Tragic it is that so many Irish manuscripts, art, relics and other artefacts were destroyed since the time Christianity came to Ireland in the 4/5th century. The Vikings, Normans and English each took part, the monastery near my house was burned down five times in 6 years in the 16th century. Many good people died protecting manuscripts. Thank god we have what we have now, such as the Book of Kells ☘️
Yes, it is tragic that so many treasures have been lost throughout the years. But, at least we can be thankful for and value what we still have. I was reading "Exploring the Book of Kells" by George Otto Simms last night. I found it at a local bookstore, used for less than $10.00! On the inside cover, someone noted that they had purchased the book in Dublin back in the late 1990s. So now I have a book about the Book of Kells directly from Ireland. It is a welcome part of my small but growing personal library. Many great saints like Colmcille gave us an inheritance to be admired.
@@joshua_wherley So much of our historical written records are preserved in these manuscripts too. Our mythology too, recorded in various books. The Ulster Cycle, the Fenian cycle and the Cycles of the Kings were all written down in the manuscripts. Eternal credit to the authors, all we know is because of them
I find it amazing that here in England there's still an assumption that Protestant and Church of England Christianity is always good, inoffensive and harmless - but they destroyed so much. Many parts of the English countryside have a desolate feeling for me - I'm aware of the violence of the Reformation which destroyed culture, church art, shrines and places of pilgrimage as well as music. Of course there were atrocities on both sides but the Protestants destroyed so much traditional and peasant culture with it. And then they tried to destroy Ireland too.
@@dianastevenson131 yes, and much of the Protestant Reformation throughout Europe tried to destroy Roman Catholic monasticism. The monasteries, of course, housed many of the cultural treasures and literature throughout the years.
@@dianastevenson131 The Puritans weren't Anglicans. The Church of England wasn't responsible for the iconoclasm or English civil war, they tried to find a middle path but failed. (I was raised catholic, by the way, but this is historically ignorant.) And there was even more hyper-Calvinism in Scotland than England. The Gaelic-speaking, catholic highlanders were persecuted by lowland Scots, although it's fashionable to blame England for this now. Also a lot of English rural peasant culture was destroyed by industrialisation and the enclosure acts. The English poor and working class tend to be erased from history and lumped in collectively with an elite when they suffered very similar things.
I'm an Irish-Catholic who a few years ago re-converted back to my faith. Have been using this during my prayer and meditation. Thanks, and may God bless you.
Get off the Internet and speak to your priest. This is no way to treat anyone. Do you wish to bring people to the beauty of Orthodoxy or win Internet points?
The original spirit of Irish Christianity was Orthodoxy, st Hilda rejected the pope, st Patrick rejected Latin, just a couple of many examples, they were ascetics who lived in holes and caves and cells
@@twenty-eightrock - The Church is One, just as the Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is One. There is only one head of the church, and that is Jesus Christ. I was born in a Roman Catholic country (with currently a small number of Orthodox Christians - formerly 1/3 of the population), Roman Catholic baptism, confirmation and family traditions. However, my personal spirituality is neither from the west nor the east, nor from the south or north. I did not accept anything that was done by imperfect human hearts and minds (formal schism (work of the West - 1054 ), divisions, conflicts, religious and church politics).Therefore, I can freely draw from the entire achievements of Christianity. Of all the treasures and jewels of the Church. Based on the achievements of Orthodoxy and the achievements of the West, I have no problems with the churches of Copts, Ethiopians, Armenians or Georgians. For me, all of this is the Way, Tradition and legacy from which we can draw as from a life-giving source.I am not a member of any religious corporation, nor am I subject to any pope, bishop, metropolitan or patriarch. Being a Christian means being a Disciple of Christ, not a disciple of this or that priest or hierarch. Which does not mean that I do not need teachers, guides, spiritual fathers, or good confessors. People who point in the right direction are very necessary in the Church (especially in these times).Therefore, my nominal affiliation does not determine anything. I would like to be a Christian, not a "Latin" nominally associated with the West. Once I thought about formally connecting with the Orthodox Church (it is spiritually closer to me). But that's not a problem. Christ does not divide the grid into directions, he is livingly present throughout the world. Likewise, the Theotokos, the Apostles, the known and unknown Saints.Therefore, Saint Patrick, Ninian of Galloway, Brigid of Killdare, Brendan the Navigator, Columcille, and the Venerable Bede are as important as other greats of the Church, regardless of the region of the world.
Fun fact: the organistrum, a two-man predecessor of the hurdy-gurdy, was commonly used in medieval churches before the organ took its place. If you don't know, the organistrum and hurdy-gurdy are stringed instruments which produce sound with a hand crank that rubs the strings with a wheel when turned. If you've seen *The Polar Express,* the ghost on the train can be seen playing a hurdy-gurdy.
For those who like metal music and hurdy-gurdy check a band called "Eluveitie", one of my favs in the melodic death metal genre, infused will celtic music but done well. I recommend a lot the "Feuertanz Festival 2013" live performance.
In Northwest Spain there was a live tradition of hurdy-gurdy (zampoña, zanfona) musicians in the XIX mainly in Galicia/León. Their style and techniques were collected, played and recorded by F. Santalices, in the early 50's. Later, the poet-singer Amancio Prada styled the zanfona in many concerts and tv shows, playing songs recorded by the former, and his own compositions.
A German nobleman was lamenting the invention of the printing press in a similar fashion. Upon hearing about this glorious invention, the story goes that he said, “With so many books coming out at that harrowing pace, how on earth will I get enough time to read them all?”
No one can experience everything. And even if we could, that would defeat the purpose. A focused in-depth interest is much better than a taste-everything-approach. Better to experience a few things deeply, than a lot shallowly. Our ancestors knew this.
I expect to experience it in Heaven. There will be so much to experience there in addition to being in God’s presence. And we have eternity. Plenty of “time” to experience everything deeply!
0:00:00 Os mutorum, lux cecorum - Office of St Columba , Inchcolm Antiphoner, c.1340 0:03:07 Loquebar de testimoniis tuis - Mode 5 Introit, Einsiedeln MS 121, c.965 0:06:16 River Erne horn duet - Improvisation by Malachy Frame & Simon O’Dwyer 0:10:47 Adiutor laborantium - Alphabetic hymn, text by St Columba(?) (d. 597) melody from Lausanne, 13th c. 0:14:14 Sanctorum piissime Columba - Office of St Columba, Inchcolm Antiphoner, c.1340 0:17:32 Lauda anima mea Dominum - Mode 8 Alleluia, Einsiedeln MS 121, c.965 0:19:16 Noli Pater - Prayer for protection, text attributed to a 7th-c. Iona author 0:24:11 Carne solutus pater Columba - Psalm 100, Inchcolm Antiphoner, c.1340 0:28:53 Amen dico vobis - Mode 1, Einsiedeln MS 121, c.965 0:32:15 Liberasti nos Domine - Mode 7, St Gallen MS 359, c.924 0:35:39 Cantemus in omni die - Hymn, text by Cú Chuimne of Iona, c.700 melody from Santiago di Compostela, c.1280s 0:39:17 Altus prosator - Alphabetic hymn, text attributed to a 7th-c. Iona author 1:04:23 Volens Ihesus linire - Office of St Columba, Inchcolm Antiphoner, c.1340 1:08:13 Laudate Dominum - Psalm 150, music by Barnaby Brown after the Gaelic psalm-singing of Murdina and Effie MacDonald, Isle of Harris 1:11:43 The Desperate Battle of the Birds
@@I_Wish_I_Was_Home Yes my ancestors were early (1550s) English settlers in Ireland. The movement of large numbers of English and Scottish people in the 16th and 17th century was known as the "Plantations". The rest is modern Irish history...
Though, i don't understand rants and complaints about pseudomedieval music (Let's conclude that "medieval" fantasy genre already have separated from realistic medieval setting in 19th century romanticism masterpieces and with each passing year was drifting in his own direction. So I think that it is strange to blame fantasy music and bardcore (which is more of meme than actual genre) for using "magic" computer sounds and breaking all kinds of traditional medieval music canons. Because it's like accusing folk rock for using electric guitars.). Still this music is good and I'm glad to find a channel with actual medieval music.
It's just bad in the sense that when you're trying to get a taste of what songs they made and listened to were like (or a approximation of that), these medieval inspired songs get in the way because of the sheer amount there is.
you are christian irisn and celtic.. the barnd of catholicism was only put on the irish after Daniel O'Connell was slain in Paris - he didnt want his heart go to those cannibals .
@@xplicitfishin incorrect , .. no offence .. st finian of cloanrd would have used a language called sean ghaeilge which in time became latin .. plus lyon was the seat of the pope for a whaile and the original ley lines all lead back to skellig miichael .. the filthy british army ones like mcgabrey prison being on bealtine for example shows the evil cemes from without .. ROMAN i bonded slavery at brith , and chrsitening as a child , whereas jeus was baptied at the age of 30 by thew previous paostle john . the baptists were the original christians pagan .. evil the ppale became with its mining chattel raids . ben bulneb was one of the mJOR salt imnes in europe for exampls and red hand day is the day the orange jews cut your hand off if their assayaince of their presumed free abour was stolenn .. rule of law without role of law is no law at all . amen ra always wins but the aton ray crowd bloom every so oftern .. hapr of david pf the psalms is in eastern orhtodox ..zion was invented in 1896 net and yahooo claims 3000 eyars , but thats inbred toby ears liunatics for ya .
Perfect songs to read the subjective forms of the clouds and to follow with a tender eye the grooves of the stems of the trees; appreciate the complex writing of the nested branches, taste the colors of the decomposition of light into water droplets in a garden, and strongly feel the wet soil of ancestral forest to perceive the traces of animals from deep past 🍍🌴
Hi there, Musica Medievale. I just wanted to thank you. This music helped me plenty during Lent. I would prey the rosary every day of the Lent and these celtic masterpieces were my background, helping me concentrate. Today I have received the CD in the mail. Now "In Praise of Saint Columbia" is a part of my music collection.
wonderful interpretation! greetings from würzburg, germany, which is very deeply connected to another irish monk, st kilian. he and his confreres missionized this region in 680. til today he is the patron saint of franconia.
Oh! This is news to me, Elena. My paternal grandmother was a Killian. All of my DNA comes from Great Britain and Sweden (Mom's side), despite my paternal grandfather having had German grandparents. In Scotland, the Killians are members of the McNab clan. Thanks for sharing the news that there was a St. Kilian (or is it "Killian" also?), and that he was in Germany very early. I'm eager to look him up.
@@sooohum In no way better than Gregorian chant. On a completely different playing field. There is an incredible beauty to the strict order of Gregorian chant.
Gets annoying. But I think the initial interpretation is correct as these Carnyx trumpets/horns can be played in unison. But I think as a musical piece, these must be combined with transitional instruments not to get to the nerves. As a contrast, the musical group of Heilung utilize these types of horns in the correct way. Look up "Heilung krigsgaldr" for a beautiful interpretation of war like tunes, which is pretty accurate on the monotone unison utilization of these horns/trumpets. They induce a primordial trance.
This is an amazingly good video. I am a convert to the Eastern Orthodox Church (17 years ago), and actually became Orthodox as the result of my studies in the ancient Celtic Christian church (particularly St. Columba and others). I am also a musician, an very much appreciate hearing such a scholarly rendition of what ancient Celtic Christian music must have sounded like!
Tell me more, what led you to orthodoxy exactly? Is that what they practiced early on in Ireland? Im genuinely curious, as an Orthodox Christian myself god bless you
@@dimitri2132 Sure, the British Isles were fully Orthodox for nearly a thousand years before the Normans invaded England (with the Pope’s blessing), suppressing Orthodoxy and bringing a more Roman-style Christianity to those lands.
If you have the opportunity to go to the library of Trinity College in Dublin, you will be able to see one the Irish national treasures, the Book of Kells, written and enluminated by monks, of which all this "high quality art", as you rightly refer it to, comes from and is on display along with many interesting explanations. ✋🙂
@Michail_Chatziasemidis: gracias por la guía de timing de cada canto del video; es algo que echaba de menos. Es una delicia escuchar esta música; algunas partes de los cantos me han recordado mucho el sean-nós. Además, pocas veces se puede observar el Libro de Kells con tanto detalle, así que ¡sobresaliente! (año 2024)
Beautiful capture of the Celtic soul. A distant world over a thousand years ago, long forgotten to the many of today's times, yet brought back to life in such gorgeous music.And thus brought back to life from the misty airs and lands of these European domains. It rouses my curiosity of what the people were like at such times, their toil and struggles and lives lived so intimately with the otherworldly realms of human spiritual existence. It reminds me of a wise Eckankar statement and truth: "You don't have a soul. But rather, you are soul." And in our soul we are free!.
My family orginally comes from Cantabria in the north of Spain where Celtic tribes lived. We are already inhabitants of Latam (Argentina) for the last 350 years. But the roots of where one comes from never fades. Great music.
Such beautifully sung/played music to my ears…I’m Anglican, half Swedish/N. Europe N.A. descendent, appreciatively soulful Celt! Many thanks for this beautiful musical gift!
Celtic Christianity was very Byzantine/Orthodox in its spirituality, & the pre-schism Byzantine influence is very apparent in this beautiful Celtic Christian music. How fascinating, thank you for uploading!
@@spmoran4703The early Church (Orthodox) brought into fullness the preexisting culture - it didn't replace it. Recent examples from Orthodox missions would include the Alaskan mission to the Aleuts, China and Japan, Cambodia etc.
Proud to be a Catholic Celt, the Faith from which this music was written for the praise of Christ the King. Viva Cristo Rey! St. Columba, ora pro nobis!
@JP Off-Grid Depends what you mean. If by "Orthodox" you mean, the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church", then yes. But, they most certainly believed St Peter was the Chief of the Apostles and in an ancient Irish monk's poem he referred to the Pope as the "ruler of nations" and St. Patrick urged the Celts to do all things in common with the Romans for the sake of unity. True, there are similarities between the spirituality of early Christian Celts and the Byzantines/Coptics (a spirituality of the desert fathers/monasticism brought from the East to the West via St. John Cassian and others), but the Celts were really their own expression of the One Faith, different than both Latins and Greeks prior to 667AD, after which they adopted the Latin Rite. Also, technically Christians did not call themselves "Orthodox" in the same way the Easterners began to, with any consistency, until after the Schism between Latins and Greeks. It's a popular assertion that the Celts were "once Orthodox". It just depends what one means by that. Byzantine/Syriac/Coptic? No. Similar spirituality? Yes. Do we share the same saints before the Schism? Yes. Were the Celts in union with Rome, unlike contemporary Orthodox? Yes. Any other meaning applied to them is encroaching on a kind of revisionist history though and I think you'd have a really hard time proving they rejected papal primacy like the East of today.
@JP Off-Grid Primacy of authority. Not merely primacy of honor. Properly understood, papal infallibility isn't a deal breaker for the Orthodox. Rejecting that supernatural charism would be akin to a Catholic rejecting Orthodoxy merely because some monks on Athos received the gift of contemplation of the Uncreated Taboric Light but his monks don't. That wouldn't make any sense. The charism of infallibility is a grace. It doesn't emanate from the person of the Pope. The person of the Pope is fallible and a sinful man like anyone else. The charism is a gift he can use from God, proper to his office as Servant of the Servants of God, and he is safeguarded by the Holy Ghost when he does so. That's all it is. I get how it's a stumbling block if not properly understood, but in truth it is a tremendous gift from our Lord that He has entrusted to His Holy Church, for the benefit of all the faithful. Infallibility is implicit in the early Church when the Fathers speak of the Apostolic See (Old Rome) never having fallen into teaching doctrinal error, unlike the rest of the Sees, who had fallen into Arianism and the like.
Ich bewundere die Hirten aus Ihren Zelten, Yurten für die Kraft des Wanderns und kriegerische Manieren. Die Zelten- Nomaden finde ich Toll. WAN DA L stefan Bóganin, Pogane ,Got A HURA WANDA,mazda
Il primo brano è suonato con le mitiche " launeddas " Sarde ......la loro armonia è inconfondibile e assolutamente caratteristica .....strumento a fiato continuo ....tre canne : tumbu ,maincosa e maincosedda ....unite per creare balli ....accompagnamento di canti di gioia ..di dolore ..religione e......... praticamente tutto .....una terra .....un suono .....la nostra amata Sardegna
Some chants remind me of the Christian Orthodox chants, the bells,chorus….the music in the background is different Paintings / icons are different, But the singing,if I don’t know the difference I would be confused by the Greek chants, they. are not singing in the old Slavic language
@@mirjanamilosavljevic4261 There was much influence from the Eastern Church (Orthodoxy) on the Celtic Christianity. That's why to this day there is a lot of similarity. It was through studying the ancient Celtic Church that eventually led me to the Orthodox Church, where I converted 18 years ago.
The instrument playing in the first instrumental section, 9:00ish, and its player are creating a sound so universal. I've been a world music listener for decades and some sounds are just innate; we wish to surround ourselves with a sort of drone, something that makes us breathe deeply, let go, and let God.
It's amazing to see someone else realize that ,I have thought that too . Maybe we humans try to bring something deeper and more unconscious that what we could think , so we manifest it like that
I am a North Germanian and alongside the Celts, the Greeks, the Latins and the Slavs we are the original population of Europe. We are all brothers and sisters and we have done great things. It's beautiful how we are all drawn to each other's past and celebrate each other's beauty and glory. We are united by our faith in God and by the blood that runs through our veins. You are all my brothers and my sisters of mother Europe and Father God.
This is supposed to be the Dark Ages but this music soars above that of supposedly more enlightened epochs. Something not right with the official story, right?
My DNA is 97% pure gale..meaning my family is entirely gale and clearly celts. I have heard this music before..many women pass it on..even in here in the USA. Being Catholic also makes it completely familiar..from the latin Mass and singing very similar chants as these from the age of 8. Thank you for sharing it.
Stfu I'm sure they were passing down songs from over 500 years ago. These songs aren't catholic. And what is everyone of your family so selective you have to take a DNA test to prove your 100% gallic. No possible way. You definetly are on the lower spectrum
It's because they were one in the same, largely. The coptics, middle eastern regions (persia, for example) and so on were all quite similar to ancient england. Things change though, as the centuries have passed. I suppose the more things change though, the more they stay the same.
@@didymus5884 It all points to Anatolia friend, the turks are a modern conclusion of succesful Mongolian conquests in that region. A different people entirely, youre doing both people a disservice with that statement.
@@dimitri2132 You bring up any European nationality, and there will always be someone who will say "they are not White, they are mixed with so and so." Even Irish people weren't considered White in early America! True story!
When the clouds gather in the sky/ When the omens say the fate / oh, there they come in square sails / bringing fire and fury/ when the longboats aseen then/protect us o Lord/ from the wrath of northmen...
You mean you love modern-day memes about what people with not an inkling of an idea of a sliver of a thought about Insular christianity think "looks cool and, like, totally, like, Celtic, dude, like, bruuuuuuuuh". Meanwhile, back in reality, your church as well as the Latin church consider Insular christianity heresy, among other things due to their opinions on Easter, mysticism and cohabitation, which is why it doesn't exist anymore and has no successor.
@@DeReAntiqua However, the Irish, Welsh and, in part, English Church (King Oswald, Aidan of Lindisfarne) had their roots in the Celtic Church. And some of its influence persisted for a long time
@@DeReAntiqua I said for a long time not today. Until the Norman conquest in England and early 12th century in Ireland and Wales Celtic influences were present in liturgy, monasticism etc
@@blazejt1856 "I of course formulated everything in such a way that, even in the opposite case, I could still be considered right." - Karl Marx I see you like to fall back on the "Well, I didn't TECHNICALLY say that!" defence when called out on your nonsense. In that case, I'll point out that I never defined what "modernity" is either, so I'm just gonna consider you wrong about everything ever as well.
I can hear all the noise of the surrounding working fellow men. Talking, hammer of the smith, grain grinding on millstones, animals feeding, laughs ...
Absolutely and positively beautifully done - like Time Travel, or like a journey to another world trapped in another dimension. Either way, a true work of art (through music and image) that deserves the highest praise!
the horn duet six or seven minutes in has an authentic feel to it! Rudiger Oppermann's Brendan Voyage recording tried something similar. i noticed early horns in the book of kells illustrations too, which i really should look at closer some day (the facial expressions do actually look expressive, in an Irish kind of way). Barnaby Brown is doing great work in early music. I remember seeing him play the bagpipes in Dublin once and it was interesting to hear him speak of early airs being written out phonetically because airs were taught vocally. lilter probably originated that way, rather than the conventional idea (substitute for when there was no instruments). i heard once that duke ellington taught his compositions to every performer in his big band through lilt/scat rather than anything written out but i don't know for sure. i'm going to watch this again twice. once for music. once for illustrations. when i have the time :)
