Na Píobairí Uilleann

Chairman, NPU

An Píobaire

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Two piping duets from Leo Rowsome THE HARP THAT ONCE ARRANGED: LEO ROWSOME LEO ROWSOME was fond of ensemble piping. His various Piping Trios included some of the best uilleann pipers of his day. But he did not approach this side of his music-making in a casual way. He thought out arrangements for the instrument, often in several parts. When I was attending his class in Chatham Street, he wrote out for me “The Gentle Maiden” in two parts, and would get me to play the second part while he delivered the melody with his usual relish. Two samples of his arrangements have recently been donated, and are carried in this issue. Both are tunes THE WEARING OF THE GREEN that would have been completely familiar to an earlier generation. “The Harp That Once” is Thomas Moore’s setting of the air “Gramachree” which he probably took from Thomson’s Select Collection of Original Scotish Airs for the Voice to provide the tune for his song “The Harp that once thro’ Tara’s Halls”. “The Wearing of the Green” is the air of a song associated with the rebellion of 1798. It became enormously popular after Dion Boucicault created a version of it for his 1864 play Arrah na Pogue. Terry Moylan ARRANGED: LEO ROWSOME

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2014-02-14T00:00:00

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