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O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 69

O'Neill - Irish Minstrels and Musicians, Volume 1, Issue 1, Page 69
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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 i 1 Ausie 137CHAPTER XIVFAMOUS COLLECTORS OF IRISH MUSICLOVE of music for its own sake is invariably the inspiring motive which promptsand sustains the musical antiquarian, or collector of Folk Music in every age, andin every country. Like the benefactors of their race who have devoted their livesand even their fortunes to the acquirement d f rare manuscripts, historical docu-ments, and other interesting things, collectors of folk lore, and Folk Music, are allenthusiasts in their chosen subjects.Affected no doubt by the tragic vicissitudes of their country, the Irish didnot begin the work of collecting the melodies of Erin until long after the Englishand Scotch had invaded the field, and incorporated many stray Irish tunes intheir publications.As early as 1594 a manuscript collection of music, including several Irish airs,was compiled by \Villiam Ballet, a Dublin actor. In musical bibliography it isknown as Williatn Ballets Lute Book, and is preserved in Trinity Collega Library.Although many musical work-s were printed in England in the first half ofthe seventeenth century it was not until i 6 o that any great collection of musicwithout words was undertaken. From that date and for seventy-five years there-after various editions more or less enlarged of The English Dancing Master,commonly called Play fords Dancing Master, continued to come from the press,among the contents being not a few Irish tunes.The same English publisher, John Playford, compiled and published in i oothe first collection of Scotch music consisting of but sixteen pages and of whichthere is known to exist but one copy.Though the subject of Music Collections has been dealt with at some lengthin Chapters XII and XIII of Irish Folk Music: A Fascinating Hobby, the occasionseems opportune to present brief biographies of certain collectors whose conspicu-ous labors in the line of original research can never be too highly appreciated. Infact theirs were the storehouses from which many minor collectors and publishersfreely helped themselves.JOHN AND \VILLIA r NEALEThe first music publishers of any note in Dublin were John and WilliamNeale, father and son, and it is recorded, they played an important part in mattersmusical in their day, even to tIle extent of managing most of the entertainmentsin the city. The elder Neale or ONeillas the surname was sometimes referredto, was in 1723 connected with a musical club which afterwards developed into avery important musical association.Their meeting place was at a tavern at Christs Church Yard. and it is worthyof note that it was at this location the Neales published in 1726. (or 1720 accordingto Butiting) a little volume with the modest title: A Book of Irish Tunes. Aboutthe same time the - brought out A Collection of Irish and Scotch Tunes: threebooks of English Airs. and a volume of Country Dances. Two thin folio volumesof songs and airs from the Beggars Opera which abounded with Irish airs fol-136lowed in 1729, but their special claim to distinction in this connection lies in thefact that they were the pioneer collectors and publishers of Irish music.The Neales were also the builders of the Musick Hall in Fishamble streetopened in 1741, and in which Handel conducted his first public performance inDublin.John Neale died before this event, but the son, William, survived to anadvanced age, the date of his death occurring in the year 1769. Musical taste andtalent persisted in the family for Williams son, Dr. John Neale, became the bestamateur violinist of Dublin.BURK THUMOTHAfter the Neales, Neills, or OXeills, as the - w-ere variously called, the nextcollector of prominence was Burk Thumoth, whose fame rests on his two cele-brated collections, Twelve Scotch, and Twelve Irish Airs, with variations, etc.,and Twelve English, and Twelvc Irish A irs, with variations, etc., published aboutthe years 1742 and 1745 respectively. Both volumes are Set for the GermanFlute, Violin or Harpsichord.No details of Thumoths life are available except that he was an Irishmanand a famous performer on the flute.In his third olunie Bunting refers to Burk Thumoths Collection of IrishTunes as having been published about 1725. That this date is much too early isclearly set forth in Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians. On the title pageof the first edition it is stated that they were printed for John Simpson, but itappears that Simpson (lid not engage in the publishing business until long afterthat date. Again James Oswalds two collections of Curious Scots Tunes areadvertised on the title page of Thumoths first Book. Yet Oswalds volumeswere not printed before 1742.Omitting the date of publication, formerly a common practice, still prevails,but less frequently, hence the discrepancies which naturally arise.0 FARRELLA celebrated Irish piper. first name unknown, who flourished in the latterpart of the eighteenth and first part of the nineteenth centuries, must be reckonedas one of the most famous collectors of Irish niusic, but being listed among thenotables of his profession in Chapter XIX further reference to him in thisconnection is unnecessary.EDWARD BUNTINGThe selection of Edward Bunting to reduce to musical notation the tunesplayed at the Belfast Harp Festival in 1792 immortalized his name and gave histalents that trend which eventually led to such important results. To this circum-stance, probably, he owes the preservation of his name from the oblivion whichwas the fate of most of his professional contemporaries.Edward Bunting was born in the town of Armagh in 1773. his mother beingthe daughter of an Irish piper named Quinn. whose ancestor, Patrick GraunaOQuinn, lost his life in the rising of 1641. His father -as an English miningengineer from Derbyshire, who came to Ireland to open a coal mine in countyTyrone. The three Bunting brothers. Anthony. John and Edward, studied musicat Armagh aiid became professional organists. Contrary to the general belief that
issue Number
1
page Number
69
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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