Fri 7th - Thur 13th | July 2023

Player Sessions

Medieval Dance Tunes (1 of 2)

Bill Taylor

60 mins

Level: All

Wednesday July 12th

14:30 - 15:30 GMT +1

Support Material

Must have appropriate ticket to download support material

Programme

Event Overview

The legendary three ancient strains of music – genntraigi, golltraigi and suantraigi – suggest that music had the power to induce a variety of effects upon the listener. Although these references from early Irish literature include supernatural effects, why shouldn’t we enjoy our ability as harp players to evoke joy, melancholy and sleep? Surely, dance music must be included amongst the joyful repertoire. We’ll examine several late-13th-century dance tunes from French and English sources, which aren’t necessarily ‘harp’ pieces, let alone pieces for wire-strung harps. However, understanding damping techniques found in the Robert ap Huw manuscript and in Bunting’s collections of ancient Irish music, and applying appropriate fingering, can bring these tunes to life in unexpected ways. 

Please download and print Bill Taylor's booklet Sources for Fingernail Harp Technique from Wales & Ireland  
https://wirebranch.wordpress.com/sources-for-fingernail-technique/

(part 1 of a two-part session)

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