From Erin’s Emerald Isle, vol. 3 (LHS)

                “This collection of Irish music is the third volume of three volumes of fifteen ancient airs each.  They come mainly from Edward Bunting’s The Ancient Music of Ireland, 1796, 1809 and 1840 editions, and Alfred Moffat’s The Minstrelsy of Ireland, 1897.  As a young nineteen year old musician, Bunting was commissioned to attend the festival of harpers held in Belfast in 1792, and to take down their music, most of which had never been published…

                The two previous volumes were arranged for the lever harp tuned in the key of F…Volume 3 is for harp tuned in the key of E flat…

                The selections are arranged according to key, beginning with E flat, all levers in open position…Four selections are in E flat, one in C minor and one, although three flats, has a modal quality of F minor; one in B flat and one in G minor, two are in F and one D minor, one in C and one in A minor, and finally two in G major…

                As in the other volumes, words to the songs are given at the end to give the player an atmosphere for the music.  They are not printed with the music because of lack of space and the fact that these pieces are not intended to be sung; they are instrumental transcriptions specifically for the lever harp although quite playable on the pedal harp… D. Owens

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