Dominick, Whisperings of the Wire-Strung Irish Harp

In 18th-century Ireland, there lived a blind harper named Dominick Mungan (1715-c.1787). His touch was said to be so delicate that one had to come close to the instrument to hear its whisper-like tones. After Mungan's death, however, a louder, more percussive playing style became dominant among ordinary players. With the loss of such refined aesthetic sensibilities, many mourned the decline of an art that had endured since the Middle Ages. The ancient Irish harp tradition-once likened to the "chimes of the fairies"-would almost fade away by the end of the 19th century.

This album features 19 pieces by Turlough O'Carolan and other Celtic pieces, performed on a single wire-strung Irish harp handcrafted by Keisuke Teramoto. All pieces are played using the ancient technique of fingernail plucking, faithfully reconstructed through historical research.

The harp used in this recording is a 27-string metal-strung instrument (op. 65), designed and built in 2016 by the performer himself, and beautifully decorated by his wife, Nihonga painter Tomoko Nakai.

This is a re-edited version for streaming from the CD album Dominique, originally released in 2018. The full version is available for purchase here. https://cinamon.thebase.in/items/18698106