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".
Owen Roe O'Neill (c.1585-1649), a member of the O'Neill
dynasty of Ulster, was a veteran soldier who had spent
most of his life serving as a mercenary in the Spanish
Army. Following the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in which
Catholics rose up to assert their rights while pledging
their allegiance to Charles I, O'Neill returned to
Ireland. During the ensuing Irish Confederate Wars he
commanded the Ulster Army, mostly campaigning against
the Scottish Covenanter Army who he defeated at the
Battle of Benburb. Following the execution of Charles I
in 1649 and the declaration of the English
Commonwealth, the Irish Confederates and the
Covenanters united in a new alliance under his son
Charles II. In the face of a potential landing by a
large expedition of English troops, O'Neill quarreled
with his rival Catholic commanders and refused to
accept the Treaty. He instead began co-operation with
local English troops under Sir Charles Coote, assisting
them during the Siege of Derry.
"The Lament for Owen Roe" AKA – "Uaill Cuma Eogan Ruaid
Ua Niall." Irish, Slow Air (4/4 time) in G Dorian, was
composed by O'Carolan or at least attributed to him by
several authorities, including Hardiman (Irish
Minstrelsy, London, 1831), Bunting (in General
Collection of the Ancient Irish Music, Dublin, 1796),
Clinton (Gems of Ireland, London, 1841) and Francis
O'Neill (Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody), on
stylistic terms. O'Sullivan (1958) records that
(according to Mulloy MacDermott) O'Carolan composed the
piece at the request of Charles O'Conor of Belanagare.
Gratten Flood, however, in his History of Irish Music
(Dublin, 1905), says that the Owen Roe's "glorious"
lament was composed soon after his death, in 1649,
predating O'Carolan's birth by a score of years. Owen
Roe O'Neill (1582–1649), or, in Irish, Eoghan Rua Ó
Neill, was a member of the noble O'Neill family of
County Tyrone who as a youth left Ireland for military
service on the Continent. He fought in Netherlands and
distinguished himself as an officer in service with the
Spanish, but in 1642 at the age of 60 he returned to
Ireland and helped to mastermind the rebellion against
the Stuart regime called the Confederation of Kilkenny.
O'Neill won an important victory at Benburb in 1646,
but died three years later of an illness at
Cloughouter, County Cavan, just before he was to
campaign against Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads. It has
long been maintained in tradition that O'Neill was in
fact poisoned at the hands of a woman who placed the
toxin in his shoes before a banquet. O'Neill danced
vigourously at the affair for several hours, causing
the substance to be absorbed into his skin, leading to
his death several days later. O'Sullivan says he was
the only Irish leader able to cope with the Cromwellian
invasion, and that his death was a national
catastrophe.
Source: Tune Archive
(https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Lament_for_Owen_R
oe_O%27Neill).
Although originally composed for Traditional Irish
Instruments, I created this interpretation of the
"Lament for Owen Roe O'Neill" for Strings (Violin,
Viola & Cello) & Celtic or Concert (Pedal) Harp.
Download the sheet music here:
https://musescore.com/user/13216/scores/5609530 |
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