Simon Chadwick's
Early Gaelic Harp Emporium

Background reading

Background reading... The early Gaelic harp is a huge subject in itself, yet a true appreciation of it requires a broad understanding of early music and Scottish and Irish history and culture going back a thousand years or more. The following books are offered as mere suggestions... Click on an author's name for pricing and purchasing details of their books

Tomás Ó Canainn, 'Traditional Music in Ireland'
An excellent overview of style and structure.

'The Voyage of Saint Brendan'
Translation of the early medieval Irish text, with 15th century woodcut illustrations.

Simon James, ‘The Atlantic Celts’
What does the word “Celtic&rdquo' mean, and when should and shouldn’t we use it?

Irish high crosses
Some books about these fascinating early medieval stone sculptures

Barry Cunliffe, 'The Celts - A Very Short Introduction'
The best overview of a contentious subject. Who were the Celts?

Thomas Forrest Kelly, 'Early Music: A Very Short Introduction'
From Oxford's VSI series, a superb overview of historical Western art music.

Boethius, Fundamentals of Music
English translation of the most important medieval music treatise

Sebastian Virdung, 'Musica Getutsch'
A treatise on instruments published in 1511.

Michael Praetorius, 'Syntagma Musicum'
De Organographia - a 17th treatise on instruments with beautiful woodcuts

Vincenzo Galilei, 'Dialogue on Ancient and Modern Music '
A treatise on instruments published in 1581-2, includes an important passage on early Gaelic harps.

David Johnson, 'Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century'
Musical scores and extensive commentary, including consideration of Gaelic harp music preserved by the fiddlers.

Cedric Thorpe Davie, 'Scotland's Music'
A slim old overview.

Scottish Life and Culture, 'Oral Literature'
A collection of essays on traditional music and song.

Sean O'Boyle, 'Ogam the Poets Secret'
Very rare and hard to find, a slim paperback on esoteric matters.

Children's books and other story books including Russell Walton, 'A Harp of Fishbones'
Folk tales, myths and anecdotes, historical fiction etc.

Hugh Cheape, 'Bagpipes'
An exellent history of Scottish bagpipes.

Joseph MacDonald’s Compleat Theory of the Scots Highland Bagpipe (c.1760)
Edited by Roderick Cannon, a key source for 18th century early Gaelic music style and idiom

Albert Lord, 'The Singer of Tales'
The original academic study of oral tradition music and song. Includes audio CD.

Kåre A Lie, 'Spor av Vikingenes Sanger / Traces of the Songs of the Vikings'
Investigation into the evidence for early medieval Scandinavian music.

NEW Phyllis Kinney, 'Welsh Traditional Music'
An overview of Welsh music from late medieval times through to the early 20th century.

John Evelyn, 'Evelyn's Diary'
A 17th century English diarist.

Johnson & Boswell, 'A Tour to the Hebrides'
The 18th century travellers' accounts of the west Highlands and islands.

Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus, 'The Highland Lady in Ireland'
A 19th century journal.

Malachi McCormick, 'The Roots of Music'
Beautiful hand-made books with poetry

Mike Parker, 'Child of Pure Harmony'
A handbook for the single action pedal harp.

Ephraim Segerman, 'The Development of Western European Stringed Instruments' Family trees of different types of fiddle, lute, etc. and how they are related to each other.

Simon Chadwick