Unit A: The Harping Tradition
Building on knowledge gained from study of the history of the Irish harping tradition and musical analysis of a selection of harp tunes, this module looks in detail at the role of the harp, and the harpers and their music in Ireland from the earliest times to the present day, with particular focus on the period 1600-1845.
Unit B: Collectors and Collecting up to 1900
This module surveys the work of the collectors of Irish Traditional Music prior to 1900. While looking at and studying the earliest Irish collections, it focuses in the main on the manuscript collections, publications and manner of editing of the major collectors of the nineteenth century. In the case of a couple of these collectors, some overlapping into the early twentieth century will naturally occur and is unavoidable
Core: Stage 3 Irish Traditional Music
Option: Yes – available in Stage 3 or Stage 4
Unit A: The Harping Tradition
• Evolution and development of the harp from the earliest times up to, and including, the present day• The Bardic Tradition prior to the seventeenth century• The lifestyle of the harpers after 1600, and their role and social status in Irish society• The music and performance technique of well-known harpers including a detailed study of the music of Turlough O’ Carolan• The decline of the harping tradition and the various attempts made to attempt to revive it, including the three Granard Festivals (1781-83), the Belfast Harp Festival (1792), and the various societies set up between 1792 and 1845• The role of Edward Bunting both in relation to his involvement in the Belfast Harp Festival and a study of the music he collected and subsequently published in his 1796 publication, ‘A General Collection of the Ancient Irish Music. His editing of the material he collected between 1792 and 1796 will also be looked at.• The harp from 1845 to the present day• Modes used in Irish music
Unit B: Collectors and Collecting up to 1900:
• Pre-nineteenth century collecting and publishing: this involves looking at various collections and their contents, collectors and publishers• Detailed study of the manuscript collections and publications of the most significant nineteenth-century collectors and collections (in particular Edward Bunting, George Petrie, Patrick Weston Joyce, John Edward Pigot, William Forde and James Goodman. Lesser-known collectors of the period will also be included. • Analysis of the methods of collecting in the nineteenth century, the various genres comprising the main collections, and the accompanying information of an historical and musical nature• Attitudes towards the material and the degree to which editing of the material by the different collectors resulted in inconsistency in terms of accuracy and authenticity
This module is taught through weekly lectures, listening, discussion and analysis.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 50 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 50 |