back prev next Irish harp terms from Bunting
from Edward Bunting, Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin 1840)
Irish crónán íochtar-chanas spoken by Gráinne Yeats Scottish Gaelic crònan iochdar-chanas spoken by Tony Dilworth Click the play button to hear it spoken. help Cronan ioctar-chanus - Lowest note See cronan. The term here looks somewhat artificial, because its second element looks artificial: this seems to be a verbal form meaning 'which sings lowest'. Íochtar is the 'lower part, bottom' of anything, and it here seems to be compounded with the present tense relative form (normally chanas) of the verb can, 'chant, sing'. Colm Ó Baoill 2002 Note that this is the highest string of the Downhill harp. Other instruments had different highest and lowest notes. See also Alasdair Codona's comments on Chanas.
Click the play button to hear it spoken. help
Cronan ioctar-chanus - Lowest note
See cronan. The term here looks somewhat artificial, because its second element looks artificial: this seems to be a verbal form meaning 'which sings lowest'. Íochtar is the 'lower part, bottom' of anything, and it here seems to be compounded with the present tense relative form (normally chanas) of the verb can, 'chant, sing'.
Colm Ó Baoill 2002
Note that this is the highest string of the Downhill harp. Other instruments had different highest and lowest notes. See also Alasdair Codona's comments on Chanas.
