the army "was accompanied by a sorceress or witch, who prophesied that on the following Friday, the day after the battle, Argyle's harp should be played in Buchan, and the bagpipe should sound in Strathbogie". The chronicler adds, 'both prophecies were fulfilled". In Scotland, the harp appears to have been in use until the sixteenth century, and in Ireland until the eighteenth century. Indeed, the list of Irish harpers almost rivals that of Wales, though it may be questioned if the harp was ever as generally popular among the Irish as among the Welsh; or if it was, it is singular, that with the exception of Carolan's compositions, there are so few remains of its music as compared with those possessed by the Welsh. But, as Carolan died in 1738, and, as we learn that he was ambitious of imitating Corelli's style, his compositions can hardly be considered examples of ancient Irish music. That Scotland was indebted to Ireland, is highly probable; since the music itself and the manner of stringing and playing the harp, were alike in both countries; and, as this was not the case with regard to Wales, it is of itself sufficient for rejecting the theory of the imputed Irish origin of the Welsh harp. James I (Scotland) is said to have excelled in the use of many instruments, and, among others, of the harp. "He was richt crafty in playing baith of lute and harp" (Bellenden). In the Houlate we read of the 'Psaltery' and 'Citholis' (a kind of dulcimer), the 'Crowde', the 'Recorder' (a small flageolet), but not of the 'Harp', unless it be the one signified by the word Cithill, a quaint term for Cythara, a harp. But we are still puzzled to know how far it resembled what we call a harp'. "Probably the Highland music at first, as with all rude nations, was of a warlike kind; and the harp may only have been introduced in the course of a barbarous civilisation" (Robertson's Inquiry into the Fine Arts). "In fact", says Mr. Walker, "the Scots have never affected extraordinary skill on the harp"; adding, "their princes and nobility were content to invite harpers from Ireland". Yet another historian (Gunn) asserts that "Scotland surpassed Ireland in music". In one respect, Scotland has an advantage over Ireland and Wales; as the oldest collection of national music is that in the famous Skene Manuscripts (between the years 1615 and 1650). These, however, only serve to prove that the popular instrument at that time was not the harp; as the music was composed either for the lute or viol. Nevertheless, there are undoubted proofs that harps similar to those in Ireland and Wales, were known at an early date in Scotland. In 1640 a Scotch harp from Argyleshire was brought, by a lady of the family of Lamont, to the House of Lude, upon her marriage with Robertson of Lude, where it has ever since remained. Gunn (History of the Harp) says:-" It had been for several centuries the harp of a succession of Highland bards. It is thirty-eight inches in height, and sixteen inches broad. The strings, thirty in number, are fixed as in the present day, in the middle of the sounding-board. The workmanship is very good, and remarkable for its great strength. Another instrument, known as Queen Mary's Harp, was presented by Her Majesty to Miss Beatrix Gardyn of Banchorry during a hunting excursion in Perthshire. It has been kept in such excellent preservation, that one ignorant of its history would be apt to pronounce its age not to exceed seventy or eighty years". Queen Mary, however, though a highly accomplished musician, did not play the harp; her favourite instrument being the lute, at that time popular both in France and England. The history of Ireland affords undoubted proofs that the harp from a remote period was the favourite instrument, and that it continued in use until the end of the eighteenth century. In consequence of the rapid decrease of performers on the Irish harp, a Society was established for the purpose of reviving it. A meeting was accordingly held at Belfast, July 1792, when no more than ten harpers could be brought together. Mr. Bunting, who was appointed to note down the airs played on the occasion, has given an interesting account of it. Among the harpers was Hempson, a venerable old man, who attracted much curiosity, as he actually played the "wire strings" with his long finger-nails, a custom peculiar to the ancient Scotch and Irish. Another of the party was a Welshman, Williams, the description of whose performance is of singular interest as illustrating the marked difference in the character of the two national instruments; "the bold and martial tones of the Cambrian harp, contrasting with the sweet and more expressive sounds of the Irish harp" (Bunting's Hist.). Other meetings were also held in 1809-1813; but it was then too late, and "The harp that once through Tara's Halls The soul of music shed," had become a thing of the past, or merely a poetical idea. In the Museum at South Kensington may be seen a model of a very ancient Irish harp. The instrument itself is still preserved in Trinity College, Dublin, and is probably the oldest in Europe, if not in the world. In form and structure it closely resembles the ancient Scotch harps previously alluded to. The one in Dublin is said to have belonged to King Brian Borromh, in the tenth century. This, however, is hardly correct; it more probably belonged to the O'Neils, an illustrious Irish family, in the fourteenth century. Robert Nugent, a Jesuit, in the fifteenth century, "considerably improved the Irish harp. He enclosed the open space between the trunk and upper part, or arm, after the manner of a box. He covered with lattice-work of wood the open space, and then placed a double row of strings on each side". A harp of this kind is now in the possession of Mr. Carl Engel, and was exhibited at a lecture on "National Music", given by the writer before the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, in 1874. There were two strings for each note; they were very thin, and the sounds were as confused as those of a pianoforte without 'dampers'. Could this have been the kind of harp described by Bacon? "It hath the concave not along the strings, but across the strings, and no harp hath a sound so mellow or prolonged." It is highly probable that the sounds were "prolonged"; but it is difficult to imagine what Bacon meant by the word "mellow". This instrument must have been very inferior to the one of which Evelyn, in the seventeenth century, speaks in his Diary: "Came to see my old acquaintance and most incomparable player on the Irish harp, Mr. Clarke, after his travels; such music before or since did I never hear, the instrument being neglected for its extraordinary difficulty; but, in my judgment, far superior to the lute itself," the lute at that time being very fashionable. The Scotch and Irish harpers had a peculiar manner of producing the tones from the wires by their fingernails, which they allowed to grow long for the purpose. It is related of O'Kane, a celebrated Irish harper, who had travelled to Scotland, and to various parts of the continent, that he valued himself highly on having his nails nicely trimmed. Being naturally rude, he was apt to forget himself, and to insult his superiors. On these occasions, the gentlemen of the Highlands found that the best way to punish him was, to order his nails to be cut quite short, and then send him away, being thus rendered incapable of playing on his harp until they grew again to their former length. Another famous harper was Rory Dall (time of James I). He, however, was of a very different class from O'Kane. He was a man of good family, and when he travelled in Scotland "was attended by the retenue of a gentleman of figure". He has been immortalised by Sir Walter Scott "as the most famous harper of the Western Islands", in the Legend of Montrose, where he is represented as the instructor of Annot Lyle. In glancing thus briefly at the annals of harp-playing, our object has been to stir up the Cymry to a higher appreciation of their national music as expounded by the harp, and to induce them to cultivate an art so closely connected with their history. If Charlemagne deemed it of importance, for political influence, to write the 'chants populaires' of a nation, it can hardly be thought less momentous to stir up anew in the Welsh a love for their music and harp. That harp has, in times past, led them on to victory in their battles for freedom; it has made their hills to re-echo with glad songs of contentment in the days of peace. And are its tones now to cease? "Harp of the mountain-land, strike forth again, As when the foaming Hirlas-horn was crowned, And the bright mead at Owain's feast went round; |