The Minstrel Boy Analysis

On May 28, 1779 the history of Irish music would change forever. On this time in history, Thomas Moore was born into a Roman Catholic family. At this time in history in Ireland, Roman Catholics could not own land, be educated, or vote. Even though Thomas Moore was born into a Roman Catholic family, he still achieved greatness through his music.
Thomas Moore was one of the first Catholics to go to Trinity College. He went to Trinity College to become a lawyer, which is what his mother wanted and he was at Trinity College during the Revolution of 1798. Later on in his lifetime, this revolution would help him write “The Minstrel Boy”. The tone of this piece of music is bittersweet. It is a remembrance of the struggle that Ireland went through

He travelled to London to study law. However Moore knew his calling was through musical arts. After he came out with “The Harp That Once Through Tara’s Halls” and many other publications, he became immensely popular. “The Harp That Once Through Tara’s Halls” has a happier meaning than “The Minstrel Boy”. “So sleeps the pride of former days so glory’s thrill is over/ and hearts that once beathigh for praise/ now feels that pulse no more” means that some of the men who fought in the revolution are death, but their souls are still looking out for the ones they love (Moore). Some other songs became known as the Moore Melodies are as follows: Believe Me, The Meeting of the Waters, and If All Those Endearing Young Charms (Bildir). After completing these works, he met a woman named Lena Angese. She encouraged him to create more music and they ended up falling in love. But sometimes there is not always a happy ending. Lena went missing and Moore went in search for her. He found that she had died a few days after he went searching for her

This meant Thomas Moore had a critical view on The United States. This view angered many Americans because Moore was criticising the way the country was run at the time; even though the Americans were in the wrong. A theory as to why Thomas Moore was passionate about the goings on in America was because he had “... would have been exposed to both the political and interpersonal variations during the 1790s and 1800s - a period which saw two revolutionary actions (1798, 1803) as well as an Act of political Union (1801)” this would create a personal connection to any type of slavery or rebellion (Smyth 23). A few years after traveling to North America, Moore wrote “The Last Rose of Summer.” This song has a beautiful melody, and when it is sung it sounds like an angel. The meaning behind this beautiful tone is a complex one. This song takes the listener on an emotional rollercoaster, with it’s sweet melody and it’s dark lyrics. “Her lovely companions are faded and gone” is just one example of the sadness that is invoked in this song (Moore). It describes loneliness and loss of life. It uses something as beautiful as a rose to compare to something as sad as