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Píobaire, An, Volume 1, Issue 3, Page 4

Píobaire, An, Volume 1, Issue 3, Page 4
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periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
Píobaire, An
volume Number
1
issue Content
(23)The dating 186066 indicates that the collection was written out while Goodman was a curate inArdgroom. They were evidently written at the writing desk or table and could,therefore, containmaterial collected before 1860. In fact this is evident from the statement in volume 1 quotedhereunder. It is strange to think Goodman should have refrained during the last thirty years ofhis life from noting any tunes. If he did write down any, the whereabouts of his manuscripts isnow unknown.The earliest volume (IV) is a twelve stave manuscript book in which someone (probably a memberof the family) had begun to make a collection of polkas, song airs and other pieces for the piano.Goodman utilised the unused spaces on pages which had been written on and all the blank pagesto write down over 550 pieces. He commenced his collection with twentytwo pieces headedJacksons Airs. Some of these tunes do not appear to have ever been printed but the vastbulkof the material, including melodies of Moore and the compositions of Carolan were derived fromprinted sources.The other three volumes (I/Ill) are of six stave size and form a set. They seem to reflect adecision of Goodman to become a collector in his own right. In volume I in which appears thedate May 2nd, 1861, Goodman writes:This volume contains nearly 700 airs, for the most part Irish ones, of everydescription, jigs, reels, hornpipes, marches and slow airs in endless variety.Some of the former I have copied from the Instruction Books for the Bagpipespublished by Messrs. OFarrell & Colclough and some from a collectionpublished by Levey; but the greater numberof these and almost all the slowairs have been set to music by myself from the playing of Munster pipers. Manyof these tunes have been taken down by others but for the most part incorrectly.I never saw any attempt at The Fox Hunt, that is An Maidrin Ruadh , exceptthe one I have here made; and the only version of that strange piece of music,Allisdrums March, which I have met with is that found in CrokersResearches in the South of Ireland in which the Laments are incorrectly andimperfectly set down. The version which I give, page 286, is that played bythe Kerry pipers and contains in addition to the March, the Gathering, TheBattle, The Shouts on the fall of Allisdrum and the cries, first that of the Mother,the Munster woman, then that of his nurse a Leinster woman, with the Lament ofhis wife, the Ulster woman and the piece concludes with the old jig, CnocananTeampuill which she is said to have struck up so soon as she ascertained that herhusband was really dead. I have given here many first class airs which havenever before been noted down that I am aware of.The Labour of writing has been rendered easy by my desire to preserve the musicof my native province which is fast becoming extinct; and should this work comeinto the hands of any one desirous of becoming a proficient on the Irish pipes, hewill have, without any trouble, a supply of suitable music which it cost me someyears to collect and set down in this form.My stock of Irish airs is by no means exhausted and I have no doubt but that DCV.I shall be able, in process of time,to fill an other volume of equal size with thisone. J.G.4
issue Number
3
page Number
4
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
1969-11-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

Píobaire, An, Volume 1, Issue 3

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