The Song of Fionnuala

The Song of Fionnuala

In his portrait of Tom Moore, L.A.G. Strong includes many of Moore’s lyrics and music. Rather than publishing the words by themselves, Strong incorporates the lyrics into the music and displays them together. This demonstrates the importance that the lyrics and music be presented in their whole togetherness, rather than as two individual parts. The beauty of the music arose not just from the words, but from the performance of these words set to the tunes and melodies of instruments, including the voice. The voice was arguably the most important instrument, as Moore believed these melodies should “reach his audience through the mouth of a singer” (Strong 121).

L.A.G. Strong

Manhattan College, Fales Collection

London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited

1937

Tom Moore

Octavo, 317 pages, 12 illustrations

Tune