The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-01-04
STORY OF IRISH MUSIC.
Lecture at the Lyceum Theater by a
Catholic Priest.

Catholic Priest.
AT the conclusion of the harp recital
by Miss Josephine Sullivan at the
Lyceum thcater in this city on Friday
evening, Dec. 81, Very Rev. Joseph
Campbell, ID. d., professor of moral
theology and New Testament Greek
at ST Paul's Seminary. delivered the
following interesting address on Irish
Music to Il large and appreciative
audience:
'"rhe harp that once through Tara's
halls, the soul of music shed,
Now hangs as mute on Tarl's walls
as if that soul were fled"
Ladies' and conference.-the subject
Of my address. this evening. is the
Story of Irish Music This subject
has heard the liquid notes of the Irish
harp and when one knows that in Ire
land. today, the Irish harp is silent.
1t must be admitted that there is mus
ic in the harp, and that the very soul
of music is speaking, pleading. per-
suading in these sweet, direct, untram-
mellcil notes that reached our ears
within the past hour. 1t must be
admitted that the ordinary lrishman
is susceptible to the charms of music;
it must be admitted that the ordinary
Irishman is not fit for dark deeds, for
"trcasOnS StratagcmS and SpoilS.' be-
cause of the absence of music in his
soul. In the hour Of national con-
tlict, in the hour of suprrmcSt effort
and noblcSt purpose. in the hour OF
deadly conflict for those who are near
and dear, in the hour OF deadly con-
1lict for wife aud mother and sister
in the hour of death or victory, we
must admit. that the only nation in
history whicl, hoistctl music over the
head of its soldier was the nation Of
the Harp and the Shamrock The
Eagle and the Stars whisper to the
soldier aloft, higher, excelsior: the
Harp whispered to the soldier, name.
fame, song. immortality. Why then
has Il muSic-loving nation forgotten
the music of the harp? Why is that
harp silent that once diffuscd the
sweet strain of music through the
halls of Tara? What is the story of
Irish music?
In our enlightened age there are but
few things that we may believe and,
at the same time, escape the imputa-
ton of cretlulity. If we may yet be-
licvc the ordinary historian, then we
must believe. that when the people Of
Erin "camc from Il land beyond the sea
and DER the western MAIN they had
with them their poems, their music
ana their musicians: we must believe
that the national musical instrument
of Erin was the harp. The Celtic
harp is distinctly national 1t is not
the Hebrew harp on which King
David played: it is not the Egyptian
harp which the slave played to Cleo
patln to while away the queens hours
of cnnui; it is not the Assyrian harp
that might have been heard in the
banquet hall of King Srnnacherib The
Hebrew harp was Il horizontally
stringcd instrument. which has dcv-
elopcd into the modern piano. The
Egyptian and the Assyrian larps were
without front pillars. The Celtic harp,
the harp depicted on the cross of the
church of Ullard. dating back to the
ninth Christian century; the Celtic
harp, the harp of King Brian of the
eleventh century: the Celtic harp. the
harp of King Brian which is preserved
in Trinity college. Dublin; the Celtic
harp is strung perpcndicuarily it has
Il gracefully curved front pillar, it has
harmonious sweep of neck; the
Celtic harp has Il compass of thirty
distinct diatonic notes: the Celtic harp
is the thing Of beauty" which stands
before you. and the liquid, limpid
notes of which can thrill the soul
with the rapture OF music
The Celtic harp was the musical
instrument of the Celtic bard. The
Celtic bard was Il fortunate indiyid.
ual. LII public estimation the harpist
of pre-Christian Erin was very
much different from the Irish harp
ist of the twentieth Christian century.
The civilized world of today owes it's
civilization chiefly to the old Roman
law and to Christianity. In pre-
Christian Erin there was pre-
Christian civilization which was no
debtor to the old Roman law. The