Turlough O'Carolan 1670-1738 Digipack

Description

During a dark period in Irish history, Turlough O'Carolan brought a renewal to the music of his country, a kind of mischievous joy that seemed to have been lacking before, and here and there a little ray of Italian sunshine. With him, the names of beautiful ladies and valiant men come back to life in the charm and grace of his melodies. Faithful to the tradition of the poets of previous centuries, he composed just as readily for the old Irish aristocracy, descended like him from the Gaels, as for nobles of English origin. A highly esteemed composer, he was welcomed by all the great families, who appreciated him not only for his musical talents but also for his cheerfulness and the faithfulness of his commitments. Famous throughout Ireland, he retained the friendship of great men in high places, among them the writer Jonathan Swift. In his pieces, three influences can be found: popular music, the tradition of harpists, and that of the Italian composers of his time. Numerous anecdotes report that he clearly had a very good ear and great ease in writing melodies, but never acquired the musical knowledge that would have allowed him to develop these gifts to the fullest. Turlough O'Carolan left no score of his music. A few of his pieces were published during his lifetime in Dublin, and his son, also a harpist, took part in another edition in 1748 which, unfortunately, has come down to us only in a very incomplete form. It is therefore essentially through tradition that his some 214 pieces have reached us in the form of simple melodic lines. O'Carolan's music is light, compared with that of the great composers of his time, yet it has a strong, immediately recognizable personality and remains an astonishing and original achievement. Bridging the gap between learned music and Gaelic popular music, Turlough O'Carolan is in this respect considered the Irish national composer.