Analysis of metrical edition of notation
I interpret the spacing in Bunting's notation on p158 of MS29 as reflecting the rhythm of Hampsey's
performance to a significant degree and therefore conclude that the style of playing was not rigidly
regular. The reader should therefore view the rhythm of the metrical version in the light of the
spacing of notes in the original notation of p158. Anyone who has heard a caoine (or 'keening') will
know that the length of notes and phrases can be fairly irregular. If Hampsey was performing in a
stylistically comparable way, Bunting would have had difficulty in fixing a note as a crotchet or
quaver.
On the other hand, the relationship of my metrical version to the original ink of the first three staves
of p158 may show a fairly successful understanding on the metre on Bunting's part. It may be from
the fourth stave, when the piece moves towards its climax, that Bunting substantially begins to
neglect clearly indicating which notes are shorter than a crotchet.
At the bottom of p158, Bunting writes,
dont forget Common Time
ay 1234 is the cut says Dirty
Dutt
Relevant perhaps is the fact that Cumha na Damh-inse is also in common time. Young Edward
countered the advice of "Dirty Dutt" and attempted to realise this piece in triple time. As we have no
other scribbled notations and no evidence that he obtained Scott's Lamentation from any other
harper, Bunting's significant re-invention of the melodic material in his subsequent settings of it may
be attributable to or encouraged by his attempt to render it in triple time.
Many of the features seen in the Fairy Queen and Port Priest reappear in Bunting's scribbled notes
of Hampsey's playing. Both the notated edition and the printed version show a clear
pre-dominance of magadising (melody sung in parallel at different pitches) over concordant
harmonisation between treble and bass, unless there were a large number of non-octave
concordances in bass notes missing from the earliest notations. The tendency of the 3rd to
appear between the two hands when the melody note is the third note of a hypothetical
triad is only demonstrated in line five.
There are occasional chords which could be for the treble hand:
4th in the treble (glas: 1,3)
occuring five times at the same pitches
3rd in the treble (boilsgean: 1,2)
There is occasional use of a melody note alternating between bass and treble over two
beats where the note is first struck up the octave and then down the octave. At the end of
the fourth stave, there may be an instance of the note being first struck down the octave and then
up the octave.
Most importantly, there is no evidence of bass arpeggio chords at the end of each phrase,
such as those found in the printed version. In this respect, the notation matches the style of the
Fairy Queen and Port Priest.
1792/3 analysis
Cumha Bharúin Loch Mór