Report on the Harping Tradition in Ireland

3.5 Type of music played
As mentioned in the introduction to this report, diversity of repertoire is one of the
notable features of contemporary harp practice. This is reflected in the charts below.
The performance of traditional slow airs (song airs and instrumental airs) is a particular
strength of the harp and this is reflected in the choice of repertoire in Charts 7 and 8.
Type of Music Played – 1
Ir. Trad. airs (310)
Ir. Trad. dance music (287)
73.0%
78.8%
Music of early harpers (231)
58.8%
Classical (172)
New comp. (trad.) (152)
Song accompaniment (149)
38.7%
37.9%
43.8%
New comp. (classical) (91)
23.2%
Jazz (36)
9.2%
Chart 7: (Sample: 393)
Type of Music Played – 2
Pop/rock (33)
8.4%
Own Composition & Songs (20)
Trad. from other cultures (20)
5.1%
5.1%
Liturgical Music (4)
1.0%
Other (26)
6.6%
Chart 8: (Sample: 393)
Irish traditional dance music (reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, slides, etc.) is particularly
suited to the Irish lever harp, and the instrument’s popularity means this repertoire is
the second most popular.
The importance of the repertoire of the early Irish harpers to contemporary harpers can
also be seen in the charts, as can the significance of classical music repertoire.
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