2 languages
Turlough O'Carolan
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Turlough O'Carolan was a blind Irish harper, composer and singer, born in 1670 in Nobber, County Meath, the son of a blacksmith. During the civil wars his family lost its estates and moved in 1684 to County Roscommon, where the MacDermot Roe family took them in. Mrs MacDermot Roe saw to his education. At eighteen he lost his sight to smallpox. She then had him apprenticed to a good harper. At twenty-one he was given a horse and a guide and set out across Ireland to write songs for patrons.
Music and breakthrough
For almost fifty years he travelled from one end of the country to the other, composing and playing his melodies. He often wrote the melody first, on horseback along the way, and added the words later. Many pieces are called planxty, a word he probably coined or popularised for a tribute to a generous host. Usually he dedicated a song to a particular patron, and in return he was received as an honoured guest. Because he did not speak much English, he wrote only one song in English, Carolan's Devotion. About a third of his surviving music has Irish words.
Influence
His music shows the influence of the classical music of the Continent, while pieces such as Farewell to Music reveal a much older, Gaelic harp style. Some therefore call him the national composer of Ireland. Modern musicians have often adapted his repertoire to the jigs and reels of today. He died in 1738.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1980Carolan's Receipt
- 1996Carolan’s Harp
- 2016Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738)
- ?Celtic Harp, Vol. I: The Music of Turlough O'carolan
Mentioned in other articles
- Irish traditional music Genre
Around 1700 the blind harpist Turlough O'Carolan travelled from one Irish noble family to another and wrote melodies for them.