sligo for all-ireland? - Comhaltas Archive

The Gift of Music and ProphesyTHE FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF THE HOMILY GNEN BY THAT WELL KNOWN SCHOLAR CANON CORKERYAT THE GRANARD HARP FESTN AL MASS IN AUGUST, 1985."It is good to give thanks to Yahwehto play in honour of your name, MostHighto proclaim your love at daybreakand your faithfulness all through thenightto the music of the zither and lyreto the rippling of the harp."(ps. 92 vv. 1-3)These are the opening verses of Psalm22 - which is a Song for the Sabbath.The motif of "to proclaim your love atdaybreak" is a recurrent one all throughthe Old Testament: and, very specifically,in the Book of Revelations, theApocalypse , in the New Testament.Dawn, or daybreak in the Old Testamentis always the symbol of rescue.And, when rescue seems impossible,the symbol of almost despair is that ofthe silent harp. Thomas Moor wasmerely echoing an ancient sentimentwhen he wrote "The Harp that Once,through Tara's halls" , - a sentiment atleast as 0 Id as:"Beside the streams of Babylonwe sat and weptat the memory of Zionleaving our harpshanging on the poplars there"(Ps. 136)But the " rippling of the harp" was alsoto proclaim Yahweh's " faithfulness allthrough the night", and Dawn was toherald the eventual rescue. As twoother psalsms, repeating each otheralmost verbatim, express it:"My heart is ready Godmy heart is readyI mean to sing and play for youawake, my museawake, lyre and harpI mean to wake the Dawn"(ps. 577, 108, 1.2.)The imagery of the harper with hisharp as prophet, or spokesman for God,is almost ,as old as the human race.Genesis tells us that Jubal, "the fatherof them that play upon the harp and or·gans" was only the sixth generationfrom Cain. In The First Book ofSamuel, he tells Saul: " thou shalt meeta company of pr9phets coming downfrom the high place,with a psaltery anda timbrel and ~ pipe and a harp beforethem; and they shall be prophesying."Later, when Saul himself became mentallydisturbed, he was recommended to~rnploy the harper destined to be themost famous of all time - David, soneof J esse of Bethlehem, psalmist andKing and ancestor of Our Lord. Andthus early was the therapeutic value ofharp-music recognised."And whenever the spirit from Godtroubled Saul, David took the harp andplayed, then Saul grew calm, andrecovered, and the evil spirit left him."And David, in his old age, setting upstructures for the liturgy to be observedin the great permanent Temple to be'built by his son Solomon ... .. ... .. .."separated for the ministry the sonsof Asaph and of Heman and of J eduthun,to prophesy with harps, and withpsalteries and with cymbals according totheir number serving in their appointedoffices ....... and of J eduthun, the sons ofJ eduthun, Gedaliah, Zeri, J eshainh,Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six, underthe direction of their father J eduthunwho prophesied with a harp "to theglory and praise of Yahweh. In all heappointed 288 instructors in the arts of8chant and church music.In what dJ,'d this prophesying withthe harp consist? The theme ofpraise and joy is predominant 'as is thanksgiving: "Give thanksto Yahweh on the lyre, play tohim on the ten-string harp.(Ps. 32, 2)"I shall rejoice, I shall praise you onthe harp, Yahweh my God." (Ps. Judica43, 5): " Sing to Yahweh in gratitude,play the lyre for our God" (Ps. 147;7):"I will play the harp in your honour,Holy One of Israel" (ps. 71 ): "Sing toYahweh, sing to the music of harps ..... .acclaim Yallweh the King" (Ps. 97):"Praise him with clashing cymbals praisehim with clanging cymbals. Let everythingthat breathes praise Y ahweh." (Ps.150. 3.5): The theme of thanksgivingand praise - of sheer joy, constantlyrecurs; nowhere more exuberantly thanwhen" David and all the house of Israeldanced before Yahweh with all theirmight, singing to the accompaniment oflyres, of harps, tambourines, castanetsand cymbals".(ll Samuel 6,5)But this was no secular seisiun -it was to mark the return of the Ark ofthe Covenant to Jerusalem. Indeed theprophet Isaiah has a strong warningagainst purely secular music (does itsound like parish priests you haveknown?)"Woe to those who from early rm mingchase after strong drinkand stay up late at nightinflamed with wineNothing but harp and lyretambourine and fluteand wine for their drinking boutsNever a thought for the works ofYahwehNever a glance for what his hands havedone".God, and his place in our lives, cannot be forgotten - is clearly themessage . All the emphasis so farhas been on God's role as Lordand King. There is also his roleas Rescuer or Saviour - the breaker of