The O'Carolan Book

Unlike any other, Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) knew how to combine old Irish music with Italian Baroque music which the high society liked to listen to at that time. The use of little repeating motifs, the kind of melody and way of tension building reveal Carolan's sense and knowledge of the styles of playing typical of the Baroque period. These Baroque influences in his harp music became his unmistakable trademark. Thus, he created a whole new genre, as it were: the Celtic Classics.