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There are no primary sources for the old Gaelic harp music - that is to say, no scores written by or for harpers. The nearest we have are in the notebooks of Edward Bunting, who though not a harper himself, did sit down beside them and attempt to transcribe their playing. Bunting's manuscripts preserve the bulk of the surviving Gaelic harp tradition. As well as notating the melody lines of the harpers' tunes Bunting often also noted down elements of their basses, and he employed secretaries to write down the song lyrics in Irish. Other tunes from the Gaelic harp repertory survive in manuscripts and printed editions from Scotland and Ireland. Most tunes do not preserve their original harp setting, being reduced to a single melody line, or newly set for other instruments. The task of deciding what elements of basses and harmonies might be original is a long and difficult one. Similarly it is not always easy to judge which tunes come from the Gaelic harp repertory. Some are obvious enough, such as the "ports", and those attributed to Carolan. However we know that the harpers played a wide range of different music including foreign tunes. Also, given that the role of the harper from earliest times was to accompany the performance of Gaelic song or poetry, many old Gaelic song airs must once have been standard items in the Gaelic harpers' repertory. The sources listed right range in date from the early 17th to the 19th Centuries, that is to say from when the Gaelic harp was still widely played, to the time of its decline and extinction. They include both manuscripts and printed editions. Some of the manuscripts, such as the Wemyss music book, were personal collections of songs and tunes; others such as the Bunting mss were assembled by tune-collectors. The prints are generally very rare, only one copy being known each of the Carolan fragment and Neal. As well as the facsimiles and editions listed here, a number of tunes from these sources can be found in recent general collections. See the books page for more info. This list is provisional and selective. There are Gaelic harp tunes preserved in other manuscripts and early printed editions. Also there may be other editions and facsimiles of the manuscripts and prints listed above. I would be delighted to hear from you if you have corrections or additions. Simon Chadwick |
c.1600-1650
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© Simon Chadwick
Originally published at clarsach.net, September 2004, first published here 26th November 2004