Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) was a blind Celtic
harper, composer and singer in Ireland whose great fame
is due to his gift for melodic composition. Often
called “the last of the Irish Bards”, even though
there were traditional Irish harpers living as late as
1792. Carolan is considered a national treasure — his
compositions are still often played during a session
and are also highly regarded. Focusing on Carolan’s
works first will bring you high rewards as a player. By
the way, though ...(+)
Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) was a blind Celtic
harper, composer and singer in Ireland whose great fame
is due to his gift for melodic composition. Often
called “the last of the Irish Bards”, even though
there were traditional Irish harpers living as late as
1792. Carolan is considered a national treasure — his
compositions are still often played during a session
and are also highly regarded. Focusing on Carolan’s
works first will bring you high rewards as a player. By
the way, though it is correct to say “Turlough
O’Carolan” when giving the full name, when no first
name is given one should simply refer to him as
“Carolan.”.
Although not a composer in the classical sense, Carolan
is considered by many to be Ireland's national
composer. Harpers in the old Irish tradition were still
living as late as 1792, and ten, including Arthur
O'Neill, Patrick Quin and Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh,
attended the Belfast Harp Festival. Ó Hámsaigh did
play some of Carolan's music but disliked it for being
too modern. Some of Carolan's own compositions show
influences of the style of continental classical music,
whereas others such as Carolan's Farewell to Music
reflect a much older style of "Gaelic Harping".
Captain O'Kane/O'Kain (AKA: "Cailin tighe moir,"
"Captain Henry O'Kain," "Giolla an Bimhoir" is believed
to be a composition by O’Carolan. Captain Henry
O'Kain who died of his wounds 'on the banks of the dark
rolling Danube.'" O'Sullivan's attribution is based on
a comment by Hardimann (who said O'Carolan wrote it)
and because of stylistic similarities with other
O'Carolan works. O'Neill (1913) quotes Patrick O'Leary,
an Australian correspondent, who wrote that the Captain
of the title was "the hero of a hundred fights, from
Landon to Oudenarde, who, when old an war-worn,
tottered back from the Low Countries to his birthplace
to die, and found himself not only a stranger, but an
outlawed, disinherited, homeless wanderer in the
ancient territory that his fathers ruled as Lords of
Limavady." The earliest printing of the tune Captain
Francis O'Neill could locate was in James Aird's 1788
Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs
(vol. 3), although he also found it (under the title
"Captain Oakhain: A Favourite Irish Tune") in McGoun's
Repository of Scots and Irish Airs, Strathspeys, Reels,
etc. (Glasgow, 1803) – the same title and presumably
the same tune was printed in Alexander McGlashan's 1786
collection. Gow also gives "Irish" as the tune's
provenance. Piper O'Farrell's 1804 setting of "Captain
O'Cain" was entered into the mid-19th century music
manuscript copybook of County Cork uilleann piper and
Church of Ireland cleric James Goodman.
The song "The Wounded Hussar" was written to the melody
by Alexander Campbell (O'Sullivan gives his name as
Thomas) and appears in Smith's Irish Minstrel
(Edinburgh, 1825). It was also included in Surenne's
Songs of Ireland without Words (Edinburgh, 1854). The
Scots poet Robert Burns wrote his song "The Chevalier's
Lament" to the tune of "Captain O'Kean".
Although originally composed for Traditional Irish
Instruments, I created this interpretation of the
"Captain Henry O'Kain" for Oboe & Strings (2 Violins,
Viola & Cello).
PARTITION