medieval – Friends of Wighton

Historical Gaelic harp come and try!

3rd September 2016 simonchadwick clarsach, dundee, Gaelic, harp, medieval, music, open day, Scottish, Simon Chadwick, traditional, workshop

Historical Gaelic harp come and try!

Sat 10th September, 2pm,

Come and have a go at playing a medieval clarsach, in Dundee’s Wighton Centre, upstairs in the Central Library.

The old Gaelic harp of Scotland and Ireland is very different and much more ancient than the modern clarsach or Celtic harp you might be more familiar with. The ancient clarsach was shared between Ireland and Scotland from medieval times down to the 18th century.

The best known examples are iconic museum exhibits: the famous Brian Boru harp displayed in Trinity College Dublin, and the beautiful Queen Mary harp in the National Museum in Edinburgh. The Brian Boru harp is shown on the Guinness label!

Historical Gaelic harps are rare, and are hardly ever heard nowadays. Simon Chadwick is a historical musician and a leading authority in the old Scottish and Irish harp traditions, and he will bring beautiful historic replicas of the ancient harps into Dundee for this come-and-try session.

Simon, an inspiring teacher, leads a regular harp class in the Wighton Centre in Dundee, and there are now spaces for new participants and harps available to rent. So come along on Saturday 10th to explore the oldest strands of Scottish and Irish music.

More info
https://friendsofwighton.com
http://www.simonchandwick.net

The Queen Mary harp – Scottish early music played by Simon Chadwick

7th January 2016 simonchadwick 18th century, cappuccino concert, clarsach, concert, Gaelic, harp, medieval, music, Scots song, Scottish, Simon Chadwick, traditional

For the first Cappuccino concert of 2016, Simon Chadwick will be in the Wighton Centre playing a selection of historical Scottish clarsach music using the beautiful decorated replica of the medieval “Queen Mary” harp.

The event will be held in the Wighton Centre, upstairs in Dundee Central Library. Doors open at 10.30am when coffee and newspapers are served, and the music will run for an hour starting at 11am.

Simon will play a selection of tunes associated with the famous medieval harp, from medieval variation-sets traditionally associated with the Lords of the Isles, who may have commissioned the Queen Mary harp in the medieval Hebrides, through to 18th century airs once played on the Queen Mary harp by the Robertsons of Lude, when it was preserved by them at their house near Blair Atholl in Perthshire in the early 1700s.