Na Píobairí Uilleann

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7 5 18 20111214 18 ~ From the Archive ~ ARIA DI CAMERA T HE MUCH REFERENCED but rarely encoun- tered collection Aria di Camera provides the tunes for this issue. The copy con- sulted is the one held at the British Library, which was once owned by Frank Kid- son and by Alfred Moffat. A note by the latter, which is bound into the front of the book, refers to the only two other copies of the col- lection that he knew to exist – one owned by Grattan Flood and another sold at auction in the 1920s – both incomplete. It is variously stated to have been published in every year between 1724 and 1731. It certainly must have been published by 1724 or later as some eighteen of the tunes in it were lifted from the Neals’ Celebrated Irish Tunes, which appeared in that year. It also includes a 25-page treatise entitled “The Newest Instructions for the German Flute”. As the frontispiece of Aria di Camera, and its title-page typography, is iden- tical to that of the 1731 published The Newest Method for Learners on the German Flute, it seems likely that the latter date may be the correct one. Of the remaining five obviously Irish tunes “The Dandling of the Irish Bearns” would seem to be a lullaby, and “Irish Lads of Dunces” has the feel of a waltz. The tune “Irish Lostrum Ponia” might be thought from the name to be a version of the familiar “Langstern Pony” but I can dis- cern no relationship. “The Irish Ragg” has six parts and is an excellent slide. It has been recorded by The Chief- tains on their album Bonaparte’s Retreat as one of a set of slides entitled “Round the House”. It seems never to have been recorded elsewhere, and the only other setting I can find is in Burke Thu- moth’s Forty Eight English, Irish and Scotch Irish Lamentation Aria di Camera 58

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