Saydisc CD-SDL 372
The Meeting House, Frenchay, Bristol
abril de 1988
Nótese, entre otros, el Greatest Hits medieval de la
pista #4.
01 - [2:42]
Pibddawns Y Tant
Pibddawns Yr Ysgubau
Pibddawns Y Blodau
02 - [3:52]
Roslin Castle
The Lea-Rig
03 - [4:37]
Captain O'Neil
Colonel O'Hara
Sir Festus Burke
04 - [3:25]
Bryd One Brere
Foweles in the Frith
Edi Beo Thu Hevene Quene
Sumer Is Icumen In
05 - [2:17]
The Late Hour
The Clocks-Back Reel
06 - Meillionen [3:37]
07 - Maille Bheag O [4:22]
08 - [3:36]
The Kilburn Jig
Diarmuid's Well
The Wild Irishman
09 - [5:08]
Childgroove
Daphne
'Twas Within a Furlong of Edinburgh Town
The Oak & The Ash
10 - Farewell to Lough Neaghe [2:51]
11 - [3:47]
Pant Corlan Yr Wyn
Pibddawns Jones
Pwt Ar Y Bys
12 - [5:06]
Her Mantle So Green
In Aonar Seal
13 - [4:01]
Port 4th
Air by Fingal No. 1
Air by Fingal No. 3
Port 5th
14 - When She Cam Ben, She Bobbit [3:22]
15 - [4:06]
Planxty Drew
Mary O'Neil
Edmond MacDermott Roe
The Maids of Derry
16 - [3:50]
Caismeachd Mhic Iain 'Ic Sheumais
Marbhna Cathaoir Mhic Cába
17 - [3:47]
An Páistin Fionn
Seán O'Duibhir an Ghleanna
18 - [3:08]
Port Priest
Port Atholl
19 - [2:07]
I Was Not...Since Martinmas
An Muileann Dubh
The Highlandman Kissed His Mother
20 - [3:20]
Cumha Mhic Guidhir
Táim I Mo Chodhladh Is Ná Duisigh Mé
21 - [1:56]
Maggy Lauther
Boni Jean Makis Meikill of Me
Bonnie Shaljean, harp & clarsach
FAREWELL
TO LOUGH NEAGHE
In putting together the material for
this recording, I have tried to create a work which is both
historically and artistically interesting, and produces a variety of
period, culture, and mood. I have used three harps, which span
approximately five centuries and represent some of the breadth of the
instrument's voice. Many of the pieces are not commonly known, and some
are previously unpublished. I hope to introduce some new works into the
repertoire, and to convey my continuing love for the rich musical
heritage that flourishes in these nations.
Two of my harps come from the Gaelic tradition, and are known in their
native language by the name clarsach. They are strung with an
assortment of brass, bronze, and steel and were hand-made for me by
Michael Billinge. One of these is of the type played in Ireland and the
Scottish highlands from late medieval times to the early 17th century
(pictured on the front cover). With its one-piece willow soundbox,
intricate burnt carvings and engraved silver boss, this instrument has
much in common with the famous 'Brian Boru' or Trinity College Harp in
Dublin.
Sir Francis Bacon commented, 'No harp hath the sound so melting and
prolonged as the Irish harp', and it was the combination of metal
strings and the structure of the sound-box (hollowed out of a single
block of willow) that produced this characteristic tone. Over the
centuries the clarsach acquired additional strings, growing larger and
more powerful.
My other Billinge harp is built in the late 18th-century Irish style.
By now the instrument was in decline, for the chromatically-limited
clarsach could not compete in adapting to the musical demands of a
changing society that had no place for it. Alienated from its powerful
Celtic origins its tradition ended, and from the early 19th century
harps were predominantly gut-strung.
My third harp is strung with gut, and is are-constructed Erard
'Grecian', the small drawing-room harp which first appeared in 1810.
Apart from its fully chromatic 'double-action' system of pedals, it had
essentially the same characteristics and tone as Erard's late
18th-century 'single-action' pedal harp. In the Welsh tradition, this
type of instrument gradually came to replace the difficult-to-play
triple harp as music grew more sophisticated and the availability of
pedal harps increased. My Grecian was beautifully rebuilt (retaining
its original structural design and specifications) by Pilgrim Harps,
the Surrey-based harpmakers. I have re-strung it in a gauge more in
keeping with that used in the mid 18th-century, in order to help
recreate an 'authentic' sound.
NOTES ON SOME HARPER-COMPOSERS
RUARÍ DALL O'CATHÁIN (c.1570— c.1650), often
referred to simply as Rory Dall (blind Rory), was supposedly one of the
Catháin chiefs from the County Derry/Antrim region. Whether a
chief or not, his Gaelic nobility is undisputed. He spent much of his
life in Scotland where he achieved great fame and circulated among the
aristocracy. He once played before King James, who complimented him
warmly on his art, but the harper dared to reply that O'Neill (the most
powerful clan chief in Ulster) was a greater man than the monarch. Only
a dozen or so of Rory Dall's compositions are known to survive, and
many of these carry the prefix 'Port' in their titles. The exact
meaning of the term is uncertain but it seems to be closely associated
with ancient harp music, and the pieces appear to be of a school of
writing characterised by a much freer structure. His works are
therefore of great importance for they are remnants of the older
tradition of Gaelic harp composing, which was an intrinsic part of an
archaic social order and is now lost.
TURLOUGH O'CAROLAN (1670-1738) was to become the most famous of the
Irish itinerant harper-composers. He became blind in his teens as a
result of smallpox, which might have been a disaster, as his family was
poor and he possessed no particular skills. However, the kindness of
the wife of his father's employer, Mrs. MacDermott Roe, changed his
life. She arranged that he be trained to play the harp, as well as
given a general education, and she maintained him while he was a pupil,
later providing him with a horse and guide. He began his travels at the
age of 21, and grew to be a familiar and well-loved guest in many of
the great households, honouring his patrons with tunes and verses.
(Jonathan Swift was one of his friends and admirers.) Carolan was a
native Gaelic-speaker, a fact sometimes obscured by his music, which is
not contained within any single category. Some of his works have an old
Irish sound, some are quite Italianate (Corelli and Vivaldi were
favourites of his) and others defy labelling. He was a revolutionary
force in Irish harp music, and exerted a huge influence upon the
repertoire of those who succeeded him. At the end of the 18th-century
it is reported that one harper had acquired more than 100 of his tunes,
saying that this was but a small portion of them, and his music
dominated the great harp contests at Belfast and Granard. Carolan never
forgot his oldest friend, Mrs. MacDermott Roe, to whose home he
returned at the end of his life, when he was old and ill. She tended
him with great care and he died peacefully.
CORNELIUS LYONS (c.1670—c.1740), a friend and contemporary of
Carolan's, was by all accounts a gentleman of education and an
exquisite artist on the harp. He was born in County Cork but spent much
of his life in the service and companionship of Randal MacDonnell, Earl
of Antrim, with whom he seems to have enjoyed a relationship of equals.
Bunting (see notes to track no. 20) described him as a 'graceful and
elegant genius' and the harper Arthur O'Neill (1734— 1818) says
in his Memoirs, 'By all I ever heard speak of him he was
gentlemanly, good-natured, obliging and civil . . . particularly to
brother harpers'. O'Neill also relates an anecdote wherein Lyons was
recognised by a tavern keeper on the strength of his playing alone,
even though he was going by a false name and the tavern keeper had
never seen him before. Impressively, this is supposed to have happened
not locally, but in London. Lyons' most distinctive asset was his skill
in creating fine variations, for which he was famed. O'Neill described
him as a 'great performer and a very fanciful composer, especially in
his variations. . . Sadly, all but a handful of these are lost and only
one of his original airs, for which he was also known, has survived.
JOHN PARRY OF RUABON (c.1710— 1782), one of the greatest Welsh
harp virtuosos and composers, was for many years domestic harper to Sir
Watkin Williams-Wynn, 1st Baronet of Wynnstay. Parry was blind, and
played the demanding triple harp (which has three parallel rows of
strings, requiring immense skill). His position with the Baronet
brought him into aristocratic society and involved frequent and lengthy
visits to London, where he made a name for himself, establishing a
highly successful concert career and travelling widely. (Handel and the
poet Thomas Gray were but two of his admirers.) Parry also published
three important collections of Welsh music for harp which included
original compositions as well as arrangements and variations on
traditional airs.
EDWARD JONES (1752-1824) was appointed harper to the Prince of Wales in
1788, and became known as the King's Bard when the Prince took the
throne. He played a 'new' pedal harp, then fashionable in London, and
was admired by many, including the novelist Fanny Burney. However, his
best service to the harp was perhaps his scholarship in the field of
Welsh music and poetry. He did extensive research, and published
valuable collections of this material, including his own harp
variations. He wrote that much of this music was taken from 'the most
venerable Harpers in North Wales' and attributed the decline of the
national minstrelsy to `fanatick imposters . . . dissuading [the
people] from their innocent amusements'. Sadly, he ended his life in
illness and poverty; but even then, when a friend arrived with a gift
of money, Jones was more interested in learning from him the
particulars of a certain Welsh air.
THE MACLEAN—CLEPHANE MANUSCRIPT
One of my most important sources for this recording is an unpublished
manuscript which was compiled by the MacLean—Clephane sisters at
Torloisk on the Island of Mull in about 1816, containing among other
things 36 Harp Airs and 10 unnamed Ports. This material appears to
originally have come from a collection made by the Rev. Patrick
Macdonald of Kilmore, a skilled violinist and lover of traditional
music, whose notebooks had passed into the hands of the sisters. The
two ladies (one of whom played a Grecian pedal harp) made a finished
copy, and this is now known as the MacLean—Clephane Manuscript*.
The Harp Airs are believed to have been gathered from the blind harper
Echlin O'Catháin (1729—c.1790), who was born in County
Derry and may have been a distant relative of Rory Dall's (that region
was the homeland of the Catháin clan). Echlin was an excellent
and much-travelled performer who had learned the harp from Cornelius
Lyons and spent a great deal of time in Scotland. In his memoirs his
own assessment of his abilities was that he was 'the fifth best
performer on the Harp in all Ireland'.
* For a fuller discussion, see A Missing Carolan Composition?,
Sanger, Shaljean, and Billinge, Ceol, April 1983 issue, Dublin;
and The MacLean—Clephane Harp Music, Keith Sanger, Notes
and Queries No. XV, May 1981 issue, Society of West Highland and
Island Historical Research.
EC denotes early clarsach
LC denotes late clarsach
(the remainder are pedal harp)
1.
PIBDDAWNS Y TANT (The String Hornpipe)
PIBDDAWNS YR YSGUBAU (The Brooms Hornpipe)
PIBDDAWNS Y BLODAU (The Flowers Hornpipe)
19th-century Welsh hornpipes written by the harpers Llewelyn Williams (String)
and blind John Williams (Brooms and probably Flowers).
Both men won first place in eisteddfodau (prestigious music
competitions), but while John was awarded a valuable triple-harp,
Llewelyn's prize-money was reduced to £1 because of local
displeasure over his father's Chartist politics, causing him to
publicly sever the strings of his harp in protest. These tunes, taken
from Tro Llaw (edited by Robin Huw Bowen), share a common style
with traditional hornpipes from all over Britain and Ireland, a fact
which demonstrates the harp's use as a 'working' dance instrument, in
addition to its usual 'art' associations.
2.
ROSLIN CASTLE
THE LEA-RIG
Two popular 18th-century Scottish airs, the first of which was
originally known as The House of Glamis. At Roslin Castle in
Midlothian there is a beautiful 15th-century chapel containing a stone
carving of King David with his harp. Lea-Rig means a grassy
ridge, and it appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's Pills To Purge Melancholy
(1698-1720) but may be more familiar as Robert Burns' song My Ain
Kind Dearie-O.
3.
CAPTAIN O'NEILL
COLONEL O'HARA
SIR FESTUS BURKE
Three pieces by Carolan. Captain O'Neill is a recent discovery
which was given to me by Keith Sanger of Edinburgh, who found it in the
MacLean—Clephane Manuscript. At this time it had never been
brought to public attention, and Keith (in association with Michael
Billinge and myself) subsequently published it in the Irish journal Ceol,
its first appearance in modern times. The two works which follow are
delightful examples of Carolan's love of the European baroque style of
composing, and contrast strikingly with his characteristically 'old
Gaelic' lament, heard on track no. 16.
4. [EC]
BRYD ONE BRERE (Bird on briar)
FOWELES IN THE FRITH (Fowls in the wood)
EDI BEO THU HEVENE QUENE (Blessed be thou, Heaven's queen)
SUMER IS ICUMEN IN (Summer is coming in)
Medieval English songs. Bryd One Brere is a love song dating
from the early 14th century, in which the bird is entreated to prepare
the lovesick singer's grave. The image of a bird, often a dove, at the
graveside of one who has died for love is found in English-language
ballads and folklore all over the world, and has survived to present
days. Foweles, of similar sombre tone, and Edi Beo, a
graceful piece in praise of the Virgin Mary, are the earliest two-part
songs in the vernacular and date from the late 13th century. There is
evidence to suggest that Bryd may also have been intended as a
two-part song, but was left incomplete in the manuscript. I have
arranged my own 'period' harmony to its single melody line. Sumer
is a canon, or round, below which two voices provide a ground (repeated
bass motif) which I have imitated on the lower strings. Its composer
was probably a monk at Reading Abbey, writing in approximately 1240.
Secular music was not in particular disfavour in English monasteries,
and the harp during this time was in common use among musicians, so it
is possible that all of these songs could have been a familiar part of
its repertoire. (Religious stone carvings depicting harps with
obviously Gaelic features suggest that the clarsach was also known and
played in England.)
5.
THE LATE HOUR
THE CLOCKS-BACK REEL
Two reels of my own which I have written in the Irish style. The Clocks-Back
was titled in honour of a harp festival of the same name in Lancaster,
held on the autumn weekend when the clocks go back one hour. The Late
Hour is the missing hour when the clocks go forward!
6.
MEILLIONEN
An old Welsh air, plus assorted 18th-century variations by blind John
Parry of Ruabon (Antient British Music, 1742) and Edward Jones (Musical
& Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, 1784-94). In addition, I
have followed the time-honoured harpers' tradition and set two
variations of my own. Following the air, the format runs: Parry (I,
II), Shaljean (III, IV), Jones (V). As to the title, Jones mentions an
old mansion of this name in Caernarvonshire, but adds that it
'literally implies the Trefoil'.
7.
MAILLE BHEAG O (Little Molly-O) [LC]
A newly-discovered set of variations on a traditional air, found in the
MacLean—Clephane Manuscript and credited to 'Lyons & others'.
These beautiful and previously unknown variations are in keeping with
Lyons' style and are among his finest. The only other source of Lyons'
music is the Bunting Collection (see notes to track no. 20).
8.
THE KILBURN JIG
DIARMUID'S WELL
THE WILD IRISHMAN
I heard the jig years ago in an Irish pub session in London's Kilburn
district, played by an old man who didn't know its name, hence this
title. I wrote the first of the two following reels, naming it after a
well near Lough Ree which honours the legendary lovers Diarmuid and
Gráinne, who were pursued throughout Ireland by her husband
Fionn MacCumail (Finn MacCool) and obliged to sleep in a different
place each night. The well is said to have healing powers. The second
of the reels is a familiar traditional Irish tune.
9.
CHILDGROVE
DAPHNE
'TWAS WITHIN A FURLONG OF EDINBURGH TOWN
THE OAK AND THE ASH
The first three pieces are from John Playford's The Dancing Master,
an English collection of popular tunes and instructions for country
dancing which appeared in eighteen consecutive editions between 1651
and c.1728. The Oak and the Ash is the air to a 17th-century
English song in which a homesick maid regrets having left her native
north country. Its melody is based upon the Playford tune Goddesses
and also bears strong similarity to Quodling's Delight. Giles
Farnaby (1560-1640) composed some charming variations on the latter for
virginal, and I have created my own set of variations for harp. These
are heard following the air.
10.
FAREWELL TO LOUGH NEAGHE [LC]
Taken from the MacLean—Clephane Manuscript and credited to
Carolan. I have not found this air, or its title, in any other
collection. Carolan certainly has a connection with the area in that he
composed a tune for the Baron of Lough Neagh (Viscount Massereene)
whose seat was at Castle Antrim. However, the ornate melody line bears
a strong resemblance to Lyons' style (judging from what we know of his
variations). As Lyons served as the Earl of Antrim's harper and
companion for many years (and in fact outlived him by two decades),
Lough Neagh would presumably have been a familiar scene, and not
without sentimental attachment. Moreover, this piece was obtained from
one of his pupils. In any case, it is a valuable and eloquent addition
to harp repertoire.
11.
PANT CORLAN YR WYN (The valley of the sheep-fold)
PIBDDAWNS JONES (Jones' Hornpipe)
PWT AR Y BYS (An exercise for the fingers)
Taken from the playing of the late Nansi Richards, Telynores Maldwyn
(her Bardic title), who learned triple-harp from a family of Welsh
gypsies, and later became a fine pedal-harpist as well. The third piece
is also known as The Gypsy Hornpipe or Butter And Peas,
which seems to be simply a phonetic Anglicisation. I have made an
adaptation of it for single-row harp, based on her Welsh triple harp
variations.
12.
HER MANTLE SO GREEN
IM AONAR SEAL (By myself alone)
Two Irish song-airs, the first concerning lovers parted by war and
reunited after a test of fidelity. The second is an aisling (vision)
song, wherein Ireland is embodied as a beautiful but grieving woman.
The original Gaelic words were composed by the Kerry poet Eoghan Rua
O'Snilleabháin (1748—1784). I was given this song by the
fine Cork singer Séan O'Sé.
13. [EC]
PORT 4th
AIR BY FINGAL No. 1.
AIR BY FINGAL No. 3.
PORT 5th
The Fingal pieces are from John Bowie's A Collection of Strathspey
Reels and Country Dances (see notes to track no. 18). It was
published in Perth c.1789, but some of the music dates back at least to
the early 17th century, if not further. 'Fingal' presumably refers to
the legendary Fionn MacCumail. The two other pieces appear in the
MacLean—Clephane Manuscript as part of a section of ten unnamed
Ports. They may possibly be original works by Rory Dall
O'Catháin, as Port 7th is in fact one of his known
compositions (The Fear of Dying).
14.
WHEN SHE' CAM BEN SHE BOBBIT (When she came in she curtsied)
18th-century variations on a Scottish tune found in many sources, among
them Ramsay's Musick (1726), the Sinkler Manuscript (1710) and The
Scots Musical Museum (1792). The sung version of it is also known
as The Laird o' Cockpen, in which the said lord (supposedly a
boon companion of Charles II) pursues a penniless young maid who
curtsies, kisses him, and then denies it all. The first set of
variations played here (in D minor) are Irish, of a later date, taken
from the Hudson Manuscript. An attribution to Carolan is implied, but
this is of questionable authenticity and the music does not
particularly reflect his characteristic style. Bunting (see notes to
track no. 20) gathered some variations between 1792 and 1805, so the
piece seems to have been in the Irish harpers' repertoire. The second
set (in G minor) are from Oswald's collection (see notes to track no.
19).
15.
PLANXTY DREW
MARY O'NEILL or CAROLAN'S FAVOURITE JIG
EDMOND MacDERMOTT ROE
THE MAIDS OF DERRY
A set of four Carolan tunes. I have taken the final one from the
MacLean—Clephane Manuscript, where it exists in a slightly
different version from that which has been published. For this reason I
have retained the title given in the manuscript, though the piece is
otherwise known as Planxty Plunkett. The use of the term
'planxty' seems to have originated with Carolan, as it does not appear
to have been known previously, and it refers exclusively to his works
(apart from one exception which may be a result of doubtful editing).
It has currently become a generic term indicating any piece written by
Carolan or composed as repayment for hospitality and patronage, but
this indiscriminate usage is a modern trend. In the sources published
closest to Carolan's lifetime, 'planxty' only occurs four times. Dr.
Donal O'Sullivan has suggested that it was simply appended to a name
where the full particulars of the subject were not known. Apart from
this, Carolan himself uses the word only once, in his verse and not as
a title, apparently synonymously with merriment and celebration.
16. [LC]
CAISMEACHD MHIC IAIN 'IC SHEUMAIS (Battle march of the son of John, son
of James)
MARBHNA CATHAOIR MHIC CÁBA (Lament for Charles MacCabe)
Tradition has it that the march was composed in North Uist (Outer
Hebrides) by the renowned harper Murchadh Clarsair in the early 17th
century. The hero for whom it is named, also known as Donald MacIain
MacDonald, won a clan battle against the raiding and plundering
MacLeods at Carinish in 1601 by employing clever strategy as well as
fighting skills, although his men were greatly outnumbered. Rather
curiously, he is said to have referred to his favourite weapon as being
a tawny falcon. He lived to become one of the region's first
cattle-drovers. The lament which follows was written by Carolan as a
sincere and moving elegy on the death of his good friend MacCabe. The
only problem was that MacCabe was not dead. He had led Carolan to
believe so, in a fit of pique over a practical joke, and then had to
witness the great harper's genuine grief beside the supposed
grave—doubtless with growing discomfort.
17.
AN PÁISTÍN FIONN (The fair-haired child)
SEÁN O'DUIBHIR AN GHLEANNA (John O'Dwyer of the glen)
Two fine Irish traditional song-airs, both of which exist in numerous
versions. John O'Dwyer was the third son of the chief of the O'Dwyers
of Kilnamanagh, County Tipperary. In this farewell song he laments the
dispossession of his lands under Cromwell, and the verses describe the
desolation and ruin of what was once a prosperous home. Emphasis is
placed not only upon the loss of property, but also the deliberate
destruction inflicted upon nature: the devastated forests, the
displaced and hunted beasts whose situation reflects O'Dwyer's own. It
seems likely that he went with his cousin Col. Edmund O'Dwyer into
exile on the Continent in 1652, although it is possible that he fled to
Connaught.
18. [EC]
PORT PRIEST
PORT ATHOLL
Port Priest comes from the Lute-Book of Robert Gordon of
Straloch (1627-29) which contains at least one known Rory Dall
O'Catháin piece (Rory Dall's Port, called Port
Ballangowne in another lute-book) plus others with similar titles (Port
Jean Lindsay, A Port etc.) which suggest origins in the
harp tradition. This version of Port Atholl appears in the
Bowie collection (see notes to track no. 13) and is generally
recognised by scholars as being by Rory Dall. In an introductory note
Bowie writes: 'The following pieces of Ancient Music were . . .
composed originally for the Harp [and] . . . handed down to ['a
Gentleman of Note', presumably one of the Robertsons of Lude,
well-known patrons of harpers] by his Ancestors, who learned the same
of the famous Rory Daul [sic] . . . . These tunes are called in our
language Ports.. .' The most undeniable evidence is that of the music
itself, which is clearly in the same style as Give Me Your Hand,
Rory Dall's best known work. Dr. Colm O'Boyle has speculated that Port
Atholl may have been composed in honour of John Murray, who became
Earl of Atholl in 1629 and whose love of harp music was such that he
employed a personal harper.
19. I WAS NOT . . . SINCE MARTINMAS
AN MUILEANN DUBH (The black mill)
THE HIGHLANDMAN KISSED HIS MOTHER
The first piece is given here as it was designated in James Oswald's A
Caledonian Pocket Companion (1743-59), and I shall leave the full
title to the imagination. It is followed by two traditional Scottish
reels.
20. [LC]
CUMHA MHIC GUIDHIR (Maguire's lamentation)
TÁIM I MO CHODHLADH IS NÁ DUISIGH Mt (l am asleep and do
not waken me)
From The Ancient Music of Ireland compiled by Edward Bunting.
As a young man, Bunting attended the great harp festival at Belfast in
1792, at which eleven harpers (ten Irish, one Welsh) gathered to
perform in competition. By this time the harp had declined sadly in
Irish culture, and most of the surviving players were quite old.
Bunting was engaged to circulate among them, and note down their music
in order to preserve it. His interest continued beyond the festival and
he made several subsequent journeys collecting further material. He
published three volumes, in 1796,1809, and 1840, and both these tunes
appeared in the latter. Unfortunately they were heavily adapted for the
fashionable drawing-room pianoforte, so I have tried instead to
reconstruct the older style. The lamentation was taken from the County
Cavan harper Catherine Martin in 1796, and Táim I Mo
Chodhladh from Denis Hempson in County Deny in 1792. Hempson was 97
at the time of the festival, and had performed before Bonnie Prince
Charlie. He married at 86, fathered a child, and was still playing his
harp on the day before he died—at age 112. He was a product of
the old, vanished school of Irish harping, using long fingernails in an
archaic technique, and had learned harp from Brighid Ni Catháin,
a Derry woman of the same clan as Echlin and Rory Dall. Hempson seems
to have perplexed his 'modern' fellow harpers at Belfast rather than
receiving the respect he deserved. One gathers that the feeling was
mutual.
21.
MAGGY LAUTHER
BONIE JEAN MAKIS MEIKILL OF ME (Bonnie Jean makes much of me)
Maggy Lauther appeared in 1642 as a song by Francis Semple,
full of double meanings and symbolism of bagpipes and the piper's
prowess. Robert Burns also gave it words, on the theme of a henpecked
husband now happily free. This version comes from Aria di Camera
(c.1725-30). '. . . Being a Choice Collection of Scotch, Irish &
Welsh Air's. . . '. The variations on Bonie Jean, another
lively song, are taken from the lute manuscript (c.1620) of John Skene
of Midlothian, transcribed and published by William Dauney in 1838.
* * * * * *
I am particularly grateful to Michael Billinge, not only for the harps
but also for his extensive and invaluable help with the research. (He
and I have also co-authored a thesis on the early 17th-century Dalway
Harp Fragments, which appears in the May 1987 issue of the quarterly
journal Early Music). In addition, I would like to thank Keith Sanger
for his historical expertise and advice on much of the Gaelic material,
as well as on the aforesaid Dalway project. He is also responsible for
bringing my attention to the unpublished MacLean–Clephane
Manuscript. I am grateful to Captain A. C. Farquharson of Invercauld
and Torloisk for his kind permission to use music contained in this
manuscript, which is in his possession. Thanks are also due to the
concert harpist Sioned Williams, Telynores Gannon, for her helpful
comments on the Welsh repertoire. Finally, no one who plays the music
of Carolan can overlook the acknowledgement owed to the late Dr. Donal
O'Sullivan, whose massive scholarship is responsible for preserving and
communicating so much of the great bard's work, and whose definitive
biography I have referred to countless times as a performer.
BONNIE SHALJEAN has a wide-ranging performance background in
historical and traditional harp music which includes recordings,
publications, broadcasts and travelling throughout Britain and Ireland.
She was born in America and trained since childhood as a classical
pianist, but took up the harp after moving to England. She is also a
fine singer.