back prev next Irish harp terms from Bunting
from Edward Bunting, Ancient Music of Ireland (Dublin 1840)
Irish leathleagadh spoken by Gráinne Yeats Scottish Gaelic leth-leagadh spoken by Tony Dilworth Click the play button to hear it spoken. help "By second and third finger: string struck by second, stopped by first, and string struck by third, stopped by second finger." Click on the picture to watch the video. help Bill Taylor Note that although Leith leagadh is listed under "Graces performed by the treble or left hand", Bill is playing it with his right hand in the video "Falling", "Lowering" or "dropping" refers to the musical progression as well as to the gesture of the hand. This figure is unusal because both notes are stopped. The musical notation shows what appears to be four seperate independent instances of Leith leagadh. It is worth noting that the first two indicate the stopped note as a semiquaver, beamed to the main note; the last two show the stopped note as a grace note. Perhaps this indicates two different ways of playing Leith leagadh, first as a measured note as part of the tune, and secondly as a mordent, as a kind of ornament. Simon Chadwick 2008 Leith leagadh ('in English characters' Leath leaguidh) - A half falling Probably the compound noun leathleagadh (in older spelling leithleagadh), 'half dropping/lowering' is intended, though leath leagaidh, 'half of dropping/lowering', is also possible. But note that on p.32 Bunting explains Leagadh alone as 'Half fall', and on p.34 he has Orleath leagadh, 'A falling'. A similar term formerly used, in the plural, in relation to Scottish piping has been explained as leth-leagaidhnean or leth-leagaidh. On this and its meaning see Roderick D. Cannon, Joseph MacDonald's Complete Theory of the Scots Highland Bagpipe (c.1760), Glasgow, 1994, pp.106-107: Joseph translates (p.96) as 'half a Fall'. Colm Ó Baoill 2002
Click the play button to hear it spoken. help
"By second and third finger: string struck by second, stopped by first, and string struck by third, stopped by second finger."
Click on the picture to watch the video. help
Bill Taylor
Note that although Leith leagadh is listed under "Graces performed by the treble or left hand", Bill is playing it with his right hand in the video
"Falling", "Lowering" or "dropping" refers to the musical progression as well as to the gesture of the hand. This figure is unusal because both notes are stopped.
The musical notation shows what appears to be four seperate independent instances of Leith leagadh. It is worth noting that the first two indicate the stopped note as a semiquaver, beamed to the main note; the last two show the stopped note as a grace note. Perhaps this indicates two different ways of playing Leith leagadh, first as a measured note as part of the tune, and secondly as a mordent, as a kind of ornament.
Simon Chadwick 2008
Leith leagadh ('in English characters' Leath leaguidh) - A half falling
Probably the compound noun leathleagadh (in older spelling leithleagadh), 'half dropping/lowering' is intended, though leath leagaidh, 'half of dropping/lowering', is also possible. But note that on p.32 Bunting explains Leagadh alone as 'Half fall', and on p.34 he has Orleath leagadh, 'A falling'.
A similar term formerly used, in the plural, in relation to Scottish piping has been explained as leth-leagaidhnean or leth-leagaidh. On this and its meaning see Roderick D. Cannon, Joseph MacDonald's Complete Theory of the Scots Highland Bagpipe (c.1760), Glasgow, 1994, pp.106-107: Joseph translates (p.96) as 'half a Fall'.
Colm Ó Baoill 2002
