OVERVIEW
The story so far
Up until now, these articles have focussed almost solely on the relationship between the
harp style of Hampsey as represented by Bunting and the style of two pieces
representative of harp music in Scottish lute and Irish keyboard repertoire. As a result of
the correlation, provisional comment can be made on some of the ways in which Gaelic
harpers may have harmonised tunes during the period of these sources.
Generally, the picture is one of a melody-dependent bass line with occasional use of
conchords in either hand or between the hands. There is also evidence for a more steady
use of chords in the bass, for more pedal-like alternating bass accompaniment, and,
perhaps in a later period, for movement in 3rds and 6ths between bass and treble. For
brief periods, the notes of a tune can be sounded on the Gaelic harp in the treble with no
bass accompaniment, in the bass with no treble accompaniment, in both bass and treble at
the same time, or the tune can be divided up between treble and bass. Conchords are
struck between treble and bass:-
• by the use of 5ths or 3rds (with the tonic note of a hypothetical triad appearing in the
bass), or their invertions
• through treble chords (usually 4ths or major 3rds)
• through bass chords, usually octaves or 5ths or both but sometimes the major 3rd of the
tonic triad or a full tonic triad
All perfect dyads are usable, eg., C, B, A, G, E & D in leithghléas G. The harmony of
chordal bass tends to move very slowly in that chords repeated in close succession tend to
possess the same harmony. (With regard to the Féileacán, this might make the deleted A
dyads less typical.) Otherwise the chords are spaced further apart, although pairs of
harmonically contrasting chords can be positioned together on the turn of a bar (the up
beat and down beat) as in the Féachain Gléis and the Banks of Claudy.