Irish Harping, 1900-2010

This book provides a musical ethnography and a history of the Irish harp. It gives a socio-cultural and musical analysis of the music and song associated with all Irish harp styles, including traditional style, song to harp accompaniment, art-music style, and the early Irish harp revival. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Irish harp had a limited presence in Ireland, but over the course of the century, the harp experienced a significant revival with the subsequent emergence of numerous styles. Issues of transmission, gender studies, and identity are also examined in the book. The Irish harp is now firmly located in the musical life of Ireland - in art music, traditional music, and early music. Its present state is conditioned by its history in the 20th century. The book presents and analyzes both of these perspectives in relation to the Irish harping tradition. *** Examining traditional and art music harping side by side is sometimes unwieldy, but the author demonstrates that these two traditions have closely intertwined histories. This is an important book for any Irish music collection. Recommended. - Choice, Vol. 51, No. 3, November 2013