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Pauline Lerner

Music by O'Carolan for St. Patrick's Day

March 17, 2010 00:30

Turlough O'Carolan, the blind Irish harper, composer, and itinerant musician is one of Ireland's best known and loved musicians. He was born in 1670, and when he was 14 years old, his father went to work at an iron foundary owned by the McDermott family -- an unplanned blessing for Turlough. Mrs. McDermott was impressed by Turlough's intelligence, and she had him educated with her children until he was 18. When he was 14, disaster struck him. He was stricken with smallpox and became permanently blind. There were few employment opportunities for the blind in Ireland at that time, and most blind people became musicians. Turlough studied the harp for 3 years and then became a wandering ministrel. He stayed at the home of one nobleman after another, composing and playing his harp for the families he lived with. He often wrote songs for his employers, called Planxty (Name) meaning In Honor of (Name). Living among the aristocracy, he was exposed to Italian classical music, which influenced his compositions. When he died in 1738, he was well known as one of Ireland's greatest bards. (See this website for more details.)

Although O'Carolan wrote for the harp, his music is now played by many people on many instruments, including me on violin.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day by listening to some of O'Carolan's gentle music. You won't hear this music in Irish pubs.

Here is Planxty George Brabazon on harps and other instruments.

The next two are Planxty Irwin on recorder and then on guitar. I've found that this is a piece that almost everyone likes and picks up quickly. I always get some other instruments playing with me, and I have a lot of fun with that.

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A bit of good news about classical music in the U.S.

March 7, 2010 04:13

The news about classical music in the US is generally pretty bad. Major symphony orchestras are on the verge of going broke. Musicians are forced to take horrific cuts in salaries and benefits. The latest bad news is from the time honored Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, a bulwark of culture in this country. Now that orchestra is playing to 40% empty houses and the musicians are taking major financial cuts. This is especially discouraging because just two years ago, the Philadelphia Orchestra was paying its musicians high salaries and giving them good benefits.

Only one major symphony orchestra is bucking the trend: the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The BSO is also the only major American Symphony Orchestra led by a woman, Marin Alsop, but that may be a coincidence. ;-) I 've read that the BSO is attracting more concertgoers and getting more grants and donations. I have just learned that truth in a personal way. I bought tickets to a BSO concert series months ago, when they first became available and the prices were at their lowest. I recently developed a schedule conflict for one performance, so I looked up the rules and found that I could exchange my ticket for a ticket to another BSO concert. Because I had ordered series tickets at the beginning of the concert season, I got a very good price: $30 for the cheapest seat in the house. The first concert I chose as a potential substitute was completely sold out. My second choice concert was sold out except for two seats at $47 each. The one remaining concert had about 35 seats available at $47 each. I considered the sorry state of my budget and decided not to go to any of these concerts. Nevertheless, I felt happy that one good, major symphony orchestra in this country is thriving, and I can hear it live. Yay!!!!!

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