02: The Early Tradition

court music

—> stratified society

—> musicians were ranked

—> order of importance: poets - reciters - harpists - other instruments

public display of status of king

prais, genealogies

instruments belonged to nobility

insturment of the irish aristocraty

national instrument

earliest form: wire strung harp

melodies were through-composed

built on developing or recurring motifs

harp-bass echoed the melody in octaves

accompaniment to poetry

—> written by poets, performed by reciter+harpist

oral transimission

music associated with magic, spirituality, ritual

singing was referred to as chanting

associated with kowledge

induce laughter, good humour

induce sadness

for sleep, meditation

= epic, heroic narrative song

poetic form used to weave a narrative about the history of ireland

origin: middleages

nowadays: barely performed —> however impact on contemporary traditions

due to english dismantling of the Gaelic aristocracy

—> prohibited irish culture

instruments associated with gaelic elite disappeared or were modified in their use

harpers position in society was transformed

roles of reciter/poet/harper degraded

change in the function of music and song