Added: Jul 26, 2008
From: MarkHarmer
Duration: 4:2
Turlough O'Carolan was an irish harpist who lived in the mid-1600s and wrote pieces for the people he met and stayed with - playing music in exchange for hospitality. Tradition has it that the harp was played last thing at night, before people went to bed. The building I'm playing it in was a bakery built around 1790, serving the local houses. The bread oven is in the stone wall behind me, and the building has a new floor and triple-glazing on the windows. It's a great mixture of old and new and a great place to play this music. Appropriately, I recorded this piece very late one night, and just went with the first take so the playing has the odd rough bits. I like to think that's authentic - apparently Carolan never played the same way twice. Bet he never had as much trouble as I did finding DivX codecs, either!Only the melodies survive, so I've done this arrangement myself and I'm playing it here on a Pilgrim gut-strung harp. The arrangement and video is my copyright. You are welcome to learn and play the arrangement (by ear - I haven't written it down!) if you like it - but please credit me if you play it in public. If you like it, I'll post more music.To make the recording I used a Sony 3-CCD camera direct to hard disk, with one audio take, noise-reduced in Cool Edit Pro, with Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the visuals together. If you want a higher-quality file to download and keep on your computer, just send me a message.
Channel: Music
Tags: carolan celtic clarsach harp irish music o'carolan
Rating: 4.86 (815 ratings) Views: 171191' favoriteCount='1616 Comments: 423
adelfred Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - If the harp is tuned diatonically (like the white keys on the piano) and you play an instrument (piano) it should not take a long time. The # and b´s you get by a pedal. But I am not an expert, I just remmeber from my music class.
marylinks Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - but harp is like a "dead" instrument. i can't find a harp to play on, or a teacher to teach me
adelfred Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - You could try to go to a music store, they usually let you try the instrument.
marylinks Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - thx Erick. i ll try it...
spiritofwicca Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Lovely
susannafata Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Really perfect...this is hypnotic...
KainnK Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Fabulous! One of my favorite harp videos on Youtube. My new Chamber harp arrives in less than a week. I'm definitely learning this by ear!
BurnVillage Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Precioso!
sudhirach Says:
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REUYTYL Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - warm cuz cool, joy cuz sad
Arnalion Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Amazing!
DiscipleCross4Christ Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - x_x OBSESSED!!! this song is beautiful. My mom must learn how to play this! She plays the Harp. We have two. They are EXPENSIVE! o.o!
jonnda Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - This just proves that people have been playing variations on "stairway to heaven" long before led zeplin.
LUKEJAMESBARRETT Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - very nice- something before bedtime
coralarch Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Can you play O'Carolan"s "Devotion"? That's an unbelievably beautiful piece. And thanks for this one.
MarkHarmer Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Hi there - I'll look that one up. Not one I currently play but thanks for the tip - I'll see what I can do!Mark
coralarch Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Thanks, Mark. Please let me know if you do- I will certainly listen with ears flapping!
hagiaadrasteia Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - enchanting setting of this piece. I would be very happy if you would continue to post your lovely music. I play a celtic harp as well and will certainly try to learn this by ear. Thank you!
Myrddyn7 Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Tell me, does gut truly make a difference in sound over nylon? I, personally, cannot tell much of a difference, except that the gut seems to be perhaps a bit 'buzzier' in tone. Anyone with a preference that cares to tell why?
MarkHarmer Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - I would say you're right. There's not a lot of difference in actual sound between the two and the sound depends more on the harp design. The main difference is that gut strings allow you a much greater dynamic range - nylon simply won't play louder than a certain level without "twanging" (an effect used deliberately on Paraguayan harps). Nylon strung harps tend to be louder for a given amount of "pull" on the string because they have a lower tension and the harp can be more lightly constructed.
flanncada Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - According to Sean O'Riada the nearest sound to O'Carolan's steel strung Clarsach would come from a harpsicord. For me as long as it is a harp played beautifully, like this and unaccompanied, it matters not. It seems to me that only the harp can truly capture the melody. Somewhere on the net I read the rather bitchy comment attributed to one of his contemporaries/rivals that O'Carolan was a better composer than musician. So he might also love your playing
MarkHarmer Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - The steel-strung clarsach does sound a bit like a harpsichord, but the main difference is that it sustains for a very long time. Therefore, arrangements for steel-strung harp tend to have fewer harmonies and slower playing generally. I've heard that comment about Carolan - but then I think he was a composer first and a player second. And he wasn't always sober!!
FrequencyAndSulphur Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Very very nice. I'm going to have trouble getting this out of my head, might have to learn to play it on the Hammered Dulcimer. Question, though. Is your Harp Diatonically tuned? if so, what key are you starting in?
PsychoXQ Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - This sounds so amazing *_*
adelfred Says:
Jul 26, 2008 - Very beautiful.