Carolan, The Life, Times and Music of An Irish Harper

Originally published in 1958, Donal O'Sullivan's classic study of Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) became a musical and historical beacon for all those interested in Ireland's past and present. It is an indispensible tool for Irish musicians, who through this remarkable volume of research can go beyond the music itself, and engross themselves in the colorful world of this unique musician traveling in a still largely feudal Ireland of the 17th and early 18th centuries. This important book has been out of print for many years, but is available once again! It includes the melody line of all 213 tunes that are attributed to Carolan, as well as extensive annotations of the lyrics and when and for whom the tunes were written. The first 100 pages are a comprehensive biography of Carolan, including information on the Irish culture of his time. The Memoirs of Arthur O'Neill are another fascinating part of this book. O'Neill was a blind itinerant harper, born 4 years before Carolan's death, who attended the Belfast Festival in 1792. His memoirs give invaluable insight into the life of harpers in his time.This new edition includes an important new appendix, provided by harper Bonnie Shaljean, which features additional tunes and facts that have been unearthed since the original publication first appeared. 378 pages, paperbound