Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 110, December 6, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.Various
History
Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 110, December 6, 1851: A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc.
Various
Questions and answers -- Periodicals
_Bunting's Irish Melodies._--On p. 167. of the third volume of "NOTES
AND QUERIES," MR. STEPHENS, of Stockholm asks a question concerning the
_Irish Airs_ of this distinguished musician. As a member of the Royal
Academy of Music in Stockholm, I feel more than ordinary pleasure in
answering the Query of your esteemed correspondent.
Edward Bunting was born at Armagh in 1773. He claimed descent from
Patrick Gruama O'Quin, who as killed in arms in July, 1642; and it was
to this origin that Bunting attributed his musical talents, as well as
certain strong Irish predilections, for which he was through life
remarkable. His first collection of _Irish Airs_ was published in 1796;
his second in 1809; and his third, and last, in 1840. The first work
contains sixty-six native Irish airs never before published. The second
added seventy-five tunes to the original stock. This volume, like the
first, afforded a copious fund of new melodies, of which the
song-writers of the day eagerly and largely availed themselves. The
third and final collection consists of upwards of 150 melodies; "Of
these," the editor remarks in his Preface, "considerably more than 120
are now for the first time published, the remainder being sets much
superior to those already known." Bunting did not live to carry out his
plan of republishing his first two collections uniform with the third.
He died December 21, 1843, aged seventy. A copious memoir of him,
accompanied with a portrait, may be found in the _Dublin University
Magazine_, No. XLI., January, 1847.
EDWARD F. RIMBAULT.
_Colonies in England_ (Vol. iv., pp. 272. 370.).--In Vol. iv., p. 207.
inquiry is made about the existence of colonies of Moors and others in
different parts of England: I was not aware of there being any such as
those he mentions, but as your correspondent wishes to know of any
others which may still exist, I can inform him that colonies of
Spaniards are known of in Mount's Bay and Torbay. The latter, from
having intermingled with the surrounding population, have not now, I
believe, much more than a traditionary Spanish descent; whilst the
former, on the contrary, have kept aloof, and are easily distinguished
from their marked Spanish features. This colony is planted at Mousehole;
and, according to their account, they have been settled there upwards of
three centuries. Another account declares the original settlers to have
formed part of the Spanish Armada; and that after its defeat, they made
a descent on this part of the Cornish coast, drove out or killed the
former inhabitants and have ever since remained unmolested, and in great
measure distinct from the surrounding inhabitants. The nature of the
country in which they settled has, no doubt, proved favourable to them
in this respect, as the soil is barren and rocky, with thinly scattered
villages inhabited by a hardy race of fishermen.
H. L.
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