A Collection of Gaelic Songs

Compiled by Fionn (Henry Whyte)

(Parts 1-4)

Editor: Trueman Matheson

Music Editor: Aindrias Hirt
Gaelic and Music Advisor: Catriona Parsons

RoimhRdhPreface

When Trueman Matheson, the editor of Sol Cultural Enterprises, approached me to

musicallyeditTheCelticLyre,Iwasratherskeptical.Iwascurrentlyinthethroesofwriting
myPh.D.dissertationonthemedievalmusicalperformancepracticesofthenarrativesongs
concerning Fionn Mac Cumhail and found little value in resetting Gaelic music that had
beenpublishedduringthelateVictorianAge;Ifeltsurelythatthemusicwouldhavebeen
significantlyalteredtoconformtoEnglishandmainlandattitudesofproprietyandmusical
form.Iwasmistaken.
AlthoughIfoundthemusicengraved1rathercasuallyandnineteenthcenturynotation
sensibilities concerning musical time and key signatures followed, I noticed an effort had
beenmadetorenderthemusictruthfullyandnotdrasticallyalterittomakeitseemmore
likeWesternEuropeanartmusic.Thisefforthadbeenhiddenbehindafaadeofpublishing
norms that the facility of modern computer applications2 easily dispelled. Therefore, this
currentversionofTheCelticLyreispresentedwiththosepublishingpoliciesremoved,with
theresultthatthemusiclooksmuchdifferentontheprintedpagethantheoriginalversion.
Specifically,therewerechangesmadetoorthography,metre,andkeysignatures.
Twocontraryperspectivesmotivatedtheformofthemusicalnotationofthiscollection.
At one extreme, there is an understanding that musical notation began and was used as
only a rough memoryaid and is inherently imprecise; on the other extreme, there is an
understanding that many people seem to desire to perform music notation precisely as
written. Yet, the musical rhythm is extremely flexible in one case and rigid in the other,
respectively.Whytesmusicalnotationfollowedtheartmusicconventionsofhisday;itisa
straightforward process to remove those handengraving conventions. The question then
presents itself: should the music stay as Whyte wrote it with an appreciation that the
reader would then know not to perform it as written, or should the music be rendered
more exactly, according to the way that it was actually performed? If the music is placed
moreaccurately,thenthereisanadditionaldangerthatpeoplewillconsiderthiscollection
tobeanauthoritativeandsingulardictateandthenperformthesongspreciselyaswritten.
I have taken the position that while following the written notation meticulously can
alter the music from how it would normally be performed, it is preferable to having the
songsperformedasWhyteinexactlypresentedthem.Whilethemusicnotationpresented
in this collection might make the music seem precise, it is definitely not so. There is a
tremendous amount of wiggleroom in the music, both in intonation and rhythm. One
mustnotlosesightofthiswhenattemptingtorealizethemusicofTheCelticLyre.
Therearethreeareasthatwereidentifiedandbroughtclosertoactualpracticeinthis
present collection: orthography, metre, and pitch placement on the musical staff.
Concerning orthography, the Gaelic spelling notation conventions of Nova Scotia, Canada
were followed. These conventions are more precise; therefore, they assist singers in
1Sheetmusicwasengraved,notprintedduringWhytestime.Copperplateswereetchedtoformthetemplate

fortheprintedmusic.Therefore,creatingmusicalnotationwasmuchmoreofanartthantypesetting.
2 Although Finale is a robust computer application, Sibelius was used in this edition principally because

thereisasolfapluginavailable(writtenbyJamesLarcombeandNeilSands).Formattinggenerallyfollowed
NorthAmericannorms;however,lyricspacingtookprecedenceovernotespacingtohelpGaeliclearners.

viii
achieving clearer pronunciation and also assist in translation. Concerning metre, the
notatedrhythmicconventionsoftheoriginaleditionsofTheCelticLyrefollowedaccepted
practices of the time. Those conventions can be contrary to Gaelic musical performance
sinceconventionalmusicalrhythmsmatchedtherhythmicpatternsoftheItalianorEnglish
language.Inhiscollection,Whytefirstpresentedstaffnotationatthetopofthepage,under
that solfa, under that Gaelic, and under that English translations. The musical rhythms
placedonthestaffseemtobeacompromisedesignedtoapproximateboththeEnglishand
Gaelic languages rhythmic patterns; the rhythms do not exactly match Gaelic language
patterns,recordingsofthesesongsatarchives,orastheyaresunginGaelicculturetoday.
Asmentionedabove,manypeopleseemtohavethedesiretoperformmusicprecisely
as written. Because of Whytes probable rhythmical compromise, Gaelic songs from his
collection are now beginning to be sung ostensibly to an English language rhythm. To
prevent this, an understanding of the characteristics of the Gaelic language that strongly
influence the rhythm of the music should be discussed. The most important is that the
Gaelic language has an underlying triplet structure. This lends the associated music to
being expressing in compound (having a substructure composed of triplets: 6/8, 9/8,
12/8) or 3/8 time. 6/8 time consists two groups of triplets (each triplet is composed of
threeeighthnotes,3stressisonthefirstnoteofthefirstgroup);9/8timeiscomprisedof
three groups of triplets (stress on the first note of the first group); 12/8 contains four
groupsoftriplets(stressonfirstandthirdgroups;stressisstrongeronthefirstgroupthan
on the third group). Unfortunately, in the past, art musicians often proscribed compound
time.4Itwasalsomoredifficulttoengraveandhardertoread.
Secondly, the Gaelic language might be seen to consist of two contrasting groups of
vowels(excludingpalatalandnonpalataldistinctions);onegroupconsistsoflongvowels
(indicatedbylengthmarkingsonthevowels),theotherofshortones.Vowelplacementina
sentenceoftenalternatesbetweenthesetwogroups,givingthelanguagerhythmalilting,
skippingquality.ThisisincontrasttotheEnglishlanguage,which,whilepossessingsome
distinctlylongandshortvowels,doesnotpossesssuchamarkedvowellengthdichotomy.
Whytes musical notation often made use of quarter notes (see Figure 1, below). This
wasnotareflectionofhowthemusicwasandisperformedinGaelic,butoftenmatchedthe
rhythmofthetranslatedEnglishverses.ThevowelpatternofGaelicisoftenlongshort;if
so,itshouldbeperformedasinFigure2(below).Therefore,themusicinthisversionwas
slightly adjusted to match the actual sung pattern of Gaelic. Native Gaelic singers would
intuitivelyknowtoperformFigure1asFigure2:

becomes:
Figure1

Figure2

Normally, musical notation only reflected the chorus/refrain (sisd) or first verse.
Particularly in Gaelic music, musical rhythm changed from verse to verse as the lyrics
dictated. For example, a syllable/vowel of one verse placed on a particular note may be
3SinceitisthoughtthatmosteditionsofthisvolumewillbesoldinNorthAmerica,thetermseighth,quarter,

andhalfnotewillbeusedinplaceofquaver,crotchet,andminim,respectively;also,measurereplacesbar.
4Forexample,HndelssongRejoiceGreatly,ODaughterofZionfromhisMessiahwasoriginallywrittenin

12/8time.Hndelwaspersuadedtochangeittocommon(4/4)time.

ix
longwhereasthenextversessyllable/vowelplacedonthatsamenotemaybeshort.Itmay
be that the first verse was performed as is annotated in Figure 2, above, but the second
versemayhaveavowelpatternthatwasnotlongshortinthesecondhalfofthemeasure,
butshortlong.Insuchacase,themusicwouldbeperformedasinFigure3(below):

Figure3

Asanexampleofthisshifting,considerThamornairaghille.Intheoriginalversion,
the music was written as the chorus (sisd) is presented in this collection. Henry Whyte
madeafootnotethattherhythmsshouldshiftbetweenthechorusandtheverses,butdid
notwriteoutthosenotationalchanges.Sincethetworhythmsweresodifferent,Ibelieved
that it would be far too confusing for the singer to see a particular rhythm but sing it
differently;therefore,theversesweremadeseparatefromthechorus,showingadifferent
rhythm. Yet, this was not enough. In the secondtolast measure of the verses, the first
versehasalongvowelonthelastsyllable(achil),butthesecondversehasalongvowel
on the secondtolast syllable (cta). I annotated this in an ossia (a small, explanatory
measure), but this would be extremely laborious to do for every verse. If the singer does
not shift the rhythm as needed to match the pattern of the spoken word, the singer is
performing the act of flattening out. This practice is most evident in waulking songs.
Because the requirement for a strong work rhythm is paramount in these songs, simple,
everyday,rhythmicallyfreesongsweremetamorphosedintoarepetitiverhythm.Thishad
the effect of transporting unstressed syllables to positions of musical rhythmic stress.
Althoughwaulkingsongshavethedisadvantageofchangingthepronunciationofasongs
lyrics,theyhavehadthebenefitofpreservingsongsthatwouldhaveotherwiseperished.
Thirdly, there is another feature of Gaelic music called the Scots Snap,5 where a
stressedinitialbeatismadeshort.ThistraitrancountertonotationalpracticesofWhytes
time.TheScotsSnapisratherdifficulttorealizeinnotationandalsodifficultforthesinger
toactualizebylookingatthenotation.ItwouldlooksomethinglikeFigure4(below):

Figure4

Becauseofthesedifficulties,IpresentedthisfeatureasinFigure3.Itistheresponsibilityof
thesingertodeterminewhenthispracticeisappropriate.
Lastly,sincethesesongswereneverintendedtobeaccompanied,thereisnoreasonto
establish and rigidly adhere to unequivocal rhythmical precision. In the Gaelic song
tradition, strict metre was never kept within a measure, between two concurrent
measures, or even between two verses. Indeed, the very concept of having measure bar
lines is foreign to the tradition. For example, again consider the song, Tha mo rn air a
ghille.Attheendofthesixthmeasureoftheverses,thefinalfeweighthnotesshouldnot
beperformedsoastokeeparigid,steadypulsefromthesixthtoseventhmeasures.The
secondtolast eighth note was placed roughly at the end of the measure; the following
5ThetermScotchisamisspellingofthegenitivepluralScots,soitisalsoknownastheScotchSnap.

x
eighth note acts as a pickup beat, with a clear rhythmical break preceding it. I used a
symbolthatsuggeststhispracticeofslightlyslowingdown(ritardando):

WiththeexceptionofMonigheandonn,bhidheach,6everysonginthiscollectionwas
placedincompound(or3/8)time.Ifthereweretwostressesperlineofpoetry,themusic
wasplacedin6/8time.Iftherewerethreestressesperlineofpoetry,themusicwasplaced
in9/8time.Iftherewerefourstressesperline,Iplacedthemusicin12/8time.Thislast
form can be confusing. So, if the music was performed to a strong rhythm or quickly, I
placeditin6/8timeforeaseofreading.However,thispresentsproblems.Onesignificant
problem is that a syllable that is only lightly stressed and occurring in the middle of a
sentencemightnowbeplacedonthefirstbeatofameasure.Thisimproperlyimpliesthat
thesyllableshouldthenbestronglystressedand/orthattherewouldbeaslightlift(pause)
preceding it. By placing the song in 12/8 time, there is no bar line, and the singer is not
subconsciouslyimpelledtostronglystressamildlystressedsyllable.
Theothercomponentthathasbeenchangedinthiscollectionfromtheoriginal,slightly,
isthepitchnotation.Thetuneshavenotbeenchangedinanyway,onlythewaythatthey
arepresentedonthepage.Byadjustingwherethemusicsitsonthestaff,thestructureof
the music can be seen more clearly. This difference is transparent, but the reader may
notice that the accidentals in the key signatures have been removed and small notes in
parenthesisadded.Thereareanumberofreasonswhythiswasdone,butafullexplanation
ofthismightprovetobesomewhatesoteric.So,briefly,therationaleisasfollows:
Firstly,theoriginalpurposeofanaccidentalwastofacilitatemovingthepitchrangeofa
songbyroughlyhalfanoctavesothatanysong/chantinanymodecouldbesungbythe
samegroupofpeople.ThesymbolusedonthemainlandforthispurposewasB7(perhaps
moving the key from C Major to F Major), but in insular Britain, F was used8 (perhaps
movingthekeyfromCMajortoGMajor).So,whentranscribingGaelicmusic,Fmightbe
seenasapreferredchoicetofulfillthisfunction.Secondly,transcribersoftenheardasong
beingsungandsoundedouttheapproximatenotesonanearbypiano.Theythenwrotethis
down and transferred any accidentals to the key signature, adding or subtracting
accidentalssothatthefinalnotematchedthenameofthekey.9Therefore,therewaslittle
value placed upon the key signature chosen; it was as variable as the starting pitch the
singer randomly chose. Thirdly, before equal temperament, different keys had different
colours.Atraditionaltunemightbeascribedtoakeysignaturebaseduponthepathosof
the lyrics, not because the actual intonation of that tune matched a certain key. Fourthly,
6

To be more rhythmically precise, rhythms were extrapolated from Whytes notation and then checked
againstrecordingsfoundatarchives.Iusedtheoldestrecordingsmadefromtheeldestinformantspossible.
This was the only song where I could not find lyric audio examples. All songs but this one were sung
melodically,lyrically,incompoundtime,andwithoutastrongrhythm.Interestingly,allsongswerealsosung
withoutornamentation.Thisimpliesthatornamentationinthesesongsisamoderndevelopment.
7Thissynthetic,manufacturednotewasconsideredsoimportantthat,eventhoughitwasnotinthediatonic,
Pythagoreantunedscale,itwasconsideredmusicaveraandnotmusicaficta.
8 This is discussed by Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland: An Edition Comprising the Three
Collections by Edward Bunting Originally Published in 1796, 1809 and 1840 (Dublin: Waltons' Piano and
MusicalInstrumentGalleries,1969).
9 Often, a pentatonic tune with a final note of G, which might be described as Mixolydian, will have a non
existent note of F added to the key signature (the note never appears in the tune); this makes the tune
appeartobeinGMajor(Ionian).Thissatisfiesartmusicnorms.

xi
therewas,andis,agreatdealofbigotryagainstGaelicculturewhichcanbedirectedatthe
cultures music. To defend against this and to be judged favourably when compared with
Europeanartmusic,themusicwasoftenmadetoseemmorecomplicatedthanitactually
was;thiswasoftenaccomplishedbyaddinganarrayofflatsymbolstothekeysignatures.
Variousmusiccollectorsandpublishers10haveespousedquiteanassortmentofmodal
systems to describe Gaelic music. I believe the most robust and comprehensive has been
annotatedinFrancisCollinsonsTheTraditionalandNationalMusicofScotland.11Usingthis
as a model, the music in The Celtic Lyre was moved up or down on the staff so that the
missingnoteswereplacedonF(F4)andB(B4)(seebelow,Figure5),ortheinversion,B
(B4)andF(F5)(seebelow,Figure6).Thexsymbolindicateswherenotesweremissing:

or
Figure5

Figure6

Gaelicmusicgenerallyseemstolackoneortwohalfstepintervals;therefore,sincethe
ecclesiasticalmodesaredefinedbytheplacementoftwohalfstepswithinanoctave,they
mightbeseentobeinappropriatetodescribeGaelicmusic.Theabsenceofhalfstepsisso
incongruoustothediatonicscalethatmosttrainedmusiciansareunawarethatpentatonic
(five notes per octave) tunes which lack half steps can be moved up and down the staff
from tonic to subdominant or dominant (up or down a perfect fourth or fifth) without
changing the key signature. Without Collinsons constraint of placing missing notes in a
fixedlocation,eachoftheseshiftsmightmakeapentatonictuneappeartobeinadifferent
modedependinguponthevariablemechanismbywhichthetranscribersetthetune.12
In order to minimize confusion, I attempted to follow Collinsons approach for the
pentatonic tunes in this collection. Furthermore, following Collinsons additional
instructionsforhexatonic(sixnotesperoctave)tunes,Ithenplacedthosetunesmissinga
noteoneitherForB.Whiledoingthis,Isawapatternoftriadsthatwasunmistakable.I
then moved those tunes up or down a perfect fourth or fifth (and occasionally a third or
sixth).Therewasnomistakingtheresults:thenaturalscaleleaptoffthepage.
Whatisthenaturalscale?13Itisaseriesofnotesplayedbynaturalinstruments.Typical
naturalinstrumentsincludebugles,valvelesstrumpets(suchasthecommon,woodenlur)
and horns, early hornpipes, and willow flutes.14 The latter was so important that Eivind
GroveninhisNaturskalaen15hassuggestedthatNorwegianfolkmusicsintonationisbased
10Tolmie,KennedyFraser,Reichenbach,Dauney,MacFarlane,Bodley,etc.
11FrancisCollinson,TheTraditionalandNationalMusicofScotland(London:Routledge&KeganPaul,1966).
12 Mode attributions are often determined by the pitch of the final note of a tune. With Collinsons method

supplementedbymyown,thetunesinthiscollectionhaveendingpitchesasfollows:C:54%,G:21%,D:13%,
A: 12%. Tunes ending on C and G comprise 75% of the songs. In the past, tunes ending on G have been
ascribed by transcribers as being either Ionian or Mixolydian because of the indeterminate pitch of the 7th
degree of the scale. The early Christian church banned songs ending in C (IonianMajor) and A (Aeolian
Minor)becausetheywerethoughttobelascivious.Possibly,thiswasanattempttoproscribefolkmusic.
13Thispatternofnotesisalsocalledtheharmonicseries.
14 Many people familiar with English traditional instruments would be aware that the tabor pipe, although
possessingthreeholes,usesthenaturalscale/harmonicseries.
15 Eivind Groven, Naturskalaen; Tonale Lover I Norsk Folkemusikk Bundne Til Seljeflyta (Skien: Norsk
folkekultursforlag,1927).

xii
ontheseljeflyta.Willowflutesaremadefrombarkpulledfromacutwillowtreebranch;
thisisfacilitatedwhenthereisalayerofsapbetweenthewoodandthebark,whichoccurs
inthespringtime.Afipplenotchiscutnearthelargeend,likearecorder.Extantmedieval
boneandwoodenductflutessimilartowillowfluteshavebeendiscoveredinIreland.16
It should also be noted that a bagpipes chanter is tuned using the just intonation
principle,17whichisamethodoftuningthatusesthedronespitchesasnodalmarkersfor
the chanters individual pitches. The pitch of a note played on a chanter is moved up or
downinpitchbyusingwax,treesap,orcellophanetapeinthefingerholeopeningsuntil
the pitch locks in to the drones.18 This process creates pitches that match the idealized
harmonics of the natural scale; chanters are generally not tuned in a mean tone, equal
temperament,orPythagoreanmanner.
The inclination to create intune triadic harmony for fixedpitched instruments, and
henceanequallytempered scaleinmainlandEurope,cameaboutduetotheexistenceof
natural instruments. Major thirds played on Pythagoreantuned, fixedpitch instruments
are considered dissonant (twentythree cents sharp); natural instruments play thirds in
tune.Therefore,itmaybethenaturalscalethatinfluencesGaelicmusictobe,asRada
putit,liketheserpentwithitstailinitsmouth.19ThestapleofEuropeanartmusic,the
unequallyspaced diatonic scale, forces a melody to move between whole and half steps.
This progression is the cause of why art music, which is based on the diatonic scale and
associated harmonies, constantly shifts between harmonic dissonance and consonance.
Gaelicmusic,whichseemstousethenaturalscale,issmoothandconsistentfromonenote
tothenext;itjustdoesnotlookthatwayonastaffsystemdevelopedforthediatonicscale.
After noticing what appeared to be the natural scale in the music of this collection, I
thenadjustedthemusicsothatreadercouldseethenaturalscaleifdesired.Thisprocess
alsomovedthescalehigheronthestaffsothatitisagooddistanceawayfromthesolfa
notation; this improves legibility. Slightly adjusting Collinsons structure to accommodate
thenaturalscaleresolvesmanyoftheissuesthathismusicalframeworkdoesnotaddress,
such as: why is the Gaelic/folk music scale often described as being gapped? Why is
almostallofthemusicthoughttobeeitherpentatonic(notmerelyfivenotesperoctave,
but devoid of halfsteps) or hexatonic? Why does the musics intonation not match the
equally tempered scale? Why do Irish musicians have a special expression, Fflat, to
describetheleadingtoneinmusicwhichisostensiblyinGMajor?
Itshouldbenotedthatsomeofthepitchesofthenaturalscaledonotperfectlymatch
thenotesofthediatonicscale;someofthosenotesarethe7th,11th,13th,and14thpartials
(wholenumberofwavesthatcanfitinatubeoronastring),whichareconsideredoutof
tune with instruments tuned in an equally tempered manner (how a piano is tuned
today).20 The 7th partial is between A (A4) and B (B4),21 the 11th partial is halfway
16AnnBuckley,MusicandMusiciansinMedievalIrishSociety,EarlyMusic2(2000),16592:173.
17ThebestresourceIhavefoundtoexplainvarioustuningsystems,althoughrathercomplexforthegeneral

reader, is Cristiano Forster, Musical Mathematics: On the Art and Science of Acoustic Instruments (San
Francisco:ChronicleBooks,2010).
18Infact,thechanterspitchisactuallymatchinganovertoneofthedrone.
19SenRiada,OurMusicalHeritage.Mountrath(Ireland:TheDolmenPress,1982),22.
20Equaltemperamentisatuningsystemwherethedistancebetweennotesofthediatonicscaleareadjusted
sothatallwholestepsareperceivedtobeofanequaldistance.Halfstepsarealltunedtobehalfthespanofa
wholestep.Therefore,allkeyssoundthesamewhenequaltemperamentisdoneexactly.

xiii
betweenF(F5)andF(F5),22the13thpartialisbetweenA(A5)andA(A5),23andthe14th
partialisbetweenA(A5)andB(B5).24Hereisthenaturalscalewritteninstaffnotation
with significantly divergent notes from equal temperament made bold (see Figure 7,
below).Arrowspointinthedirectionthatthenaturalscalenotesoundsincomparisonto
thewrittenstaffnotation.

Figure7

IhadnoticedthenaturalscaleinGaelicmusicwhenIfirstwenttoCapeBretonIsland
ten years ago and heard older fiddlers playing at cilidhs. Fiddlers played between the
cracks(ofthepiano).The11thpartialwasespeciallyapparent.Unfortunately,itisdifficult
toshowthisnoteusingstaffnotation.Attemptingtoaccuratelyannotatethenaturalscale
using a system that was conceived to represent the diatonic scale is extremely difficult;
moreover,viewingthenaturalscaleonastaffimpelsthereaderwhomightbetrainedin
thestructureofartmusictoseepossibleharmoniesandmelodicrelationshipsthat,infact,
donotexistinmusicbasedonthenaturalscale.
Therearesomeproblemsinrepresentingthenaturalscaleonastaffthatwascreatedto
represent the diatonic scale. Firstly, the 7th partial is often written as B but is actually
betweenAandB.IfamusictranscriberlistenstoaGaelicsongbeginningandendingonC,
andhearsapitchsoundingbetweenGandC,thetranscriberwouldnotthinktowriteB
sinceB isnotinCMajor.ThepitchwouldsoundmuchclosertoAthanB.25Thereforea
transcriberwouldhaveatendencytowriteAforthe7thpartial.Secondly,the11thpartialis
writtenasF;itcouldalsobewrittenasFsinceitisalmostexactlyhalfwaybetweenthe
two. Also, you may have observed that there is a D4 in the diatonic scale shown in
Collinsonssystem(Figure5)thatisnotinthenaturalscale.Thisnotedisappearswhenthe
tuneistransposedbyaperfectfourthorfifth.
When the natural scales representation on the diatonic staff is adjusted with these
concernsinmind,thefollowingresults(seeFigure8,below):

Figure8

21

The 7th partial is 69 cents sharper than an equally tempered A and 31 cents flatter than an equally
temperedB.Thereare100centsinanequallytemperedhalfstepinterval.
22 The 11th partial is 51 cents sharper than an equally tempered F and 49 cents flatter than an equally
temperedF.Thequartertone(diesis)symbolthatapproximatesthisisF .
23The13thpartialis59centsflatterthananequallytemperedA.
24The14thpartialis31centsflatterthananequallytemperedB.
25Onascaleof100,betweenAthanB,the7thpartialwouldfallon35;therefore,itisclosertoAthanB.

xiv
Itshouldbenotedthatthefirstandsecondpartialshavebeenomittedfromthisfigureas
theyareverydifficulttoplayanddonotappearinanyofthesongsofthiscollection.The
blacknotesintheabovefiguremightbetranscribedvariouslyupordownahalfstep.Some
ofthevariationsIhaveseenaredisplayedinFigures9and10,below:
or
Figure9

Figure10

Trainedartmusiciansaretaughttothinkintermsofoctaveequivalency,wherethere
areanequalnumberofnoteswithinanyoctave.Forexample,theexpressionspentatonic
andhexatonicareoctavebasedequivalencyterms.WhenanalyzingaGaelic/folktune,a
musicianwilllookforanymissingnote.Ifoneismissing,theanalystwillthensearchtosee
ifthatnoteexistsinthenexthigher/loweroctave.Ifthenoteismissinginalloctaves,the
song is tentatively designated hexatonic. The analyst will then look to find another
missing note. If such a note is found missing in a lower octave, but present in a higher
octave,thetunedoesnotmeettheoctaveequivalencyconstraintsrequiredforthetuneto
bepentatonic.Incontrasttotheoctaveequivalentdiatonicscale,thenaturalscaledoes
nothaveF4andB4,butdoeshaveF/F5(perhapsmoreaccuratelywrittenF 5).Therefore,if
the natural scale is the basis of Gaelic music (and European folk music in general), one
should be able to look at some tunes placed in Collinsons system which art musicians
would normally describe as hexatonic and find an absent F4 but an existing F/F5.
Significantly,thisconditionwasfoundtooccurinthefirstsong:MuilenamMrBheann.
In this collection of sixtyeight tunes, 46% can be played by novice (natural) trumpet
players(tentotwelveyearold/primaryschoolstudents).51%requiresomeskillandcan
beplayedbysecondaryschoolstudents.26Theremaining3%ofthesongsrequireagood
dealofskilltoplayonanaturalinstrument,althoughnotthatmuch,asIcanplaythem.The
3%consistsofthetwosongs,FuadachnanGidhealandAmfonn.Bothwerepossibly
createdonabagpipe.27Althoughthepitchesofthebagpipechanteraretunedusingthejust
intonationmethod,theinstrumentisnotlimitedtothelowernotesoftheharmonicseries.
A natural instrument must be played rather high in its range in order to match the
consecutivenotesofthepipes.Playinganaturalinstrumentdiatonicallyinahighregister
(called the clarino register by trumpeters in the Baroque musical era) is physically
demanding.
Is the natural scale the genesis of the Gaelic musical scale? In the end, Occams razor
holds: the simplest theory that explains the most tends to be more correct. Which is
simpler? Was the Gaelic musical scale formed by a shepherd mulling over stacked
tetrachordsandtuningalyrebaseduponsuchmathematicalconstructs,ordidhejustpull
26Asayoungman,IwasplayingasonatabyTorellionavalvedDtrumpetformyteacher,PeterVoisin(sonof

Roger). The pitches that I was looking at appeared as the pitches do in this collection. Unfortunately, I was
missingnotesasIplayedthepiece.Petersaidthattherewasnoexcuseforthis.HethentookhisBtrumpet,
pulled out the slides to their maximum extension, pushed all three valves down and, using only his
embouchure(lips),playedthemusic.
27Thesong,Aghruagachbhanailwhichusesthetune,Bithibhaotromstogaibhfonn,alsoseemstobea
pipetune,asithaslimitedrangeandisdiatonic;however,itiseasytoplayonanaturalinstrument.

xv
the bark off a willow branch, cut a notch in it and start playing a tune? Maybe he took a
fallen two metrelong branch, split it open, hollowed it out, bound it back together again
withtreesapandbark(thebasicconstructionoftheNorwegianlurasitisstillmadetoday)
andpuffedaway.Noonewilleverknowforcertain.However,currentinvestigationintothe
performance practices of medieval dn dreach poetry is beginning to suggest that music
played at a Gaelic chieftains court employed instruments that played a variety of
intonations. Bagpipes were tuned using just intonation principles; trumpets and flutes
played the natural scale; harps were tuned using something similar to Pythagorean
tuning.28 Yet, each instrumental group found ways of playing that allowed them to work
together. For example, in Cape Breton today, fiddlers play in one intonation system, the
accompanying piano plays in another. Since the piano players utilize open harmonies of
fifths and octaves, there is no conflict with the intonation of the melodic fiddle. The two
systems work together without effort. No one system is better than another. Much like
languages,eachintonationsystemhasadvantagesanddisadvantages.Thereisnoneedto
championoneovertheother.Eachoneisverdantandlushinitsownway.
Thesongsinthiscollectionwerealsofoundtobeessentiallysyllabic;thatis,forevery
syllable,thereexistedonlyonepitch.Inasyllabicsong,theremaybenumeroussyllables
onthesamepitch,butnomorethanonepitchforthesamesyllable.Ifonesyllableissung
ontwoseparatepitches,theconditionistermedneumic.Iftherearemanypitchestoone
syllable, it is called melismatic. Only with melismas are the notes rhythmic values
prescribedtobeidenticalfromonepitchtothenext.Contrastingly,withsyllabicmusic,the
lengthofanoteisoftenmadelongorshorttomatchthewayitisspoken.
In general, most Gaelic and other European folk songs seem to have been originally
syllabic.Asingermightsingapitchononesyllableandthenmovetoadifferentsyllableon
apitchperhapsathird,fourth,orfifthaway.Thesinger,overmanyyears,thenmightbegin
to slide between the two pitches, and an intermediate pitch might form (a neum). This
would not be a discrete pitch but a malleable one. As a possible example of this process,
considerthepickupmeasuretothefirstmeasureofAlltantSicair.Thefirstsyllableis
AonG4.ThenextsyllableisdolonE4.Anintermediatepitchperhapsformedbetweenthe
two pitches as the singer began to slide between the two. A transcriber might hear what
seemedtobeadiscretenotebetweenthetwosyllablesandmighthavepossiblywrittena
neum (two pitches to the same syllable) in the music. The note would be quick and not
particularlydiscrete,butthetranscribermighthaveguessedwherethepitchwas.Inthis
example,thereisanintermediatepitchofF4inthediatonicscale;thereisnosuchpitchin
thenaturalscale.ThetranscribermighttherebyaddanF4tothenotationofaGaelicsong
without being aware that his knowledge of the diatonic scale would be directing his
transcription. Therefore, the placements of transcribed notes in a neumic condition are
unreliable.
28 Harps were tuned to produce a diatonic scale. In creating G Mixolydian (called high bass or the flatt

key),harpswere tuned from G to Fusingfifths,octaves,andtwofourths.IncreatingGIonian(called the

sharp key or the natural key), harps were tuned from G to F using fifths, octaves, and one fourth. This
shiftingbetweenFandFcouldbeduetothepresenceofnaturalinstrumentspitchedinCplayingthe11th
partial, or bagpipes tuned justly and pitched in G, to match their leading tone. Additionally, the translated
expressionnaturalkey,mightnotrefertothenaturalmajorofG,buttothetuningusedtomatchnatural
instruments.TheharpstringofF/Fisreferredtoastadanleithghlis(thestringofthemidtuning).

xvi
Thereisanothersimilarmechanismatworkthatseemstobeslowlychangingmelodies
overtime.Inthiscase,therearetwostressedsyllablesseparatedbyanunstressedsyllable.
The two stressed syllables may be apart in pitch by about a third or more. In comparing
audio recordings at archives, I have often found that the unstressed syllable between the
twostressedonesisgenerallyplacedonthesamepitchasthefirststressedsyllable.The
pitchoftheunstressedsyllablecanbeimperfectlytranscribedsinceitissungimprecisely.
For example, consider the song, Dthaich nan craobh. Much like the song, of Alltant
Sicair,considerthepickupmeasuretothefirstmeasure.ThefirstsyllableisAonE4.The
nextstressedsyllableisfg(offgail)onG4.Thereisanunstressedword,bhi,betweenthe
two. Over time, the singer perhaps slid between the stressed syllables, causing an
intermediatepitchtodevelopontheunstressedsyllablebetweenthenotesofthestressed
syllables. The transcriber with knowledge of the diatonic scale may have subconsciously
heardanintermediatenoteandwroteanoteofthediatonicscalebetweenthetwostressed
syllables.
Almostallofthesuggestednotesinthiscollection(placedinparenthesis;thisallowed
the tune to conform to the natural scale) originated from the abovestated conditions.
There were only a few instances when a suggested note fell on a stressed syllable.
Generally,thisoccurredwhentheendofaphrasemovedtothefinalnote.Asanexample,
consider Moladh na Landaidh. On the final word Landaidh, the transcriber placed the
syllableLanonanoteonefullstepabovetheendingnotefordaigh;thisplacedthenote
for Lan outside the natural scale. This occurrence seemed to happen in groups; that is, I
noticed a few songs where this process happened repetitively and then stopped. This
suggests that there was one particular transcriber who had a penchant to end musical
phrasesinthisparticularmanner,notthatthesongswereactuallysungthatway.
Alloftheabovecommentsweremadeforthoseinterestedintheunderlyingrootofthe
formthatIusedinthisnewmusicalsettingofTheCelticLyre.Totheaveragereader,this
formistransparent,asitshouldbe.Thetuneshavebeenupdatedinmakingtheirrhythms
reflect the Gaelic language without regard to English; the rhythms now approximate the
waythatpeopleactuallysangthemandstillsingtheminGaelicsocietytoday.Themelodies
were not changed, but just set on the staff simply, so that they are easier to read. The
spellinghasbeenupdatedsothatitisconsistentandaidsintranslationandpronunciation.
Inconclusion,itismysincerestdesirethattheformatoftheworkpresentedherewill
betakenasapossibletemplateforperformanceandnotaprescriptivemandate.Thereisa
greatdealofbeautyinthesesongs,astheydescribetheyearningsanddepthoffeelingof
the universal human condition. Yet, they were created in the Highlands and Islands of
Scotland and their intent flows from the condition of the people rooted there. It is my
ferventwishthatthewordsandmelodiesinthiscollectionflowfromeveryreadersmouth
withthemomentumofGaeliccultureandtradition.

AindriasHirt
AmBaileMr(Antaiginis),AlbaNuadh

ClrInnsidhTableofContents

TaingThanks .......................................................................................................................................................... v
FacaltiseachaidhForeword.........................................................................................................................vi
RoimhRdhPreface..........................................................................................................................................vii
HenryWhyteFionn....................................................................................................................................... xvii
ClrInnsidhTableofContents ....................................................................................................................xix
1.MuilenamMrbheann..................................................................................................................................... 1
2.Ghruagachdhonn................................................................................................................................................ 2
3.AChruinneagleach........................................................................................................................................... 3
4.Bidhmigadchaoidh.......................................................................................................................................... 4
5.Morngeal,dleas............................................................................................................................................... 5
6.Mobheannachdort,aMhiri.......................................................................................................................... 6
7.MoladhnaLandaidh ........................................................................................................................................... 7
8.Thamornairaghille ..................................................................................................................................... 8
9.Gurmochrinnmidsgadh ........................................................................................................................... 10
10.Gunchrodhgunaighean ............................................................................................................................. 12
11.Fearabhta ..................................................................................................................................................... 14
12.Anrbhinndonn.............................................................................................................................................. 15
13.Tuireadh............................................................................................................................................................. 16
14.ranmulaid...................................................................................................................................................... 18
15.Dealachadhleannain .................................................................................................................................... 19
16.IstoighleamaGhidhealtachd ............................................................................................................... 20
17.Anrbhinnluinn ........................................................................................................................................... 21
18.Monigheanchruinn,donn ......................................................................................................................... 22
19.AChuairtshamhraidh ................................................................................................................................ 24
20.Senaidachilridh ................................................................................................................................... 25
21.LeisanLurgainn ............................................................................................................................................. 26
22.Soiridh! ............................................................................................................................................................... 27
23.ClachanGhlinndaruail .............................................................................................................................. 28
24.AnGidhealsaleannan ............................................................................................................................. 30

xx
25.Gurtrom,trommocheum.......................................................................................................................... 31
26.Citencaidilanrbhinn? ........................................................................................................................... 32
27.Dthaichnancraobh .................................................................................................................................... 33
28.Monigheandonn,bhidheach ................................................................................................................. 34
29.Miribhidheach ........................................................................................................................................... 36
30.Amfleasgachdonn......................................................................................................................................... 37
31.SoraidhslnleFionnAiridh ..................................................................................................................... 38
32.Dhfhalbhmoleannanfhin ...................................................................................................................... 39
33.Ancluinnthu,leannain! .............................................................................................................................. 40
34.Mochailindonng ........................................................................................................................................ 42
35.AlltantSicair .............................................................................................................................................. 44
36.Nalitheanadhaom .................................................................................................................................... 46
37.AntEileanMuileach .................................................................................................................................... 48
38.Amhaighdeanluinn................................................................................................................................... 49
39.Amfonn .............................................................................................................................................................. 50
40.Gabhaidhsinnanrathadmr ................................................................................................................... 52
41.Ealaidhghaoil .................................................................................................................................................. 54
42.igfhearachildualaich............................................................................................................................ 56
43.O,till,aleannan............................................................................................................................................... 57
44.Mochailindleasdonn ................................................................................................................................. 58
45.FuadachnanGidheal.................................................................................................................................. 60
46.Mirilaghach.................................................................................................................................................... 62
47.Aghruagachbhanail .................................................................................................................................... 63
48.Cruachanbeann.............................................................................................................................................. 64
49.Gillemoluaidh ................................................................................................................................................ 65
50.Eilidhbhn ........................................................................................................................................................ 66
51.Monigheandonn............................................................................................................................................ 68
52.EileananFhraoich ......................................................................................................................................... 69
53.Monigheandubh............................................................................................................................................ 70
54.Eileanache ................................................................................................................................................... 72
55.Cagarangaolach.............................................................................................................................................. 74
56.AnCineachan................................................................................................................................................. 75

xxi
57.CrodhChailein ................................................................................................................................................. 76
58.Cuirachinndleas ......................................................................................................................................... 77
59.Modhachaidh .................................................................................................................................................. 78
60.AileanMideartach ....................................................................................................................................... 80
61.Gaolantseladair......................................................................................................................................... 82
62.Sfheudardhomhbhitogailorm............................................................................................................ 84
63.Iorram ................................................................................................................................................................. 86
64.Donchuthaig.................................................................................................................................................. 88
65.Maraichenantonn......................................................................................................................................... 90
66.Moshiladdhidh ...................................................................................................................................... 91
67.ToirtmaghaidhriDira ........................................................................................................................... 92
68.Antigearuallach......................................................................................................................................... 93
LeabhraicheanFiosrachaidhBibliography............................................................................................ 94
TabulaGratulatoria .............................................................................................................................................. 95

1.MuilenamMrbheann
DonnachadhnamBlrMacaLeith,
Crogan,Muile

SeDohC |
s

Gusocrach

|
r'

Cha
S ma
Sil

|
r'
S mo
Cha
S tu n

:l
mo
mo
an

:l
mi
e
is

:s
le
fo
glan

|
m'
:r'

:d'
am
mi
a

|s
tid
chaidh
ghorm

rn
taobh
igh

: .d'
:l
tha
mi gun
Muil e
nan
shlios
mar an

:d'
mi
tog
Cha
D an
mi
tug
Do
ghruaidh mar

|m

|
d'

Sisd: Bho n
1. Am
2. Do

|
m'

SeannEhonn
Athsgrobhadh:AindriasHirt

|
m'

|s : :s
s gur
sunnd,
tha
craobh
Ehaoil ean,

|d' :
shil
ghaol
caor

:d'
|l
Muil e
cail eag
mheall adh

:
sgr
faoin
sgaoilt

:d'
adh
am
air

:f'
|m' :
gu
mirn
s nach
sgaoil
fo
aoidh,

:m'
|m'
:r'
dth
dhomh mul ad,
mhaigh dean bhan ail,
na
mar a,
taobh

|r'

:m'
ri
s mi
ann,

|s'
cirt
faod
chaoin

:l
nam
an
gach

:s
|l
tuill e;
bhar ail;
mhean gan;

mr
Chmh
ig

:d'
|r'
cruinn eag.
faigh inn
tan a

:m'
nan
mi
rosg

|s

:
|s
bheann.
ail.
ear.

3.Thasmuainenodhandrsdairmaire;
Chaninnismichchceannfthmoghalair;
Gedlaidheasmitrth,chatmhdhomhcadal,
Sdoghrdhgamsgaradhancmhnuidh.
4.Dochlmaranlonnamhlecamag,
Nachgreannachfochr,issodgacheangal;
Dodheudmarnadsnean,donach,daingeann;
Beulbinnaghabhailnanran.
*Although better suited to 12/8 time (four groups of three eighth notes per measure), 6/8 is used here since it is
probably more familiar to the reader. The next song, Ghruagach dhonn, is in the same metre but is placed in 12/8 time.
The lack of a bar line helps to make the realization more parlando (speech-like). Extra bar lines are added here to ease
the transition to 12/8 time. 6/8 time is used in lieu of 12/8 time throughout this collection whenever the scansion
proved difficult.

This is about half the length of a fermata; it is somewhat analogous to rubato, but the time is not stolen from another
measure.
The Celtic Lyre
Copyright2012,SolCulturalEnterprises

2.Ghruagachdhonn
Gunurra

Seann9honn
Athsgrobhadh:AindriasHirt

SeDohC |
l

Luath

1. Ghruag
2. Ghruag
3. Rinn

|
d'

Chum
Chum
Ann

|s'
Ghrua
Bha
Bhith

|l
Gu
Sinn
S bha

:l
ach
ach
mi

|d'
:
dhonn
dhonn
coinn

:t
do
a
an

|l
chdh
choinn
coill

:m'
gach
mi
inn

|r'
dhonn
cmh
g isd

:d'
ma
an
do

|f'
sln
caoimh
phg

:
|s
bhroill

gh,
riut

:m
ich
gun
gl

:l
ail
eamh
e

|d'
rium
rium
dhlth

:d'
a
gun
eamh

:d'
a
radh
eachd

:d'
a
neas
mar

|m' :
Mrt,
raoir,
cn,

|r'
ch
domh
9hg

|s :
bhin,
9hoill,
g,

4.Gunrobhisefallain,sln,
ChumachdhailriumDiMirt,
Iarguinmaignesmairsnealphrmh,
Smochiongridhdarreadhthu.

The Celtic Lyre

Copyright2012,SolCulturalEnterprises

:r'
Di
an
nan

|r'
bhroill
riut
ri

:m'
ich
s a
do

|s :
bhin,
choill,
chel,

:d'
mi
air
is

|l : :
thu.
each.
leam.

8.Thamornairaghille
CatronaMunn,
Muile

Seann<honn
Athsgrobhadh:AindriasHirt

Gumall

:r'
mo

|m'
rn

SeDohC |
d'
*

Sisd: Tha

|d'
S e

|
s

S mi

:d'
mo

|l'
dhr

:l
gun

|d'
sibh

|
l'

Fo

shil

|
d'
:d'

|s'
eadh

:d'
b urr ainn
chil
do

|l'
:
dhomh
dhuinn
lugh

|
m'

:m'
raidh
mo
na

:l'
gun

|s'
tig

:r'
am

|m'
<ir

leat

|r'

dhomh
cheist
bric

|
l'

dan

lead
siud

Note by Fionn: The song will be found complete in An t-ranaiche.

*AmoreappropriatetimesignatureTouldbe12UV,butitisdif<iculttoread.

:m' :
thu.

:m'
s mi
an
ad

:l'
ainn
ain
mo

The Celtic Lyre

Copyright2012,SolCulturalEnterprises

:s'
each,
Andeireadh

|d' :
bheann.

|s'

:l'
gun
s an
daich

fuar

:d'
e,

:l'
nam

|r'
ghill

:r'
ladh

:m'
a

achd

|m'
:
Shamh
e
blth

|l'

:
:r'
1. Oidhch e
2. O,
gur
3. Ged
tha

Nam
Fear
Cha

|s'
air

|
d'

|s'

|r'
:
m n

t ig

aod

|s'
:

r
bhidh
ghaol

:d'
ar
ear,
ann,

:m'
an,
ich,
ort;

|s

:
S truagh
S mi
S mi

:l
a
gun
gun

|d'
Rgh
sibh
sibh

|
s'
Air
Ged
Nan

|
m'

:r'
nach
ladh
ladh

chil

|l'::l'

|s'
a
ct
inn

ig
tha
saoil

ear

ear
an

:r'
mi
thar
an

robh
leat
leat

ig

|m'
:s'

psd a
m el ais,
saogh
al,

:l'
chil
a
do

|r'
dual
ruadh
bhuan

Chunantoisich

|d' :
aich!
ort.
achd.

4.ThaanNollaigtighnnasroirnn
Gedathagurbeagmoshrdrith;
Mfearnachfgadhannsachilmi,
Airchlnantonnuaine!
\.Sbeagashaoilmi<hnanuiridh,
Guntrigeadhtumichobuileach;
Marguntilgeadhcraobhaduilleach,
Eh<hsthuumamsuarach.

Although the above notation can be played on natural instruments, the simplified notation below suggests that this tune may be very old.

30

24.AnGidhealsaleannan
UilleamMacCoinnich,
InbhirNis

SeDohC |
d' :

Seann9honn
Athsgrobhadh:AindriasHirt

Gusocrach

|
s'

|d
1. Thid
2. Sel
3. Thid

O n
Cur
Far

:s :
gun

|l

tid

|
d'

:
Thid

:r
i
aidh
i

|s
leam
sinn
leam

:m'
tha
ar
an

|r'
daoin
cl
dan

:s

:t
air
aobh
an

|s :
leam,

: |m
i s

:s :
gun

tid

:r'

na
eal

Chunantoisich

:r'
|m'
fas an.
beann aibh.
beairt eas.

5.Ismuncirearannsanirsinn,
Semodhrachdtilleadhdhachaidh.
6.Chumsguntrrarmisesmannsachd,
Ntrnambeannnangleannsnangaisgeach.

The Celtic Lyre

Copyright2012,SolCulturalEnterprises

|s :
leam.

:
:l'
|s'
fraoch bheann,
chais,

dth
e,

sil

4.SgedabhiodhgachlnaShamhradh,
Chaoidhbidhtrnambeannairmaire,

NotebyFionn:GaelicwordsandmusicfromtheCelticMagazine.
*Amoreappropriatetimesignaturewouldbe12WX,butitisdif9iculttoread.

:s
i

:m' :
gun

Andeireadh

dol
ris
Gidh

:f'
nam
ar
thar

tr
tr
null

|
d'

|
m'

: : |r'
Leam

sa

|l

|
m'

:s
i

:r' :
|m'
leann an,

|s'

:f'
mo

tid

: |m
i s

Sisd: Thid

93

68.Antigearuallach
SeumasRothach

Seann fhonn
Ath-sgrobhadh: Aindrias Hirt

*

SeDohC |
s

Glmhall

:s
:l
1. S e n t ig ear
thig
2. Ged
an
3. Cha b ion ann

|r

:m
Rinn
m Mhg
A
sgead
Bhi n glaic

|
d'

:s
ail
ach
mo

Tha
Tha n
S a

:r'
mi
saogh
thrusg

:l
.s

sail
air
e

:
: .r'
|m'
:r'
o n
fo ghruaim
al
lom
leam s
an snuadh mhor

4.Ancoirealcelmhorairfeadhnancrcmheur,
Santeas,gubidheach,adrtadhstill;
Ancrodhairilean,santeasgansrach,
Snalaoighleilleasribhachddhuinn.

|
m'

|l
:s
: .s

:s
shel
thar chu an
thrusg an greann

uair
bu ghnth

a
le
an

:
|s

ua
fonn

uain

:r'
ach
radh
aist

:
:r'
|m'
truagh
dheth,
ghleann
ag
ghrdh aich

:r'
:m'
Mhleasg aich
A
tog
Cha
e
duill each
An

|
d'

|d' :
uall
Samh
m bh

|
m'
s a
us
air

|
m

|d'
a
mo
mu

:m
ain
e
mun

:m
uainn
mhor
leam

:s'
: .m'
luaisg
mo
bheann
le
sgth
na

:r
lead
chridh
sgil

an
mo
na

|r' : :
chridh;
lth.
frth!

:
:l
|s
dual aich,
sa;

trom
dhuinn,
cuairt

:l
: .s
dhMhg
thu n
shonn
am
bhruaich
a

|s : :
tr.
dhith.
ghlinn.

5.Antigeardualach,sacheannancluainrium,
Agabhaildhuanagchuanalbinn;
Treiseilairbrodalgumilismogach,
SmochneasdlWthMhilltenamhnghlaicghrinn.

6.Ansinbemilleasachoillsnablithean,
Sbhitathaichfsaichissgilnafrth
Lemigearluinn,dondthugmingrdhsin
AdhWisgmochrdhonadhMhgentr.

*AmoreappropriatetimesignatureQouldbe12RS,butitisdifMiculttoread.
The Celtic Lyre
Copyright2012,SolCulturalEnterprises