This invaluable collection of Irish song is enriched by a 100-page preface and followed by 151 Irish airs arranged for piano, with songs' Irish names, authors, and dates of composition.

Edward Bunting (1773–1843), the first systematic collector of Irish folksongs, was educated as an organ and piano player in Belfast. His life's work fell upon him at nineteen years old, when he was commissioned as a scribe to notate performances at a gathering of traditional harp players in Belfast in July 1792. He was so inspired by the music that, aided by some of the harpers, he embarked immediately upon travels around northwest Ireland to collect some of the old songs already close to disappearing. He published his first collection of Irish music four years later. In that volume and two later ones, he published almost 300 airs—some of them, according to tradition, dating as far back as the tenth century—and practically single-handedly rescued his country's ancient music from oblivion. The present collection, the last of Bunting's three such gatherings, contains 151 Irish airs arranged for piano, with the Irish names of the airs, their authors, and (where known) their dates of composition. Hard to find elsewhere, this is an indispensable book not only for students or lovers of Irish music, but also for students of general music history.

Contains all of Petrie's original text, including song texts in Irish and English; the melodies; and his introduction. The text is prefaced with a biographical essay, which positions the collection in the context of Petrie's life and work, and within the broader field of Irish traditional music. The piano accompaniments written by Petrie's daughter, which were included in the original collection have been removed; instead melodies have been restored back to the form in which Petrie originally notated them.

From the hopeful anticipation of Mary, do you fancy me? to the bitterness of Hag, you've killed me, this extraordinary compilation of Irish melodies runs the emotional gamut, with melancholy airs and sprightly reels aplenty. Its source material, The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, ranks among the most important 19th-century collections of traditional Irish music, with its song texts in both Irish and English, plus George Petrie's detailed notes about the music's origins. Out of print for many years, the Petrie Collection became an extremely rare and much sought-after collector's item; this new edition will bring the cherished old songs into the repertoire of any student or performer of traditional Irish music.

O'Carolan: King of the Blind � Cearbhall�in: R� na nDall The Songs and Music of Turlough O'Carolan, by Chad McAnally. A collection of new settings of 33 pieces and 5 songs of Ireland's legendary blind harper (1670-1738). The music was edited from early sources and arranged in the style of his age for the Irish harp, for other melody instruments and three pieces scored for small ensemble. Includes five songs with his original lyrics in the Irish language with English translations of the song texts. Also includes an introduction to the composer's life and work, a discussion of the basis of the harp arrangements, a useful guide to notation, to the old Irish playing techniques and notes on the historical background of the pieces.

Contains music.