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O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 72

O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 72
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periodical Publisher
Regan Printing House, Chicago, 1913
periodical Editor
[none]
periodical Title
O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians
volume Number
1
issue Content
Famous Collectors of Irish Music 143as Paganini Redivivus. Another son, William Charles Levey, no less talented,also won recognition in Paris, and was subsequently conductor at Drury Lane andCovent Garden theaters.With all his accummulated honors this famous Irish musician did not disdainthe simple folk music of his ancestors. On the contrary all through life hecherished a love for the unpretentious melodies of the Green Isle, which he noteddown from tile playing of traditional fiddlers and fluters in Dublin and London.In the latter city he published ill 1858. and 1873, two unclassified collections ofThe Dan cc Music of Ireland, each containing one hundred tunes. Only in oneinstance, he tells us in a footnote, (lid he alter in the slightest degree the tuneswhich he obtained as above stated. Leveys was tile first work ever printeddevoted to Irish dance music exclusively.GEORGE PETRIE, L. L. DOne of the most learned and versatile of the distinguished sons of Erin wasthe amiable George Petrieartist, archaeologist, journalist and musician. Bornat Dublin in 1789, he was the son of James Petrie, also a native of the Irish capitalbut of Scotch ancestry. \Vhen ten years old George entered the school of Mr.White at which Sheridan, Moore, and several others of his famous countrymenwere educated. In due time he studied art under his father who was a talentedportrait painter, among the subj ects of his brush being Lord Edward Fitzgerald,Philpot Curran and Robert Enimet. The son soon became noted for his skill inwater colors, and was in much demand in illustrating works on travel andtopography, because his drawings were peculiarly imbued with truthfulness andpossessed that indescribable charm which has been styled feeling. It was whileengaged in this congenial pursuit that he acquired the vast fund of antiquarianinformation which enabled him to accomplish more in the interest of Irish arch-aeology than had been done by a single individual before or since.He became librarian of the Royal Irish Academy in 1830, was associate editorof the Dublin Penn Journal in 1832, founded the Irish Penny Journal in 1840,and was the projector of the museum of said academy for which he collected over400 ancient Mss., among them being the original manuscript Annals of the FourMasters.From 1833 to 1846 Petrie was actively engaged in the Ordnance Survey ofIreland, had charge of its historical and antiquarian department, and numberedamong his staff Prof. Eugene OCurry and Dr. John ODonovan, the translatorof the Annals before mentioned.The most notable of Petries numerous auti(fuarian writings was The Eccles-iastical Architecture of Ireland, Anterior to the AngloXorman Invasion, Com-prising an Essay on the Origin and Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland. TheEssay on the Round Towers, originally written in 1833, WOfl the gold medal andprize of fifty pounds offered by the Royal Irish Academy for the best essay onthe subject.Not less noteworthy were Dr. Petries patriotic services in another field ofendeavor. From his seventeenth to his seventieth year he was an assiduous col-lector of Irish Folk Music. During his sketching raids his mind was not altogetherabsorbed by the beauties and romance of the scenes through which he passed. Hepossessed a perfect ear and was proficient on more than one instrument. Wher-ever he went through the country and heard an ancient Irish tune that was newto him he carefully noted it clown, even sometimes on a sketch book page. In142
issue Number
1
page Number
72
periodical Author
O'Neill, Capt. Francis
issue Publication Date
1913-01-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians

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