Cormac MacDermott (harper) facts for kids

Cormac MacDermott was a famous Irish harper and composer. He lived a long time ago, in the late 1500s and early 1600s. He was so good that he became part of the "Royal Musick," which was the official group of musicians for the King of England, King James I. Cormac was special because he was one of the only Irish composers of his time who wrote music in a style popular across Europe called Renaissance art music.

Life of a Royal Harper

Cormac MacDermott was likely born in a place called Moylurg in northern County Roscommon, Ireland. His family, the Mac Diarmata clan, were important in that area.

In 1590, a powerful English leader named Sir Robert Cecil hired Cormac. From 1603 to 1611, Cormac traveled to Ireland at least five times for Sir Robert. He carried important personal letters back and forth.

In October 1605, Cormac joined the "Royal Musick" in London. He was the first harper to be part of this royal group since another famous harper, Blind William More, died in 1565. When Cormac MacDermott passed away on February 26, 1618, his student, Phillip Squire, took his place in the Royal Musick.

His Music and Influence

Cormac MacDermott's music mostly survives in a style called "consort form." This means his pieces were written for a small group of instruments playing together. A music expert named Peter Holman believes that Cormac was the one who brought this new way of playing the Irish harp to the English court.

Holman also found proof that the harp used in some famous pieces by William Lawes was not an Italian triple harp, but a wire-strung Irish harp. The first musicians who played these pieces were Cormac's student, Philip Squire, and later Squire's student, Lewis Evans. Both of them played Irish harps.

One of William Lawes's most detailed pieces for harp consort, called Royall Consort No. 9, uses a theme created by Cormac MacDermott as the main idea for its first part. This shows how much Cormac's music influenced other composers of his time.

Recordings of His Work

You can still hear Cormac MacDermott's music today! Here are some recordings that feature his compositions:

• Exquisite Consorts – This album was recorded by The Harp Consort, led by Andrew Lawrence-King. It includes consort music by William Lawes and Henry Purcell, and features the Paven from Consort No. 9, which is based on a theme by Cormac MacDermott.
• Cormacke; Allmane; Mr. Cormake Allman; Schoch.a.torum Cormacke – These pieces were recorded by Andrew Lawrence-King on historical harps.
• Sir John Packington's Pavin; Allmane; Mr. Cormake's Pavin; Mr. Cormake's Allman – These were recorded by Siobhán Armstrong playing the Irish harp, along with The Irish Consort.