp Festival
Belfast Harp Festival
The Belfast Harp Festival, 11-14th July 1792, was a four-day event organised by Dr.James McDonnell, Robert Bradshaw and Henry Joy McCracken, following a six year lapse from the last Granard harp festival...
in 1792. As Bunting was a classically trained musician, he did not understand the unique characteristics of Irish music, such as modes
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
, and when transcribing tunes he 'corrected' them according to Classical music rules. One proof of this is that some tunes published by him were in keys that could not have been played by the harpists. His notes on the harpists, how they played and the terminology they used is however invaluable, and also many tunes would have been lost if he had not collected them.
Bunting went on a number of collecting tours between 1792 and 1807, and was the first to transcribe music 'in the field' as played by the musicians. He realised the importance of the Irish words to the songs and Patrick Lynch was employed to collect these. Bunting, who lived in Belfast with the McCrackens until his marriage in 1819, moved to Dublin where he held the post of organist at St. George's Church. He died in Dublin on December 21, 1843 and is buried at the Cemetery of Mount Jerome
Mount Jerome Cemetery
Mount Jerome Cemetery is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials...
, Dublin.
Bunting's papers were lost for many years, but were rediscovered in 1907 and currently reside in the library of Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
. Donal O Sullivan has restored the original words to the airs that Bunting published without the airs.
The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
' 1993 album "The Celtic Harp" is a tribute to Edward Bunting.
The Ancient Music of Ireland (1840)
In 1840 Edward Bunting issued his third collection of The Ancient Music of IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, complete with 151 tunes. “A Dissertation on the Irish Harp and Harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ers, Including an Account of the Old Melodies of Ireland” of about ninety pages is also included. With this final volume Bunting hoped to promote the antiquity not only of the Irish music
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
he had collected, but also of the Irish harp. He also wished to provide “the remaining airs of the collection arranged in true harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
style.”
The Preface
The Preface to this third volume allowed Bunting to state his opinions on modern usage of the ancient tunes, as well as rehash the event (“the great meeting of the Harpers at Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, in the year 1792”) which had been his starting point in the music collecting field. This document begins with the author's defence of the value of studying Irish music of antiquity. Bunting claims that music passes through the ages unchanged, making it therefore just as good an indicator of the culture of the ancients as the study of “civil and military antiquities.” This music of the ancients originated in the educated bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
class of Harpers who travelled between the houses of the Irish gentlemen, performing, teaching, and composing
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
to please their current patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
. According to Bunting, because the words that accompanied melodies changed from county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
to county, they were unreliable and had been left out for the most part from his collection.
Next, Bunting discusses the 1792 Harpers Festival. The Belfast Festival attracted eleven Harpers in total, ten from Ireland and one from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Bunting was contracted to notate the tunes played at this festival in an effort to preserve the ancient tradition, which was seen to be quickly fading. Gaining inspiration from his contact with the Harpers, especially Denis Hempson and Arthur O'Neill, Bunting visited counties Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
and the province of Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
in an effort to continue collecting ancient airs from “the country people” and to learn from Hempson whatever he could about the harp. After dismissing three earlier attempts at publication of ancient tunes (Burke Thurmoth in 1720, “Neill of Christ Churchyard, soon after,” and “Carolan's son” in 1747), Bunting goes on to say that his first collection, published four years after the Belfast Festival, “was the only collection of genuine Irish harp music given to the world up to the year
1796.”
Throughout the Preface, Bunting states his displeasure at the treatment ancient Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
tunes had received at the hands of Sir John Stevenson
John Stevenson (composer)
Sir John Andrew Stevenson was an Irish composer of classical music. He is best known for his publications of Irish Melodies with poet Thomas Moore...
, the arranger for Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
's extremely popular Irish Melodies series. While complimenting Moore's “elegant” poetry, Bunting “saw with pain, and still deplores the fact,
that in these new Irish melodies, the work of the poet was accounted of so paramount an interest, that the proper order of song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
writing was in many instances inverted, and, instead of the words being adapted to the tune, the tune was too often adapted to the words, a solecism which could never have happened had the reputation of the writer not been so great as at once to carry the tunes he deigned to make use of altogether out of their old sphere among the simple and tradition-loving people of the country – with whom, in truth, many of the new melodies, to this day, are hardly suspected to be themselves.
Bunting allots three different time periods to the music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
in his collection: “very ancient;” “the ancient;” and music “composed from the time of Carolan to that of Jackson and Stirling.” “Very ancient” tunes are either “caoinans or dirges” or “airs to which Ossianic and other very old poems are sung.” Despite his earlier arguments that words were unreliable, Bunting here uses their consistency to prove antiquity; meaning that if the same lyrics to a song are found wherever that song is sung, then it must be very ancient. Bunting also ascribes a particular “structure” to ancient songs, which he deliberates upon in his dissertation found later in this edition. Contrary to Thomas Moore's belief that modernity can be ascribed to all of the best native Irish airs, Bunting would put forth that the best airs are ancient and products of a time “when the native nobles of the country
cultivated music as a part of education.” Tunes with the label of “ancient” may be by unknown composers, but some were made by Scott, Lyons, Daly
Daly
Daly or DALY may refer to:* Daly * Daly City, California* Daly College, India* Daly detector, atype of mass spectrometry detector* Daly languages, group of Australian aborigine languages...
, Conallon, and O'Cahan
O'Cahan
O'Cahan is the name of a significant clan in Ulster, a province of Ireland. It has been angiclized to O'Kane, Kane and variations including, O'Keane, O'Kean, O'Keen, O'Keene, Keen, Keene, Kain, O'Kaine, and similar variations thereof. They are descended from Eógan, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages...
. The third time frame contains pieces of “a more ornamental and less nervous style.” Bunting tells us that music from this time period was also “infected” with Italian music
Music of Italy
The music of Italy ranges across a broad spectrum of opera and instrumental classical music and a body of popular music drawn from both native and imported sources. Music has traditionally been one of the cultural markers of Italian national and ethnic identity and holds an important position in...
, as this style was quite in vogue with the composers. In Bunting's opinion, the bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
Turlough Carolan, though a wonderful composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, was particularly guilty of incorporating this foreign music into his compositions.
The Dissertation
Chapter 1
Bunting begins this chapter by refuting the established claim that the neglect or inclusion “of the fourth and seventh tones
Musical tone
A musical tone is a steady periodic sound. A musical tone is characterized by its duration, pitch, intensity , and timbre . The notes used in music can be more complex than musical tones, as they may include aperiodic aspects, such as attack transients, vibrato, and envelope modulation.A simple...
of the diatonic scale
Diatonic scale
In music theory, a diatonic scale is a seven note, octave-repeating musical scale comprising five whole steps and two half steps for each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps...
” are characteristic of the Irish tune. Through his study, Bunting has found that it is in fact the “presence” of the “Submediant
Submediant
In music, the submediant is the sixth scale degree of the diatonic scale, the 'lower mediant' halfway between the tonic and the subdominant or 'lower dominant'...
or major sixth
Major sixth
In classical music from Western culture, a sixth is a musical interval encompassing six staff positions , and the major sixth is one of two commonly occurring sixths. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two...
” (i.e. the sixth scale degree) in any given tune that lends it an Irish flavor. It is important to note, Bunting tells us, that what makes music Irish is not a “deficiency” of a tone or tones, but rather the inclusion of one. Continuing in his discussion of the “peculiarity” of “Irish melody,” Bunting lays out what he considers to be the harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
of “three-fourths of our (Irish) song and harp airs” explaining that they “are for the most part in a major key, and in triple time; the modulation
Modulation (music)
In music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as well as add interest...
of the first part of the melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
may be said to consist of the common cadence
Cadence (music)
In Western musical theory, a cadence is, "a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolution [finality or pause]." A harmonic cadence is a progression of two chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music...
; the
second part is generally an octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
higher than the first; it begins with the chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
of the Tonic
Tonic (music)
In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...
, and proceeds to the tone of the Submediant with the major harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
of the Subdominant
Subdominant
In music, the subdominant is the technical name for the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance "below" the tonic as the dominant is above the tonic - in other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdominant. It is also the note immediately...
, or to the Submediant with its minor
Major and minor
In Western music, the adjectives major and minor can describe a musical composition, movement, section, scale, key, chord, or interval.Major and minor are frequently referred to in the titles of classical compositions, especially in reference to the key of a piece.-Intervals and chords:With regard...
concord; but the harmony of this peculiar note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
is most frequently accompanied by the major concord of the Subdominant; the conclusion of the air is generally a repetition of the first part of the tune, with a little variation.
Despite this eloquent description, Bunting contends that harp tunes (as opposed to airs) are “impossible” to fit into “any similar model.” However, these tunes do sound Irish because of their inclusion of the sixth scale degree.
Chapter 2
In this chapter, Bunting shares some harp music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
and performance practice. He begins by refuting the trend then current to give Irish music too much “plaintive,” “national,” and “melancholy” feeling. Bunting claims to have been quite “surprised to find that all the melodies played by the Harpers were performed with a much greater degree of quickness than he had till then been accustomed to.”
A few pages later, Bunting includes a table of Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
words for different harp parts, practices, and strings
Strings (music)
A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
. For example, Bunting claims that the Irish have a few different names for harps: Clarseach for “the common harp;” Cinnard-Cruit for “the high-headed harp;” Crom-cruit for “the down-bending harp;” Ceirnin for “the portable harp, used by the priests and religious people;” Craiftin Cruit for “Craftin's harp;” and Lub “a poetical name of the harp.” Following this is a description with small musical examples of each string on the harp, as well as the proper tuning
Musical tuning
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.-Tuning practice:...
for the ancient instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
. After this is a table of practices, also with musical examples. Some of these are bualladh suas no suaserigh or “succession of triplets
Tuplet
In music a tuplet is "any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from that usually permitted by the...
” and sruith-mor or “a great stream, ascending or descending.” To conclude the
chapter, Bunting gives the reader an idea of some “times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
,” “moods,” and “keys
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
” used by the ancient harpers, as well as a vast vocabulary list of other Irish musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
terms. An online multimedia edition of these tables has been published at http://www.earlygaelicharp.info/Irish_Terms/
Chapter 3
Bunting opens chapter three with an introduction to George Petrie's 'Memoir of Ancient Irish Harp Preserved in Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.' In this introduction Bunting shows the reader two images which he analyzes with respect to the ancient way of playing the harp. Following this can be found a brief account of the Irish harp by Galilei
Galilei
Galilei is a surname, and may refer to:*Galileo Galilei , astronomer, philosopher, and physicist.*Vincenzo Galilei , composer, lutenist, and music theorist; father of Galileo...
in 1581, from which Bunting concludes that the ancient harp must have had between twenty-nine and thirty strings.
Petrie's 'Memoir' begins with the legend of the origins of “Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
's harp,” currently housed in the library at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
. In Petrie's words, “we are told that Donogh, the son and successor of the celebrated Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
, who was killed at the battle of Clontarf
Battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious...
in 1014, having murdered his brother Teague, in 1023, was deposed by his nephew, in consequence of which he retired
to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, carrying with him the crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
, harp, and other regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
of his father,
which he presented to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in order to obtain absolution
Absolution
Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This concept is found in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican churches, and most Lutheran churches....
.... These regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
were kept in the Vatican
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, which is located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Sacred Palace, the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican...
till the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
sent the harp to Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, with the title
of Defender of the Faith
Defenders of the Faith
Defenders of the Faith is the ninth studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain and mixed from September to November 1983 at DB Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida. The LP and cassette tape...
, but kept the crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
, which was of massive gold.
The legend continues, with Henry VIII giving the harp to the “Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is still extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 1916....
.” The harp subsequently passed through many Irish hands before Chevalier O'Gorman donated it to Trinity College. Petrie relegates this tale to the realm of invention, quoting Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
's dismissal of the story. Moore bases his argument on the fact that nowhere in the annals of Irish history does this story exist, and in fact it can be refuted by the recorded fact that Donogh never possessed his father's crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
and by the arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
that rest on the harp itself. Petrie goes on to place the harp as an ecclesiastic instrument because of its small size. Now we move back to Bunting who informs us that the harp is of “exquisite workmanship”. With only “one row of strings,” this harp had “thirty in number”. It was also made of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and thirty-two inches high.
Next follows Bunting's discussion of several icons, which he uses to prove the date of the “Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
's harp” model as up until the seventeenth century. Immediately after can be found Bunting's dismissal of the idea that Irish musicians learned their trade from the Continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
. Instead, Bunting argues that the Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
imported Irish bards to teach them music. Moving on, Bunting examines in some detail three figures holding harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
s found on engravings. One that particularly interests him is of a naked bard holding a harp without a “fore pillar.” This type of harp Bunting likens to the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian model. Bunting moves on to discuss the origins of the Egyptian harp, claiming that its origins are from the testudo
Testudo
Testudo may refer to:* Testudo , a genus of tortoises* The Latin variant of the Greek chelys harp made from a tortoise shell* The testudo formation, a Roman military tactic...
which itself derives from the cithara. Bunting continues his discussion with details of the greatness through the ages of the Irish harp, illustrated by the legends of St Brigid
Brigid of Kildare
Saint Brigit of Kildare, or Brigit of Ireland , nicknamed Mary of the Gael is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba...
and Angus King of
Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
. Later, Bunting refutes the claim that there were no bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
in Ireland, using as proof three depictions: two of a bagpiper going into battle; and another of a pig playing a bagpipe.
Chapter 4
In this chapter, Bunting goes into much greater detail about “efforts to revive the Irish Harp.” He discusses at some length the events of the meeting of the Harpers in Belfast, giving the names of all of the bards who attended. He gives the names as: Dennis Hempson, age 97; Arthur O'Neill, age 58; Charles Fanning, age 56; Daniel Black, age 75; Charles Byrne, age 80; Hugh Higgins, age 55; Patrick Quin, age 47; William Carr, age 15; Rose Mooney, age 52; and James Duncan, age 45. He also mentions the Welsh
Music of Wales
Wales has a strong and distinctive link with music. The country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song". This is a modern stereotype based on 19th century conceptions of Nonconformist choral music and 20th century male voice choirs, Eisteddfodau and arena singing, such as sporting...
harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
er, Williams, in a brief footnote. Here we also find an account of the failed Belfast Harp Society, which had hoped to educate a new generation of young Harpers.
Chapter 5
This chapter contains biographies of all of the Irish Harpers listed in Chapter Four.
Chapter 6
In this chapter Bunting included what he considered to be items worth noting in some of the pieces that are part of his collection.
Publications
- A General Collection of the Ancient Irish Music, 66 tunes, (1796),
- A General Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland (1809),
- The Ancient Music of Ireland, 165 airs, (1840).
Collections reissued
- Waltons in 2002 as The Irish Music Manuscripts of Edward Bunting (1773-1843) (ISBN 1-85720-139-6).