Notes & Narratives – Nicolas Brown

Nicolas Brown: “The Music of Oscar & Malvina – as played by O’Farrell”

Notes & Narratives will take place at Na Píobairí Uilleann, 15 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1, starting at 8:30pm on Thursday 21st November 2024. Admission is €10 (unwaged / student / retired €5). For those unable to attend in person, it will also be live streamed for free through our channel NPU-TV.

In London, during the first decade of the nineteenth century, P O’Farrell, an Irish piper, was extremely busy. He was performing in the “ballet pantomime” Oscar & Malvina at one of the city’s most prestigious venues and advertising in leading newspapers as a teacher and pipe maker, offering instruction for “Gentlemen to play on the pipes genteelly in five weeks”.

O’Farrell was also active in music publishing. O’Farrell’s Collection of National Irish Music for the Union Pipes and Pocket Companion for the Irish or Union Pipes were both published at this time and these collections continue to capture the imagination of uilleann pipers today.

Nicolas Brown has been intrigued by the O’Farrell collections for many years and has developed a deep interest in the repertoire of early pipers. Over three editions of An Píobaire, in 2024, NPU has published a major piece of research by Nicolas into the music of O’Farrell and the use of the pipes in Oscar & Malvina.

On Thursday 21st November, Nicolas will perform and discuss some of the music for the Irish pipes featured in Oscar & Malvina. You can hear Nicolas’ piping on his 2020 recording, Good Enough Music For Them Who Love It.

Na Píobairí Uilleann presents Notes & Narratives – a series of monthly performance-based lectures on traditional music, song and dance by some of Ireland’s finest traditional artists.

Supported by The Arts Council.