Chapter 9 Irish Traditional Music Encompasses traditional neotraditional and posttraditional styles Europes most commercially successful music Backdrop formation of Irish nation and nationalism history of oppression Irish potato famine and strife The Troubles Irish d ID: 228072
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Slide1
Irish Music
Chapter 9Slide2
Irish Traditional Music
Encompasses traditional, neo-traditional, and post-traditional styles
“Europe’s most commercially successful music”
Backdrop: formation of Irish nation and nationalism, history of oppression (Irish potato famine) and strife (“The Troubles”), Irish diaspora, transnational flows
Five main categories:
Sean
nós
, or “old way” songs (Irish Gaelic)
(CD 3-4)
Instrumental airs (often in free rhythm)
Songs sung in English
Irish harp music (harp = national symbol)
Instrumental dance tunes and medleys
(our focus)Slide3
MGT: Irish Traditional Dance Tunes
Lynnsey
Weissenberger
Prize-winning fiddler
Student of James Kelly (Planxty, etc.)James son of John KellyDirector, FSU Irish Music EnsembleFollow MGT transcript on p. 165Dance types: jig, hornpipe, reelOrnaments: roll, cran, treble, cut, and tripletAABB song formMedley formSlide4
Traditional Styles I
Seamus Ennis
Great
uilleann
piper (also
tinwhistle)Son of renowned piper James Ennishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLe9etQ0iwQ (Seamus pipes a tune taught to him by his father) Important Irish folklorist Radio Éireann, later BBC GLE: “Cuckoo’s Hornpipe” (tinwhistle)
(CD 3-6, 167-69)AABB formHornpipe rhythm (dah – dah | dah – dah | etc.) Varied repetitions
OrnamentationSlide5
Traditional Styles II
GLE “First House in Connaught/The Copper Plate Reel” (Ennis)
CD 3-7,
pp. 170-73
Uilleann
pipesUilleann = elbowChanterthree drone pipes , three regulators bellows, bagMedley of two AA’BB’ reels Note regulator “chords” (sounds like car horn at one point) Note musical “irregularities” (in “Cuckoo’s” too) Slide6
Neo-Traditional Styles, Irish Music Revival
Traditional music decline through 1950s
1960s brought musical revival (along with economic upturn), as well as musical transformations
More formal, structured
Guitar and other
chordal instruments added to traditional insts. (fiddle, flute, tinwhistle, uillean pipes)Competitions (fleadhs)Professionalism, move away from dancing to dance tunesIncreasing commodification overall – from domestic gatherings to pubs, concert halls, festivals, etc. Slide7
Seán Ó
Riada
and
Ceoltóirí
Chualann (Cualann) More progressive counterpart to EnnisCeoltóirí Chualann band formed by SR, included piano, bodhrán, and even harpsichord, plus traditional instruments – all-star band of musicians from all over Ireland. Band helped revive popularity of the uilleann pipes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_nqFPvhPZoFiddler: John Kelly
Uilleann piper: Paddy Moloney, who went on (1963) to form and lead the Chieftains, which included other members of
Ceoltóirí
as well. Slide8
The Chieftains
Best-known Irish traditional music group of all time
International ambassadors of Irish music
Have collaborated with everyone from Mick Jagger to
Ziggy
Marley“Redemption Song”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnJgIq48C9k“The Dingle Set” (CD 3-8), pp. 177-78Medley of three reels: “Far From Home” (AABB), “Gladstone” (AB) “The Scartaglen” (AB)Instruments: tinwhistle
and uilleann pipes (Moloney), fiddles (incl. guest Ashley MacIsaac
), Irish wooden flute, Irish harp, accordion, concertina, banjo, bodhránSlide9
Chieftains
Matt Molloy, Irish wooden
flute
Derek Bell, Irish
harp
Paddy Moloney, tinwhistleKevin Conneff, bodhrán
Martin Fay, fiddleSlide10
The 1970s: Revival, Second Generation
Second generation of Irish music revival
New generation of Irish musicians who:
Had grown up with other kinds of music: rock, jazz, classical
Fused Irish traditional with rock, jazz, and other international and popular styles
Simultaneously carried on songs, dance tunes, and performance traditions of Irish forebearsOften had close relationships with the older musicians (e.g., Seamus Ennis and Planxty piper Liam O’Flynn) Bands: Planxty, Clannad, Bothy
Band, De Danaan, HorslipsPlanxty: “Bean
Pháidín” CD 3-9 (p. 179)Slide11
Modern Ensemble Sound of Irish Traditional Music
Instrumentation combines
trad
insts
. w. chordal accomp insts. Chording insts. include guitar, Irish bouzouki (p. 181), and others—stylistic elements from jazz, rock, flamenco, etc. Drums, other percussion instruments (e.g., conga)Traditional dance rhythms (e.g., reel) enhanced by jazz, rock, Latin, African, Balkan rhythms
Highly varied musical textures, arrangementsMore separation of dance tunes from dancing (though also dance revivals in theatrical productions like Riverdance) Slide12
Altan and
Horslips
Altan
medley of
CD 3-10
(pp. 182-83) exemplifies some of these elements, but adhering to a fairly traditional aesthetic. Horslips “King of the Fairies” (1973) shows more of the rock side of the fusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7cfNEW3pCYSlide13
Eileen
Ivers
: Irish Post-Traditional
Ivers
not from Ireland, but NYC (Irish diaspora)
Won multiple major Irish fiddling competitionsOriginal fiddler in Riverdancehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoHlrQScWl0Highly innovative approach as electric violinist, composer, and bandleader, yet fully anchored in Irish tradition as well. Played with everyone from Chieftains to London Symphony“Gravelwalk” (CD 3-11)
, 184-87Steve Gadd (drums)Bakithi Kumalo
(bass)Jerry O’Sullivan (uilleann pipes)Medley of reels, but very much transformed