Introduction to Ceol Mòr

Vincent Michaud about Ceol Mòr:
We have historical evidence that the Ceol Mòr, the great music of the Scottish clans, was played on the harp… We know about this wire-strung harp but the techniques and fingerings were lost to us.
A huge work of reconstruction and re-appropriation then took place with shining beacons like Ann Heyman and Violaine Mayor.
Two major sources permitted the understanding of the method of fingering/damping : the Ap Huw manuscript and its many and precise finger combinations, and the deciphering of the Campbell Caintaireachd manuscript by Patrig Mollard which allowed us to get into the oral-transmission system of old : vocables that contain both notes and fingering….

In this harp workshop at the NHM 2012 in Jyväskylä, Vincent explained the Urlar (ground) of Blar na Cuilin through the medium of its cantaireachd as an introduction to Ceol Mòr on the harp, and demonstrated the dithis, taorluath and crunnluath.

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