this, Mochae besought the priest to hear his confession and pre-_xxXVII. pare him for death. This was done, and immediately after his soul passed to heaven, and his body dropped into ashes and bare bones. On this beautiful legend an ancient poem, quoted in the Festology, says: "For the gentle Mochae there sang, The bird from the heavens, Three Adbonds, from the top of the tree, rech, or Adbond, O'Clery's Three Musi Father Michael O'Clery, in his glossary of ancient Irish Adbond Triwords and phrases, gives the words Adbond Trirech, or triple triple Adbond, which he explains as a tune of music in which three explained parts are understood, namely, Gentraighe, Goltraighe, and Suan- in Michael traighe. These, it will be recollected, are the three musi-gloss as the cal modes of the ancient Irish, of which we have already said cal modes; so much. The word Trirech occurs in Zeuss' Grammatica Trirech Celtica, vol. ii. page 929, in an ancient stanza, which he quotes Zeuss as an example of the rhyme or assonance of ancient Irish versification. The author of this quatrain would appear to have been a student, pursuing his studies in the solitude of a wood or grove, or else dreaming or imagining himself in such a place, when he says: Dom farcai fídbaidae fael, Fomchain Lóid Luin Luad nad cél Huas mo Lebrán indlintech. Fomchan cpipech inna nén. Maraith sercc cein mardda Aitne a máeletan. [I was upon the wild wood's visitation, Melodious was the Trirech of the birds. 'T was my much-loved, long-coveted treasure Mr. W. Stokes gives part of this stanza thus: Dom 'farcai fidbaide fél Fom' chain Lóid Luin lúath, nad uas mo Lebran indlínech Fom' chain trirech inna ñén. occurs in Gram. Celt.; XXXVII. Trirech applied to a species of That there was known to the ancient Irish a species of lyric poetry called Trirech, may be seen from the following specimens of versification, found among various other specimens prelyric poetry served in the ancient Book of Leinster. This specimen stanza is quoted from holy Cormac Mac Cuilennain, king and bishop of Cashel, who died in the year of our Lord 903. It is headed: Lorga fuach, shown by a passage in the Book of Leinster; Cormac cc. irin tririg: In tóceb mo curċan ciar, for innocian nuchtleċan nán; as mo thoil féin air in sal: o thi oc techt for Lind Lond?—[H. 2. 18. fol. 19. a. b.] It would be difficult to understand why this stanza should be called Trirech, or triple, in place of Diablach, or duplex, as it contained but two quatrains, or eight lines; and we should have been in perfect uncertainty whether it was to the music, the quantity of the stanza, or to the characteristics of the entire poem, that the term triple was intended by the writer, if we had not found the matter explained in a perfect copy of this tract on versification, which is preserved in the Book of Ballymote. In that copy of the tract we find that the term Trinot exclu- rech, or triple, was not exclusively applied either to the music or the quantity of a verse, but it was also applied to a species of laudatory poetic composition in which the writer menof verse, but tioned the name, description, and residence of the person for whom it was written; and it was upon the circumstance of these three conditions being found in it, the poem was called triplex. If, therefore, we had the whole of Cormac Mac Cuilennan's poem, we should, according to this definition, have found in it the term Trirech sively applied to the music or quantity also to a particular kind of laudatory poem; the name, description, and residence of the person for whom he xxxvII. wrote. But, from the specimen verse here given, it is evident that it was for God, His attributes, and His kingdom, the poem was written. 66 quoted sings "For Ireland is". The stanza under consideration, as I have already stated, con- the stanza sists of eight lines, and will sing in two parts to the ancient air to the air of popularly known in the south of Ireland as: Ar Eire ni I would not inneosfainn cé hi", or, "For Ireland I would not tell who she tell who she is". An air also known as set to the words of the song of "Nancy, the pride of the west", and in Scotland known as that of the song, "Tweed side".(445) This leads me, however, to the consideration of another subject, which I must postpone to my next lecture. (415) See an eloquent and elegant discussion on the parentage, Scotch or Irish, of this sweet melody, a discussion provoked by myself, in Dr. Petrie's Ancient Music of Ireland, vol. i. p. 97. LECTURE XXXVIII. [Delivered July 15th, 1862.] (IX.) OF MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (concluded). The ancient lyric verse adapted to an ancient air referred to in last lecture; the existence of old lyric compositions having a peculiar structure of rhythm adapted to old airs still existing unknown in the musical history of any other country; many such known; there exists in the Book of Ballymote a special tract on versification containing specimen verses; the specimens are usually four lined verses; but they sing to certain simple solemn airs; these are chiefly the poems called Ossianic; the author has heard his father sing the Ossianic poems; and has heard of a very good singer of them named O'Brien; the author only heard one other poem sung to the air of the Ossianic poems; many other old poems would however sing to it. The tract on versification contains specimens which must read to music at first sight; three examples selected. The first called Ocht-Foclach Corranach Beg, or, "the little eight-line curved verse"; this class of poems written to a melody constructed like that known as the "Black Slender Boy"; description of this kind of verse. The second is the Ocht Foclach Mór or "great eight line verse"; this stanza was written to the musical metre of an air of which the first half of "John O'Dwyer of the Glen" is an example; description of this kind of verse. The third is the Ocht Foclach Mor Corranach, or "great curving eight line verse"; measure, accents, cadences, and rhyme are the same as in the second. Another specimen of verse from a long poem in the Book of Lecan; the kind called Ocht Foclach hiEimhin, or the "eight line verse of O' h-Eimhin"; the Ui or O prefixed to the name of the author of the poem does not necessarily imply his having lived after the permanent assumption of surnames; description of this kind of poem; this poem written to a different air from the other stanzas quoted; will sing to any one of three well known airs. The author does not say that these verses were written for the airs mentioned, but only that they sing naturally to them. That these stanzas were not written by the writers on Irish prosody to support a theory, as shown by poems in the Tale of the Táin Bo Chuailgne; e.g. the poem containing the dialogue between Medb and Ferdiad; musical analysis of this poem; there are five poems of the same kind in this tale. The author does not want to establish a theory, but only to direct attention to the subject. Antiquity of the present version of the Táin Bó Chuailgne: the copy in the Leabhar na h-Ūidhre; the copy in the Book of Leinster. At least one specimen of the same kind of ancient verse in the Dinnseanchas, e.g. in the legend of Ath Fadad, or Ahade: the Dinnseanchas was written about 590 by Amergin chief poet to Diarmait, son of Fergus Ceirbheoil; these various compositions are at least 900 years old, and prove that the most enchanting form of Irish music is indigenous. The author is conscious of his unfitness to deal with the subject of music technically; complaint on the neglect of Irish music; appeal to Irishmen in favour of it. No clear allusion in very old Irish MSS. to dancing. The modern generic name for dancing is Rinnceadh; it is sometimes called Damhsa; meaning of those terms. Fonn and Port the modern names for singing and dancing music; Michael O'Clery applies the term Port to lyric music in general; Cor, in the plural Cuir, an old Irish word for music, perhaps connected with Chorea; the author suggests that Port was anciently, what it is now, a "jig", and Cor, a "reel"; "jig" borrowed from the French or Italian. xxxvIII. Rennceadh fada, "long dance", not an ancient term; applied to a country dance. Conclusion. lyric verse air referred lecture; ence of old having a AT the conclusion of my last lecture I gave an instance of an- The ancient cient Irish lyric verse perfectly adapting itself to one of those adapted to ancient Irish airs which have come down to us in a form, if not an ancient primitive, at least nearly that in which they must have been to in last performed a thousand, probably even more than two thousand years ago. I allude to those verses of Cormac Mac Cuilennain, now almost a thousand years old, which sing to the air of "Ar Eire ni inneosfainn ce hi"; or, "For Ireland I would not tell who she is". I cannot, indeed, say that these particular verses were written to that particular air. I adduce it only as an interesting fact, that a fragment of a lyric poem, ascribed to a writer of the ninth century, and actually preserved in a MS. book so old as the year 1150, presents a peculiar structure of rhythm exactly corresponding with that of certain ancient Irish musical compositions still popular and well known, though traditionally as of the highest antiquity, one of which is the air I have named. I believe such a fact is unknown in the the exist musical history of any other nation in Europe. And yet in lyric compo ours, I believe, very many such instances could be adduced of sitions ancient lyric music still in existence, in minutely exact agree- peculiar ment with forms of lyric poetry, used not only in, but peculiar rhythm to, the most ancient periods of our native literature. It would, old airs still however, be the work, not of a passing notice here, but rather existing of a course of lectures in itself, to investigate the numerous the musical examples by means of which I think this connection of the existing remains of our ancient music with the earliest eras of country; our national civilization may be demonstrated. And the task itself is one which I should far rather see undertaken (with what assistance I could venture to offer him) by some master of Irish music as well as of Irish antiquities, such as our illustrious fellow-countryman, Dr. Petrie, than imperfectly accomplished in any such lectures as I, by myself, could lay before the public. We are by no means, then, confined to a solitary many such specimen of ancient Irish lyric composition, such as that which I quoted on the last evening; nor even to any vague deductions based on the chance analysis of such remains; for the Book of Ballymote, compiled from older books in the year 1391, contains a special tract on versification, in which specimen verses there exists are given of all the poetic measures known to or practised by tract on structure of adapted to unknown in history of any other known; a special versification containing the ancient Irish. Generally these specimens are verses of four lines only; so specimen that, if intended for a musical accompaniment, the range of the verses; |