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A “history, directory and gazetteer” I came across in an antique book in the Google archives lists a number of London dealers in various items (Hardwood and Ivory, Herald Painters, Gunpowder Manufacturers, Gold & Silver Wire Drawers, Hotels Taverns & Coffee Houses, and a rather charming heading titled Instrument Makers – Mathematical, Optical & Philosophical).
There’s a recording of it on an early album made by David Watkins in England, which dates back to the old days of vinyl LP’s, but there was later a re-release of it on CD.
Welcome to HarpColumn, Christine –
You’re lucky to live in Scotland because there is a very exciting harp scene there.
The old harpers clearly played it that way too, though Fairy’s point about the “folk process” is a good one and is certainly true.
O’Sullivan points out that Eleanor was the last survivor of her family, and quotes the line of Carolan’s verse (in Irish) attesting to this, which he translates as: “Though there survives in this land / Only you of your kindred.”
What exactly happened to the Plunketts is not clear, and after extensive research he could not verify a rather lurid story printed in a 1916 collection of poems which says that “thirty persons of that family shut themselves up in the castle of Castlecome [sic], two miles from Robertstown [County Meath], which were destroyed by boiling water.”
O’Sullivan’s comment on this tale is: “I have been unable to get to the bottom of this.
I haven’t seen the arrangements you’re referring to, but if the piece is in the key of G, then A-G is very likely correct, because this is the melody Dr. Donal O’Sullivan gives in his definitive biography of Carolan, and he gathered the tunes from original source material – in this case the manuscripts of Edward Bunting, who collected the music directly from the harpers.
> It would be an interesting project to chart all WHC premiers and see which have sunk without trace and which have been played again.
Very good point, Tacye.
Bernhard, I am sorry for offending you – it really was not my intention. I was certainly not making assumptions – merely asking questions, because it was not clear how far these levers had been tested and proven, or what they sounded like. And those are fair queries to raise.
This is the first I’ve heard that they work well on a Dusty, which is helpful to know.
> It will take some time till they arrive to the first US harpmaker and
slowly you will have harpists working with them and they will give
infos.
I think that’s the way it goes…But – if these levers have not been tested by actual use on any harp, then someone is having to buy them in order to try them out, without a known track record or experience to judge by.
They look interesting and attractive, but in addition to the important question of their cost: What do they sound like (particularly in preserving the high frequencies)?
