I'm out of my depth here, but Capt. Francis O'Neill's book 'Irish Folk
Music' (1910) says the following:
"So many of the great bard Turlough O'Carolan's compositions were met with
in both ancient and modern publications that they were given separate
classification. Most of them were designated Planxty - a name which is not
easily defined. The term cannot be very old, as the word in any form does
not appear in O'Reilly's Irish-English Dictionary or in others which haved
been consulted. That it signifies lively music is the generally accepted
opinion..." (p.82).
He later (p.202) returns to the topic, in more detail, and offers an
abbreviated version of Petrie's definition, including: "The planxty is a
harp-tune of a sportive and animated character, not intended for, or often
adaptable to, words; and it generally moves in triplets with a six-eight
time, but the planxty differs from the more ancient jig in having less
rapidity of motion, thus giving a greater facility for the use of fanciful
or playful ornamentation, and also for it not being bound, as the jig
necessarily is, to an equality in the number of bars or beats in its parts.
The planxty, though in some instances it represents such an equality, is
more usually remarkable for a want of it; the second part being extended to
various degrees of length beyond that of the first".
You could contact the Irish Traditional Music Archives in Dublin to check
for a more up-to-date definition. I don't think they accept emails from the
public, but their website is at www.itma.ie
Stee Roud
----- Original Message -----
From: L.van Gool <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2001 10:13 AM
Subject: Planxty Kellly
> Dear listers,
>
> I wonder if there were ever words put to the tune "Planxty Kelly"?
>
> I know that "planxty" is a general name for a certain kind of tune but it
> isn't all together clear to me what it really is, is it a kind of jig, or
> slower, has it something to do with a harp?
> I also know that Petrie in his 'Ancient Music of Ireland' wrote about it,
so
> my OED tells me, but I don't have the book and cannot look it up.
>
> I would be very grateful if someone among you could enlighten me a bit
about
> this.
>
> Greetings from Antwerp, Belgium,
>
> Liesbeth van Gool
> [log in to unmask]
> "one bar of sunlight does them
> all january and half february"
> (FW544.35-36)
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