Lost Irish Folk Music?

Subject: Lost Irish Folk Music?
From: mousethief
Date: 14 Aug 03 - 10:02 PM

Forgive me if this sounds (or is) stupid, but I remember reading somewhere that there was a kind of Irish folk music that died out completely over 100 years ago, and there is nothing of it left -- am I remembering right? Can anybody steer me to more info on this subject?

Thanks,
Alex

Subject: RE: Lost Irish Folk Music?
From:
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:23 AM

It could be the Wire Strung Harp. The instrument we know as the "Celtic Harp", ISN'T. It was a modified concert harp, complete with gut strings.

The Irish Harp had wire strings, and was played differently.

Do a search on Wire-Strung Harp and you may find what you need.

Subject: RE: Lost Irish Folk Music?
From: Nerd
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:00 PM

But it would be wrong to say there is nothing left of the wire-strung harp tradition. Many tunes were preserved in written manuscripts, and the instrument has now been revived so those tunes can be played. The resulting music probably has as much in common with the harp music of 100 years ago as, say, the piping tradition of today has with that of 100 yrs ago.

Subject: RE: Lost Irish Folk Music?
From:
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 01:58 PM

Nerd, depends on who's playing the pipe tune. There are players in Cape Breton who have, and still do have the tradition of playing for dances like 100 years ago. Pipers like Barry Shears, Allan MacKenzie are current pipers who have successfully resurrected the art of playing for dancers and at dances.

Players like Hamish Moore and Fred Morrison have learned a lot from them. They also learned at the hands of other pipers who recently (in the last five years) died who did play for dances without the marching band/military tradition.

Subject: RE: Lost Irish Folk Music?
From: David Ingerson
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 05:41 PM

I understand there was a tradition of singing the Fenian Lays or Ossianic Lays (not sure of the name) that died out in Ireland in the early part of the last century but survived in Scotland until the 50's or so. They were not sung in the sean nós but in an apparently older style, rather like a chant, if I'm remembering correctly.

David

Subject: RE: Lost Irish Folk Music?
From: TIA
Date: 15 Aug 03 - 06:07 PM

Is it perhaps the ancient bronze horns which, when first found, were thought to be simply hunting or scaring-the-enemy horns, but recent analysis suggests that they may have had dimensions suitable for not-necessarily-chromatic, but perhaps tuneful, playing?

Read about this recently - will try to find a link.