Sheet Music For Traditional Irish Tunes On The Tin Whistle
The below are a few of the most popular ''Tunes'' that are played at sessions. The vast majority are worked out for a tin / penny whistle in the key of D and are generally Irish in origin. I will be adding more to this section over time.The below are a few of the most popular [ national melodies ] ''Tunes'' that are played at sessions. The vast majority are worked out for a whistle in the key of D. I will be adding more to this section over time.
To play tunes by ear or to read the sheet music ? That's a question I have read on many's an internet forum. Players seem to be split in their opinion. There are those who feel you should never use sheet music for playing any kind of music, never mind traditional Irish tune. Those are the one's who have a natural gift of being able to play by ear and don't seem to grasp that playing notes doesn't come ease to the majority of musicians. So those who say you should only play by ear would exclude anybody who hasn't got that gift ? In that case their would be millions of people around the world who would never get the chance to enjoy playing a musical instrument. My view is that if sheet music helps then one should use it, that person over time will develop an ear and will gain an understanding of keys and if a piece of sheet music is put in front of them they'll be able to play it where as if the same sheet was put in front of the person who only plays by ear, , well they may as well be looking at a hedge. If the traditional tunes here seem a little bit difficult for you then check out the folk music for tin whistle, which you'll surly have some of the songs already floating about in your head .
To play tunes by ear or to read the sheet music ? That's a question I have read on many's an internet forum. Players seem to be split in their opinion. There are those who feel you should never use sheet music for playing any kind of music, never mind traditional Irish tune. Those are the one's who have a natural gift of being able to play by ear and don't seem to grasp that playing notes doesn't come ease to the majority of musicians. So those who say you should only play by ear would exclude anybody who hasn't got that gift ? In that case their would be millions of people around the world who would never get the chance to enjoy playing a musical instrument. My view is that if sheet music helps then one should use it, that person over time will develop an ear and will gain an understanding of keys and if a piece of sheet music is put in front of them they'll be able to play it where as if the same sheet was put in front of the person who only plays by ear, , well they may as well be looking at a hedge. If the traditional tunes here seem a little bit difficult for you then check out the folk music for tin whistle, which you'll surly have some of the songs already floating about in your head .
Below is the list of sheet music and tin whistle songs that are in my ebooks. This is the largest collection of tin whistle songs ever put together.[over 700 songs ] Including folk, pop and trad tunes plus German And French songs along with Christmas Carols.
All of the songs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50 and will be emailed to you after payment. Please be patient.
All of the songs have been made as easy to play as was possible.
The price of the ebooks is €7.50 and will be emailed to you after payment. Please be patient.
Below is a list of the most popular Traditional Irish Tunes for tin whistle which comes free when you
buy the tin whistle ebook .
buy the tin whistle ebook .
I get sent many emails from people who have stated that they recently took up playing the tin whistle, some are aged over 80 years old and said that without the music notes on this site they would not have continued playing the whistle. This is very gratifying to hear and I'm delighted to be able to help out.
So what about the pop music section on the site ? I was very hesitant about setting up this section. I really hadn't a clue if it would be popular or if I was wasting my time. So I took a chance and put a good mixture of old and new songs. It has really taken off and is now as popular as the folk songs. I had been playing some of these songs for years and if I was willing to play popular music on a tin whistle then there had to be many more like me. You see the whistle has always been associated with traditional Irish music and if you said to someone that you played a whistle they automatically assumed you were into trad. They would never think you played anything other that traditional or folk songs. One other reason for setting up the pop song section for tin whistle was to make the instrument more mainstream.
Learning Traditional Tunes - The advice I gave in the folk songs section about getting these tunes into your head is pretty much the same for trad. tunes. I think learning how to play songs on the whistle is much easier as the melody of the songs will already be in your head from years of listen to ''Dirty Old Town'' for example. My advice on these tunes is to learn one line at a time, it doesn't matter if it takes you all day to get the first line off by heart. The next day get the second line off even if it takes 100 tries. Then put the first and second together and so on. By the end of the week you'll be able to play the tune off by heart. Some people write to me asking if I have any easier versions of a tune as they are finding it too hard to play. When I ask how much long they watch television for compared to learning your tin whistle then the reason they find the tune hard to play becomes apparent. Too much television and not enough practise.
So what about the pop music section on the site ? I was very hesitant about setting up this section. I really hadn't a clue if it would be popular or if I was wasting my time. So I took a chance and put a good mixture of old and new songs. It has really taken off and is now as popular as the folk songs. I had been playing some of these songs for years and if I was willing to play popular music on a tin whistle then there had to be many more like me. You see the whistle has always been associated with traditional Irish music and if you said to someone that you played a whistle they automatically assumed you were into trad. They would never think you played anything other that traditional or folk songs. One other reason for setting up the pop song section for tin whistle was to make the instrument more mainstream.
Learning Traditional Tunes - The advice I gave in the folk songs section about getting these tunes into your head is pretty much the same for trad. tunes. I think learning how to play songs on the whistle is much easier as the melody of the songs will already be in your head from years of listen to ''Dirty Old Town'' for example. My advice on these tunes is to learn one line at a time, it doesn't matter if it takes you all day to get the first line off by heart. The next day get the second line off even if it takes 100 tries. Then put the first and second together and so on. By the end of the week you'll be able to play the tune off by heart. Some people write to me asking if I have any easier versions of a tune as they are finding it too hard to play. When I ask how much long they watch television for compared to learning your tin whistle then the reason they find the tune hard to play becomes apparent. Too much television and not enough practise.
Below is a list of over 170 traditional tunes with guitar chords in an ebook.
It cost €6.50
It cost €6.50
THE CELTS
A broad term that acts as an umbrella for all peoples descended from and with cultural ties to the Celts, the "Celtic" designation applies to speakers of Celtic languages such as Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Gaelic and stretches all over Europe, from Scotland to Spain.
Pronounced "keltic," the often- used "seltic" pronunciation is also acceptable, in particular when referencing sports teams such as the Boston Celtics or Scotland's Celtic Football Club.
The exact origins of the ancient Celts are too varied to delve into in such a short space. In short, the roots of their culture, language and traditions run deep through the fiber of many regions of Western Europe as a result of centuries of migration and evolution. There are currently six official Celtic "nations," these being Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany but Celts continue to exist and thrive as far as Galicia in Spain, in parts of Portugal and in various provinces on the East Coast of Canada.
THE MUSIC
Each of these regions has nurtured its own interpretation of Celtic culture and music and as such, it has become as diverse and widespread as its members, encompassing folk, polka and jigs, among others.
The term Celtic music can refer both to folk songs that have been passed down orally through generations as well as today's recorded popular music. Artists like the Pogues, Alan Stivell and Jethro Tull have brought what was once the marginal music of a small segment of the population to the entire world, achieving a popularity the ancient Celts never could have imagined and updating a storied culture for the modern world.
Celtic music is often associated with the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland, since these have been the most successful at developing a signature style with common musical traits and marketin it globally. The proliferation of Irish and Scottish culture around the world through immigration has also played a role in the propagation of the music and in its association with these particular nations.
The folk music of the other Celtic nations also falls under the Celtic banner as well, with Brittany in France being an important exporter of Celtic music as well as Canada's Cape
IRISH MUSIC
Since Celtic Favorites is focused primarily on the traditional music of Ireland, we would be amiss if we did not delve into the genre even briefly to provide a better understanding of the music that fills this collection.
While Irish music is generally associated with the people of Ireland and their descendants around the world, it is not limited to them. The rhythms and melodies of this vibrant and uplifting type of music have affected people of all backgrounds, leading to it boasting a very diverse and sometimes unlikely fan base.
The Irish tradition, like the Celtic tradition that preceded it, is based on the oral passing down of fables and folk songs. From mother to son and grandmother to granddaughter, most Irish songs have a story attached to them and one would be hard pressed to find an Irishman who could not relay the story of how he learned his favorite folk song. The oral transmission of the music has led to unique and varied interpretations of songs as well; as performers have developed their own individual take on the music based on how they learned about it.
While Irish music is broad and ever-changing, most songs have definitive linking characteristics:
1. Most songs are centuries old and while different interpretations are constantly evolving these compositions, new compositions are generally not accepted into the tradition, leading to a somewhat conservative and stoic view of what constitutes Irish music.
2. It is passed down from generation to generation in the oral tradition described above.
3. Songs are the realm of the people, with little distinction. between writer and performer. Once a song is released to the public, it becomes the public's song with the original composer usually getting little or no credit. This also leads to songs varying wildly between performers, as there is no copyright law protecting the original structure.
4. Each region has a different style and interpretation, though the growth of mediums such as television and the Internet has facilitated the spread of these interpretations.
5. The music is born of the rural lifestyle, due mostly to geographical distribution of the people who first wrote the songs.
6. It is performed for recreational purposes among friends and family with few performers managing to make a paid living off the music.
7. Irish music is generally performed by a band as opposed to an individual. 8. Songs are mostly performed in Irish, though many have been translated to English.
9. The vast majority of songs are played as dance music - jigs, reels and hornpipes being the most common- with slower airs generally being less prevalent.
10. Most songs employ the use of string, wind and reed instruments, especially fiddle, whistle, flute, Uillean pipes, concertina and
accordion. Percussion instruments are less prevalent and all instruments used are native of Western Europe. Irish music has no Eastern influences.
Celtic music festivals abound around the world thanks to stars like Stivell, who has been a seminal influence
in touring his interpretation of the music and building a worldwide audience. The Festival Internacional do Mundo Celta de Ortigueira in Galicia, Celtic Colours in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Glasgow and Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany attract thousands of Celtic music fans yearly and help to promote a genre that has been at the heart of numerous cultures for thousands of years.
A broad term that acts as an umbrella for all peoples descended from and with cultural ties to the Celts, the "Celtic" designation applies to speakers of Celtic languages such as Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Gaelic and stretches all over Europe, from Scotland to Spain.
Pronounced "keltic," the often- used "seltic" pronunciation is also acceptable, in particular when referencing sports teams such as the Boston Celtics or Scotland's Celtic Football Club.
The exact origins of the ancient Celts are too varied to delve into in such a short space. In short, the roots of their culture, language and traditions run deep through the fiber of many regions of Western Europe as a result of centuries of migration and evolution. There are currently six official Celtic "nations," these being Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany but Celts continue to exist and thrive as far as Galicia in Spain, in parts of Portugal and in various provinces on the East Coast of Canada.
THE MUSIC
Each of these regions has nurtured its own interpretation of Celtic culture and music and as such, it has become as diverse and widespread as its members, encompassing folk, polka and jigs, among others.
The term Celtic music can refer both to folk songs that have been passed down orally through generations as well as today's recorded popular music. Artists like the Pogues, Alan Stivell and Jethro Tull have brought what was once the marginal music of a small segment of the population to the entire world, achieving a popularity the ancient Celts never could have imagined and updating a storied culture for the modern world.
Celtic music is often associated with the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland, since these have been the most successful at developing a signature style with common musical traits and marketin it globally. The proliferation of Irish and Scottish culture around the world through immigration has also played a role in the propagation of the music and in its association with these particular nations.
The folk music of the other Celtic nations also falls under the Celtic banner as well, with Brittany in France being an important exporter of Celtic music as well as Canada's Cape
IRISH MUSIC
Since Celtic Favorites is focused primarily on the traditional music of Ireland, we would be amiss if we did not delve into the genre even briefly to provide a better understanding of the music that fills this collection.
While Irish music is generally associated with the people of Ireland and their descendants around the world, it is not limited to them. The rhythms and melodies of this vibrant and uplifting type of music have affected people of all backgrounds, leading to it boasting a very diverse and sometimes unlikely fan base.
The Irish tradition, like the Celtic tradition that preceded it, is based on the oral passing down of fables and folk songs. From mother to son and grandmother to granddaughter, most Irish songs have a story attached to them and one would be hard pressed to find an Irishman who could not relay the story of how he learned his favorite folk song. The oral transmission of the music has led to unique and varied interpretations of songs as well; as performers have developed their own individual take on the music based on how they learned about it.
While Irish music is broad and ever-changing, most songs have definitive linking characteristics:
1. Most songs are centuries old and while different interpretations are constantly evolving these compositions, new compositions are generally not accepted into the tradition, leading to a somewhat conservative and stoic view of what constitutes Irish music.
2. It is passed down from generation to generation in the oral tradition described above.
3. Songs are the realm of the people, with little distinction. between writer and performer. Once a song is released to the public, it becomes the public's song with the original composer usually getting little or no credit. This also leads to songs varying wildly between performers, as there is no copyright law protecting the original structure.
4. Each region has a different style and interpretation, though the growth of mediums such as television and the Internet has facilitated the spread of these interpretations.
5. The music is born of the rural lifestyle, due mostly to geographical distribution of the people who first wrote the songs.
6. It is performed for recreational purposes among friends and family with few performers managing to make a paid living off the music.
7. Irish music is generally performed by a band as opposed to an individual. 8. Songs are mostly performed in Irish, though many have been translated to English.
9. The vast majority of songs are played as dance music - jigs, reels and hornpipes being the most common- with slower airs generally being less prevalent.
10. Most songs employ the use of string, wind and reed instruments, especially fiddle, whistle, flute, Uillean pipes, concertina and
accordion. Percussion instruments are less prevalent and all instruments used are native of Western Europe. Irish music has no Eastern influences.
Celtic music festivals abound around the world thanks to stars like Stivell, who has been a seminal influence
in touring his interpretation of the music and building a worldwide audience. The Festival Internacional do Mundo Celta de Ortigueira in Galicia, Celtic Colours in Cape Breton, Celtic Connections in Glasgow and Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany attract thousands of Celtic music fans yearly and help to promote a genre that has been at the heart of numerous cultures for thousands of years.
Seamus Ennis - 40 Years Of Irish Piping
When this record was an idea and not a fact, I intended to produce a musical biography and did not intend to include a written interpretation of Seamus' life. However, as the project progressed, I realized, through the prodding of my friends, that a certain amount of background information was needed to get the point of the record across more fully.
The "plot" of this record set, so to speak, is an attempt of an amateur piper to explain to the average music fan how the piping of Seamus Ennis progressed over the years.
The earliest recording we have is on Side "A", cut one, which is Seamus at 28 years old playing "The Rainy Day", "The Merry Blacksmith", and finally one of the best pieces of piping on the record, "The Silver Spear".
On Side "A", cuts 3 and 4, we have two versions of "The Bucks of Orenmore". On cut 3, Seamus is in his twenties and his piping is tight and methodical, lacking in tonal control and color but beautifully executed. This is followed (cut 4) by a later recording (probably in the late 50's) which is without a doubt the finest example of Uillean piping I have ever heard; this version is loose, happy, and completely brilliant and in comparing the two versions you will realize what the record is about.
When Seamus plays the pipes he is the complete master of the "middle-of-the-road" style of piping, which I must state is the style I personally prefer. There are three styles of piping: the tight or staccato style, the "open" or legato style, and the "middle-of-the-road" style, which is a combination of the two.
In the days before Seamus and his father, piping was divided. pretty evenly between the tight-Patsy Touhey, Tom Ennis to name a couple, (see "family tree"), and the "open" styles of Johnny Doran and Liam Walsh-street piping as it is sometimes called, because the open style is louder and good to play in the street where volume is needed. It wasn't until Seamus that we had a style combining the two, alternately "lifting" you and "letting you down" making a style of piping that was more pleasing and easy to listen to.
If a genius is defined as a person with a transcendant ability to affect his environment and to manipulate it in a totally unique way, then Seamus Ennis is a genius. The personality difficulties traditionally associated with genius are also present. Seamus is a giant among traditional musicians, collectors and philosophers and so being, he finds it difficult to communicate with persons of a lesser ability. With Irish music only being accepted socially as anything but "that dirty bogman's music" in the last ten years or so, I find it difficult to comprehend what Seamus must have suffered as he travelled about collecting, playing pipes and telling stories of a people so decimated by the British that they find very little left of their once great culture. For this reason few, even among the Irish, will ever begin to under- stand what Seamus Ennis has done for Ireland and for the world for that matter.
In brief, Seamus is mad, and a fine madness it is too. In the almost two months that I lived with Seamus in Dublin, he ran me through the gauntlet of wit, gargantuan ribaldry, tears, pain and childish teasing. When he would realize I was giving way under the barrage, he would whip out the "Auld Pipes", squeeze the bags and tickle me back to sanity.
The first thing you notice when you meet Seamus is that he is six feet four and has the most beautiful hands in the world. I said to myself "How in the hell can he play the pipes with fingers that long?" It was then I realized that the "little people" he constantly refers to in his stories are in fact his blood relatives and he is none other than the world's largest Leprechaun.
Seamus Ennis was born in Jamestown, North County Dublin, in 1919. His father, a civil servant, was a fine flutist and fiddler. He was also a founder of the Naul Piper's Band, players of what are now called war pipes. He became interested in the Uillean pipes when hearing the old country pipers who were brought to Dublin for the Oirechtas festivals each year. Seamus' mother (see photo) is a Monaghan woman with school tuition level fiddle. At the age of eighty-four, she still takes a lively interest in music.
Seamus recalls that he could recite the names of tunes by note before he could match them up with their respective melodies. His father, he says, used to play him to sleep at night and he remembers on one occasion asking for a favorite tune called Munster Buttermilk. The next morning he woke up in a terrible temper with himself for having fallen asleep after hearing only a few bars. He did not take up the pipes seriously until he was thirteen and was not encouraged to do so until he showed a genuine interest.
He admires his father's wisdom in this regara. Today, with the renewed interest in Uillean pipes (which he has helped to foster), he feels too many young children are being pressured to play this demanding instrument, often in competition, before they are naturally inclined to do so. When he finally began to play, it was his father who taught him and became the prime influence on his playing.
In the late 1930's, after finishing secondary school and commercial college, Seamus entered what he refers to as his university. He started to work at the Three Candles Press under the publisher, collector and anthologist Colm O'Lochlainn. During four years he was proof-reader, editor, translator and general dogsbody, doing everything it is possible to do around at publisher's office. In 1942, O'Lochlainn introduced Seamus into the world of the Irish Folklore Commission, where he began his long, fruitful career as a collector. For five years he travelled throughout Ireland on his bicycle, memorizing and transcribing thousands of tunes. His fluent knowledge of Irish enabled him to collect an extensive group of songs and stories in that language as well as in English. He also collected for the Com- mission in Scotland, particularly in the Hebrides and the north- eastern areas around Elgin and Hentley. In addition he translated the John Lorne Campbell Hebridean Collection.
In 1947, Seamus left the Commission to work for Radio. Eireann as a collector, producer and performer. During this period, he collaborated with Alan Lomax and they made a joint field trip. Some of the material they gained can be heard on a now deleted recording made for CBS. In 1951 Seamus again moved, this time to London and the B.B.C. Under its auspices, he collected in many parts of England and returned again to Scotland. Some of the songs he recorded appear on Topic Record's "Folksongs of Britain" series. In order to justify the expense of paying full-time collectors, the B.B.C. launched an immensely popular folk show, "As I Roved Out", which helped to expand the growing British Folk Revival. Seamus was a prime fixture of this show in his capacities as producer, collector and performer.
Throughout these years of collecting and translating, Seamus had been playing the pipes. Although a traditional club circuit had not yet come into being, Seamus performed frequently in pubs, country kitchens and traditional gatherings of every sort. He developed and refined the techniques and philosophy of pipering inherited from his father. Seamus was close to his father and they were enormously proud of one another. Seamus still plays his father's set of pipes. They were made by the renowned Coyne of Thomas Street, Dublin, over 150 years ago. In 1912, Seamus' father travelled to London to play in a flute competition, which he won. While there, he bought from a pawn- broker-for £3-a sack containing the bits and pieces of that set of Coyne pipes. They were reconstructed by John Brogan, a pipes artisan of Harold's Cross. Seamus, who estimates that he has played over seventy-five sets of pipes during his life, regards this set as one of the best.
Since 1958, Seamus has been living once more in Dublin, working as a free-lance performer, translator and broadcaster. His reputation as a piper has grown to international proportions and he now has several records to his credit. Although he has suffered two heart attacks and two serious motor accidents, his playing continues undiminished. Anyone who has heard him play an air, such as "Gentle Philip Fahy" the last cut on Side "D", could not fail to be moved by the maturity of technique, philosophy, and personality he brings to his material. He remains, as always, a great and accomplished figure of our musical era.
Pat Carroll, Dublin
When this record was an idea and not a fact, I intended to produce a musical biography and did not intend to include a written interpretation of Seamus' life. However, as the project progressed, I realized, through the prodding of my friends, that a certain amount of background information was needed to get the point of the record across more fully.
The "plot" of this record set, so to speak, is an attempt of an amateur piper to explain to the average music fan how the piping of Seamus Ennis progressed over the years.
The earliest recording we have is on Side "A", cut one, which is Seamus at 28 years old playing "The Rainy Day", "The Merry Blacksmith", and finally one of the best pieces of piping on the record, "The Silver Spear".
On Side "A", cuts 3 and 4, we have two versions of "The Bucks of Orenmore". On cut 3, Seamus is in his twenties and his piping is tight and methodical, lacking in tonal control and color but beautifully executed. This is followed (cut 4) by a later recording (probably in the late 50's) which is without a doubt the finest example of Uillean piping I have ever heard; this version is loose, happy, and completely brilliant and in comparing the two versions you will realize what the record is about.
When Seamus plays the pipes he is the complete master of the "middle-of-the-road" style of piping, which I must state is the style I personally prefer. There are three styles of piping: the tight or staccato style, the "open" or legato style, and the "middle-of-the-road" style, which is a combination of the two.
In the days before Seamus and his father, piping was divided. pretty evenly between the tight-Patsy Touhey, Tom Ennis to name a couple, (see "family tree"), and the "open" styles of Johnny Doran and Liam Walsh-street piping as it is sometimes called, because the open style is louder and good to play in the street where volume is needed. It wasn't until Seamus that we had a style combining the two, alternately "lifting" you and "letting you down" making a style of piping that was more pleasing and easy to listen to.
If a genius is defined as a person with a transcendant ability to affect his environment and to manipulate it in a totally unique way, then Seamus Ennis is a genius. The personality difficulties traditionally associated with genius are also present. Seamus is a giant among traditional musicians, collectors and philosophers and so being, he finds it difficult to communicate with persons of a lesser ability. With Irish music only being accepted socially as anything but "that dirty bogman's music" in the last ten years or so, I find it difficult to comprehend what Seamus must have suffered as he travelled about collecting, playing pipes and telling stories of a people so decimated by the British that they find very little left of their once great culture. For this reason few, even among the Irish, will ever begin to under- stand what Seamus Ennis has done for Ireland and for the world for that matter.
In brief, Seamus is mad, and a fine madness it is too. In the almost two months that I lived with Seamus in Dublin, he ran me through the gauntlet of wit, gargantuan ribaldry, tears, pain and childish teasing. When he would realize I was giving way under the barrage, he would whip out the "Auld Pipes", squeeze the bags and tickle me back to sanity.
The first thing you notice when you meet Seamus is that he is six feet four and has the most beautiful hands in the world. I said to myself "How in the hell can he play the pipes with fingers that long?" It was then I realized that the "little people" he constantly refers to in his stories are in fact his blood relatives and he is none other than the world's largest Leprechaun.
Seamus Ennis was born in Jamestown, North County Dublin, in 1919. His father, a civil servant, was a fine flutist and fiddler. He was also a founder of the Naul Piper's Band, players of what are now called war pipes. He became interested in the Uillean pipes when hearing the old country pipers who were brought to Dublin for the Oirechtas festivals each year. Seamus' mother (see photo) is a Monaghan woman with school tuition level fiddle. At the age of eighty-four, she still takes a lively interest in music.
Seamus recalls that he could recite the names of tunes by note before he could match them up with their respective melodies. His father, he says, used to play him to sleep at night and he remembers on one occasion asking for a favorite tune called Munster Buttermilk. The next morning he woke up in a terrible temper with himself for having fallen asleep after hearing only a few bars. He did not take up the pipes seriously until he was thirteen and was not encouraged to do so until he showed a genuine interest.
He admires his father's wisdom in this regara. Today, with the renewed interest in Uillean pipes (which he has helped to foster), he feels too many young children are being pressured to play this demanding instrument, often in competition, before they are naturally inclined to do so. When he finally began to play, it was his father who taught him and became the prime influence on his playing.
In the late 1930's, after finishing secondary school and commercial college, Seamus entered what he refers to as his university. He started to work at the Three Candles Press under the publisher, collector and anthologist Colm O'Lochlainn. During four years he was proof-reader, editor, translator and general dogsbody, doing everything it is possible to do around at publisher's office. In 1942, O'Lochlainn introduced Seamus into the world of the Irish Folklore Commission, where he began his long, fruitful career as a collector. For five years he travelled throughout Ireland on his bicycle, memorizing and transcribing thousands of tunes. His fluent knowledge of Irish enabled him to collect an extensive group of songs and stories in that language as well as in English. He also collected for the Com- mission in Scotland, particularly in the Hebrides and the north- eastern areas around Elgin and Hentley. In addition he translated the John Lorne Campbell Hebridean Collection.
In 1947, Seamus left the Commission to work for Radio. Eireann as a collector, producer and performer. During this period, he collaborated with Alan Lomax and they made a joint field trip. Some of the material they gained can be heard on a now deleted recording made for CBS. In 1951 Seamus again moved, this time to London and the B.B.C. Under its auspices, he collected in many parts of England and returned again to Scotland. Some of the songs he recorded appear on Topic Record's "Folksongs of Britain" series. In order to justify the expense of paying full-time collectors, the B.B.C. launched an immensely popular folk show, "As I Roved Out", which helped to expand the growing British Folk Revival. Seamus was a prime fixture of this show in his capacities as producer, collector and performer.
Throughout these years of collecting and translating, Seamus had been playing the pipes. Although a traditional club circuit had not yet come into being, Seamus performed frequently in pubs, country kitchens and traditional gatherings of every sort. He developed and refined the techniques and philosophy of pipering inherited from his father. Seamus was close to his father and they were enormously proud of one another. Seamus still plays his father's set of pipes. They were made by the renowned Coyne of Thomas Street, Dublin, over 150 years ago. In 1912, Seamus' father travelled to London to play in a flute competition, which he won. While there, he bought from a pawn- broker-for £3-a sack containing the bits and pieces of that set of Coyne pipes. They were reconstructed by John Brogan, a pipes artisan of Harold's Cross. Seamus, who estimates that he has played over seventy-five sets of pipes during his life, regards this set as one of the best.
Since 1958, Seamus has been living once more in Dublin, working as a free-lance performer, translator and broadcaster. His reputation as a piper has grown to international proportions and he now has several records to his credit. Although he has suffered two heart attacks and two serious motor accidents, his playing continues undiminished. Anyone who has heard him play an air, such as "Gentle Philip Fahy" the last cut on Side "D", could not fail to be moved by the maturity of technique, philosophy, and personality he brings to his material. He remains, as always, a great and accomplished figure of our musical era.
Pat Carroll, Dublin
VIRTUOSOS OF IRISH MUSIC ALTAN DE DANNAN
FRANKIE GAVIN, LIAM O'FLYNN, DESSIE WILKINSON. THE ALBUM
In a touristic as well as an associative con- text, no other country in the world offers as many folk music affinities as Ireland.
In one breath, the foreign visitor to Ireland is overwhelmed by its wildly romantic mountains, the dark moors, the green valleys, the golden sandy beaches and Irish folk music. It is significant that on the island, Irish folk music is not found in artificial situations, but plays a major role in day to day life as part of a vital tradition.
The people, the countryside, the culture and the music seem to form an integrated whole, which portrays many moods, ran- ging from melancholy to resignation.
Irish folk music at home correlates with its effect in exile as for example upon the in- numerable tours of Irish musicians. These are almost always filigree artists of their instruments and voice. For they see them- selves as ambassadors of their country; its culture, music and mentality, and they present themselves accordingly. Irish folk music is articulated today in sessions, con- certs and recordings, in a wealth of variations, facets and diversity. Some of which are as follows:
• Simply structured Rebel Songs reflecting the spirit and sentiment for a unified Ireland.
Ballads, often telling of the scenic beau- ties of the island, of humourous incidents, amorous adventures and carousing (or drunken), romantics.
• Irish Folk "on the rock" adds the more modern elements of electric guitar, drums, bass and keyboards to the more traditional instruments.
•Pub-Sessions, with fiddle, Irish bagpipes, wooden flute, tin whistle, banjo, bouzouki and bodhrán (frame drum), and, through the melodic repetition of the dance tunes, enable everyone to join in without the need for sheet music.
Sean Nos, (Gaelic term meaning "in the old style"), are songs without any instrumental accompaniment, sung in the old Celtic language of Ireland. When performing the sean nos, the vocalists neither keep to a strict melody line nor to a constant rhythm. They vary, embellish and improvise, singing of love, lust and passion - without expression and without gesticulation.
Ensemble Folk refers to the artistically structured music of melodic instruments: often fiddle, flute, bagpipes, accordion and rhythm instruments like guitar, bouzouki and bodhrán.
Flourishes and rhythmic variations, where the rough notation of an Irish dance melody refers to the typical style of the musicians, allow for improvisation and are proof of individual creativity. Even though now- adays Irish folk music is a phenomenon widely accepted by both musicians and audiences alike, it should not be forgotten that at one time it had almost died out, even in Ireland itself. It was only a revival of traditional folk music in the 50's, which initia- ted a boom that has, luckily, survived until the present day.
The selection on this CD includes traditional dance melodies (jigs, reels, horn- pipes, highlands), slow airs, sean nos vocal pieces, as well as ballads in Gaelic and English. The titles are interpreted by some of the top exponents of the Irish folk genre.
Frankie Gavin's home is in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. Traditional music had already played a major role in his parents' lives. Both his father and mother were passionate fiddlers. Their son adopted this instrument and also, at first, the traditional dance melodies of the region. But Frankie Gavin's main source of inspiration and influence came to him in Ireland via the USA. Old records from the 20's and 30's, that had been produced by Irish emigrants in New York. Frankie Gavin's hero of this epoch was, and still is, the late fiddler James Morrison.
Today Frankie Gavin is, himself, a virtuouso, traditional fiddler and flautist, too, as well as founder and leader of the group De Dannan, with whom he has toured exten- sively throughout Europe and America. But he is also a highly respected soloist. His sparkling, fluently ornamental improvisations elevate every dance tune to an acous- tic work of art. With an almost weightless, devilish speed, his bow flits across the strings of his fiddle. Every now and then, Frankie Gavin breaks out of his traditional musical circles to work live, or in the studio, with stars from other genres, such as Elvis Costello, The Waterboys, Yehudi Menuhin, or Stephane Grapelli. Frankie Gavin is a composer, too, and apart from a significant number of dance melodies in the traditional Liam O'Flynn plays the uilleann pipes, the Irish variety of the bagpipes. This instru- ment was first used in its present form at the beginning of the 18th century and, structurally speaking, is considered to be the ultimate in the developmental history of the bagpipes. The ulleann pipes consist of a chanter (melodic pipe), drones (bordun pipes), and regulators (accompanying chords).
The air, which causes the wooden reeds to vibrate, is produced by movement of the elbow exerting pressure on a blad- der, or bellows, and then compressed into an air sack (uilleann Gaelic for elbow). From there, pressure of the lower arm then forces the air through the various pipes.
Uilleann pipes are considered extremely complicated and difficult to play. Liam O'Flynn is one of the most outstanding masters of the uilleann pipes. Liam O'Flynn comes from Kill in the county of Kildare. Three old master pipers have made their mark on his musical development: Leo Rowsome, Willie Clancy and, most of all, Seamus Ennis.
Although Liam O'Flynn was the winner of numerous national instrumental contests in the 60's, he only became well-known through his work with the group Planxty, which significantly inspired the traditional music scene in the 70's.
Since 1980, Liam O'Flynn has worked often with composer Shaun Davey. In the suite "The Brendan Voyage", written especially for him, he successfully combines the sound of the uilleann pipes with that of a classical orchestra. This symbiosis was successfully performed live, not only in Ireland, but in Canada, Australia, England, Spain and Germany, too.
Similar sound realizations of uilleann pipes and classical orchestra can also be heard in the following Shaun Davey compositions: "The Pilgrim", "Granuaile", and "The Relief of Derry Symphony". Dessie Wilkinson comes from Belfast. He is considered to be one of the leading Irish flautists of the day. His main instruments are the long, wooden flute (concert flute). and the tin whistle. Already in 1977 he had played in Germany and France with the group Uachtar and was later featured as a special-guest with the De Dannan formation. He is currently the focal point of the Crantrio, which has also toured the continent.
In addition to other numerous musical activities, Dessie Wilkinson is also scientifically occupied with Irish folk music. He has published an academic work on the flautistic styles of western Ireland and also devotes much time to field research, i. e. collecting regional songs and melodies.
The clearly audible foot stamping of Dessie Wilkinson and Frankie Gavin is proof of the artists' motivation and the vitality of traditional Irish music. The recordings were made in the famous "Cedernsaal" of the Fuggerschloss in Kirchheim/Bavarian Schwaben, during the "Musik auf Schloss Kirchheim Festival", which took place under the patronage of the Fürstin Angela Fugger von Gloett in June, 1984. The magnificent panelled ceiling, of various types of wood, (lebanese cedar, among others), dating back to the sixteenth century, gives the recordings their characteristically warm tone.
Loch Altan, a lake on the ridge of Mount Errigal in the north western county of Donegal, gave its name to the Altan quintet.
"High point of the festival" - "The hottest group in Celtic reels these days!" - The press has been going overboard with superlatives since the group was founded in 1987. With exciting studio recordings and innumerable concerts and festival appearances in Europe and the USA, Altan has played its way into the ranks of top traditional Irish folk bands.
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh was born and rai- sed in Gaoth Dobhair in County Donegal. There, where the Celtic language of Gaelic is still kept alive, thus representing Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's most essential and plentiful source of ballads and Sean Nos-vocal interpretations.
Apart from her clear and expressive voice, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's virtuosity on the fiddle is a further trademark. In very early childhood, her father Francis, together with a close friend of the family, Danny McLoughlin, were already attending to her motivation and repertoire, as well as her technical and rhythmic-melodic schooling. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh continues to use a style of fiddling characteristic of the north- western region of Donegal. But the Donegal style of fiddling enhanced by a very dyna- mic presentation, in which the fiddlers use a very energetic style of bowing, without the flourish or ornamentation generally practised by fiddlers in the counties of southern Ireland, e. g. Frankie Gavin.
Mairéad Ni Mhaonaigh is also regarded as someone who is excellently able to impart her knowledge and ability, as, for example, in the renowned Irish Radio (RTE), folk broadcast "The Long Note" and in the Fiddle Workshops of Glencolumbcille (Donegal).
Frankie Kennedy, Mairead's husband, is originally from Belfast. He often spent his summer holidays in Gaoth Dobhair, where he first came into serious contact with traditional music. Frankie Kennedy didn't meet Mairead Ní Mhaonaigh, however, until years later, when they were both attending tea- chers' college in Dublin. Frankie Kennedy is a late convert, who only discovered traditional music and his instrument, the concert flute, at the age of twenty. The fact that he has played his way into the elite of Irish
flautists within a very few years, says a great deal about his talent. Frankie Kennedy and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh first played as a duo, before forming the group Altan.
Like Frankie Kennedy, Mark Kelly, born in Dublin, was a late-comer to traditional music. Rock and jazz are his musical roots, which enabled him to develop a unique style of guitar accompaniment, which, despite adventurous chord arrangements, has never detracted from the character of traditional Irish music.
Kinawley in County Fermanagh is the home of Ciarán Curran. Traditional Irish folk had been preserved and passed on for generations in Ciaran Currán's family and environment. He adapted many Irish melodies and accompaniments, for the flatback bouzouki, the Irish variation of the originally Greek instrument. Ciaran Currán attends to the rhythmic accompaniment of the Altan- Sounds.
Paul O'Shaugnassy, likewise Dublin born, plays second fiddle in the band. He masterly complements the group's melody sec- tion, thereby rounding off Altan's extensive pattern of sound.
De Danan, named after characters in Celtic mythology, is one of Ireland's top bands. The formation, founded in Spiddal, County Galway, in 1974, has, throughout all these years, constantly remained true to its principles of playing with an innovative sense of fun.
Apart from Frankie Galvin, already introduced at length, Alec Finn is the only member of De Dannan's original line-up. Alec Finn's brilliant, but consciously discreet playing of the bouzouki, is a perfect complement to Frankie Gavin's fiddle power, and his guitar accompaniment is at the core of the ballad arrangements.
With the thickened end of a wooden drum- stick, Colm Murphy beats the Irish frame drum, known as the bodhrán. By using a special manual damping technique, he produces a wide range of sounds and, by clever use of the beater, develops an exciting rhythmic structure. Colm Murphy supplies the driving spice in De Dannan's performances. He is one of the best bodhrán players in Ireland and other artists often engage him as guest and session musician for studio work and concerts.
flautists within a very few years, say deal about his talent. Frankie Kenr Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh first played before forming the group Altan.
Like Frankie Kennedy, Mark Kelly Dublin, was a late-comer to tr music. Rock and jazz are his music which enabled him to develop style of guitar accompaniment despite adventurous chord arrang has never detracted from the cha
Aidan Coffey plays a double-row button accordion. He masterly supports De Dannan's melody section with his instrument.
Eleanor Shanley smoothly joins the ranks of first class singers who have worked with De Dannan throughout the years, (Dolores Keane, Maura O'Connell, Mary Black). From the musical comedy genre, she made her way into traditional music and the group De Dannan. Eleanor Shanley has a clear, expressive, soprano voice, which is superbly suited to both English and Gaelic ballads.
THE SONGS
Thug Mé Rúide. A love song in the sean nos style, written by a Catholic priest, who describes his unfulfilled emotions.
Tá mo chleamhnas A Dhéanamh. In this song the verses are sung alternately in Gaelic and English. In Ireland, this form is called macaronic. As in many other cultures, mar- riages were arranged in Ireland, too, and many of them were solemnized without love. Here a man, in just such a marriage, suddenly falls in love with another woman. Tuirse Mo Chroí. This Gaelic ballad tells of a long-married man, who wants to trade his wife for a pretty young girl. This leads to some problems.
The Bantry Girls' Lament. In this song Johnny, from the town of Bantry, is force- fully inducted into the army, to fight against the King of Spain. This makes the girls of Bantry very sad.
Táim I Mo Shuí. In this Gaelic song, a desolate young man laments the pangs of love.
Harald Jüngst.
TRADITIONAL MUSIC
There are myriad definitions of the term, traditional music, but basic to all of them is the fundamental characteristic of oral transmission. In other words the music is passed on by mouth and by ear not by written word or musical notation. The music is learned from the performances of other singers and players and one generation learns from the next in this manner. As Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin has said: "Traditional music has to come out of an actual meeting of bodies in space, you know, people communicating; and I think it always has that immediacy and root and warmth as a result."
Ireland is unique in the western world in still retaining a vigorous, orally transmitted tradition of music. As many attest, this 'warm' musical atmosphere exerts an influence on musicians working outside the pure traditional field. Traditional music has remained uncorrupted by other forms and idioms. It is in no way on the artificial respirator of institutional preservation. It is not a museum piece. It is alive and developing, and involves growing numbers of young musicians - a sure index of health.
On the subject of definitions, the term 'folk music is often used interchangeably with the term 'traditional' music. However, the two are not necessarily one and the same. In addition to having a 'folk music tradition which can be described as 'music of the people', Ireland also has two highly developed musical forms. One of these, the harping tradition, now defunct, was never folk musie'. The second, the 'Sean Nós tradition, drew some of its elements from mediaeval bardic poetry which was the preserve of a scholarly élite. These forms are as complex and sophisticated as classical or European art music. In their highest forms of expression, they are inaccessible to many performers and listeners.
The other characteristic of traditional music is anonymity. There were, and are, composers, but the nature of the music and the performance of it are such that the composer, even if known, is of little significance.
The tune itself, in its original form, is only the barest outline of the melody. If it were to be played in this way it would be incomplete. Consequently, another defining characteristic of traditional music is the degree of variation and ornamentation that occurs in its performance. The execution of the music is heavily dependent on the skill and creative imagination of the player. So within the actual performance itself there is an element of controlled extemporisation. In this way each time a player plays a tune, he plays it as it were for the first time. Each time he plays will be different from the last time. In this way it is rather like jazz. There is, however, a defined musical structure within which this extemporisation is allowed to take place. It is the mastery of this, in addition to imagination and skill, which combine to produce a great player.
The player is both performer and composer.
A player who attempts to move outside this structure (a rare occurrence) will not be able to play with other players. The nature of the transmission and performance of the music would work against this happening because Irish traditional music involves a community of musicians. Although exceptionally fine players abound, they are not simply a collection of soloists. A large part of the ethos of Irish traditional playing is players playing together in session for each other. Gigs and paid concert performances are only one small part of the picture. Very few traditional musicians in Ireland make a living out of playing. Until very recently the very idea of a professional traditional musician in the concert performance sense would have been unusual. An intrinsic part of the tradition is that there is no audience as we understand it in the modern sense.
This will become clearer as a concept when we look deeper into the performance aspect of Irish music.
Do Philib a Cheoil
FRANKIE GAVIN, LIAM O'FLYNN, DESSIE WILKINSON. THE ALBUM
In a touristic as well as an associative con- text, no other country in the world offers as many folk music affinities as Ireland.
In one breath, the foreign visitor to Ireland is overwhelmed by its wildly romantic mountains, the dark moors, the green valleys, the golden sandy beaches and Irish folk music. It is significant that on the island, Irish folk music is not found in artificial situations, but plays a major role in day to day life as part of a vital tradition.
The people, the countryside, the culture and the music seem to form an integrated whole, which portrays many moods, ran- ging from melancholy to resignation.
Irish folk music at home correlates with its effect in exile as for example upon the in- numerable tours of Irish musicians. These are almost always filigree artists of their instruments and voice. For they see them- selves as ambassadors of their country; its culture, music and mentality, and they present themselves accordingly. Irish folk music is articulated today in sessions, con- certs and recordings, in a wealth of variations, facets and diversity. Some of which are as follows:
• Simply structured Rebel Songs reflecting the spirit and sentiment for a unified Ireland.
Ballads, often telling of the scenic beau- ties of the island, of humourous incidents, amorous adventures and carousing (or drunken), romantics.
• Irish Folk "on the rock" adds the more modern elements of electric guitar, drums, bass and keyboards to the more traditional instruments.
•Pub-Sessions, with fiddle, Irish bagpipes, wooden flute, tin whistle, banjo, bouzouki and bodhrán (frame drum), and, through the melodic repetition of the dance tunes, enable everyone to join in without the need for sheet music.
Sean Nos, (Gaelic term meaning "in the old style"), are songs without any instrumental accompaniment, sung in the old Celtic language of Ireland. When performing the sean nos, the vocalists neither keep to a strict melody line nor to a constant rhythm. They vary, embellish and improvise, singing of love, lust and passion - without expression and without gesticulation.
Ensemble Folk refers to the artistically structured music of melodic instruments: often fiddle, flute, bagpipes, accordion and rhythm instruments like guitar, bouzouki and bodhrán.
Flourishes and rhythmic variations, where the rough notation of an Irish dance melody refers to the typical style of the musicians, allow for improvisation and are proof of individual creativity. Even though now- adays Irish folk music is a phenomenon widely accepted by both musicians and audiences alike, it should not be forgotten that at one time it had almost died out, even in Ireland itself. It was only a revival of traditional folk music in the 50's, which initia- ted a boom that has, luckily, survived until the present day.
The selection on this CD includes traditional dance melodies (jigs, reels, horn- pipes, highlands), slow airs, sean nos vocal pieces, as well as ballads in Gaelic and English. The titles are interpreted by some of the top exponents of the Irish folk genre.
Frankie Gavin's home is in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. Traditional music had already played a major role in his parents' lives. Both his father and mother were passionate fiddlers. Their son adopted this instrument and also, at first, the traditional dance melodies of the region. But Frankie Gavin's main source of inspiration and influence came to him in Ireland via the USA. Old records from the 20's and 30's, that had been produced by Irish emigrants in New York. Frankie Gavin's hero of this epoch was, and still is, the late fiddler James Morrison.
Today Frankie Gavin is, himself, a virtuouso, traditional fiddler and flautist, too, as well as founder and leader of the group De Dannan, with whom he has toured exten- sively throughout Europe and America. But he is also a highly respected soloist. His sparkling, fluently ornamental improvisations elevate every dance tune to an acous- tic work of art. With an almost weightless, devilish speed, his bow flits across the strings of his fiddle. Every now and then, Frankie Gavin breaks out of his traditional musical circles to work live, or in the studio, with stars from other genres, such as Elvis Costello, The Waterboys, Yehudi Menuhin, or Stephane Grapelli. Frankie Gavin is a composer, too, and apart from a significant number of dance melodies in the traditional Liam O'Flynn plays the uilleann pipes, the Irish variety of the bagpipes. This instru- ment was first used in its present form at the beginning of the 18th century and, structurally speaking, is considered to be the ultimate in the developmental history of the bagpipes. The ulleann pipes consist of a chanter (melodic pipe), drones (bordun pipes), and regulators (accompanying chords).
The air, which causes the wooden reeds to vibrate, is produced by movement of the elbow exerting pressure on a blad- der, or bellows, and then compressed into an air sack (uilleann Gaelic for elbow). From there, pressure of the lower arm then forces the air through the various pipes.
Uilleann pipes are considered extremely complicated and difficult to play. Liam O'Flynn is one of the most outstanding masters of the uilleann pipes. Liam O'Flynn comes from Kill in the county of Kildare. Three old master pipers have made their mark on his musical development: Leo Rowsome, Willie Clancy and, most of all, Seamus Ennis.
Although Liam O'Flynn was the winner of numerous national instrumental contests in the 60's, he only became well-known through his work with the group Planxty, which significantly inspired the traditional music scene in the 70's.
Since 1980, Liam O'Flynn has worked often with composer Shaun Davey. In the suite "The Brendan Voyage", written especially for him, he successfully combines the sound of the uilleann pipes with that of a classical orchestra. This symbiosis was successfully performed live, not only in Ireland, but in Canada, Australia, England, Spain and Germany, too.
Similar sound realizations of uilleann pipes and classical orchestra can also be heard in the following Shaun Davey compositions: "The Pilgrim", "Granuaile", and "The Relief of Derry Symphony". Dessie Wilkinson comes from Belfast. He is considered to be one of the leading Irish flautists of the day. His main instruments are the long, wooden flute (concert flute). and the tin whistle. Already in 1977 he had played in Germany and France with the group Uachtar and was later featured as a special-guest with the De Dannan formation. He is currently the focal point of the Crantrio, which has also toured the continent.
In addition to other numerous musical activities, Dessie Wilkinson is also scientifically occupied with Irish folk music. He has published an academic work on the flautistic styles of western Ireland and also devotes much time to field research, i. e. collecting regional songs and melodies.
The clearly audible foot stamping of Dessie Wilkinson and Frankie Gavin is proof of the artists' motivation and the vitality of traditional Irish music. The recordings were made in the famous "Cedernsaal" of the Fuggerschloss in Kirchheim/Bavarian Schwaben, during the "Musik auf Schloss Kirchheim Festival", which took place under the patronage of the Fürstin Angela Fugger von Gloett in June, 1984. The magnificent panelled ceiling, of various types of wood, (lebanese cedar, among others), dating back to the sixteenth century, gives the recordings their characteristically warm tone.
Loch Altan, a lake on the ridge of Mount Errigal in the north western county of Donegal, gave its name to the Altan quintet.
"High point of the festival" - "The hottest group in Celtic reels these days!" - The press has been going overboard with superlatives since the group was founded in 1987. With exciting studio recordings and innumerable concerts and festival appearances in Europe and the USA, Altan has played its way into the ranks of top traditional Irish folk bands.
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh was born and rai- sed in Gaoth Dobhair in County Donegal. There, where the Celtic language of Gaelic is still kept alive, thus representing Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's most essential and plentiful source of ballads and Sean Nos-vocal interpretations.
Apart from her clear and expressive voice, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's virtuosity on the fiddle is a further trademark. In very early childhood, her father Francis, together with a close friend of the family, Danny McLoughlin, were already attending to her motivation and repertoire, as well as her technical and rhythmic-melodic schooling. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh continues to use a style of fiddling characteristic of the north- western region of Donegal. But the Donegal style of fiddling enhanced by a very dyna- mic presentation, in which the fiddlers use a very energetic style of bowing, without the flourish or ornamentation generally practised by fiddlers in the counties of southern Ireland, e. g. Frankie Gavin.
Mairéad Ni Mhaonaigh is also regarded as someone who is excellently able to impart her knowledge and ability, as, for example, in the renowned Irish Radio (RTE), folk broadcast "The Long Note" and in the Fiddle Workshops of Glencolumbcille (Donegal).
Frankie Kennedy, Mairead's husband, is originally from Belfast. He often spent his summer holidays in Gaoth Dobhair, where he first came into serious contact with traditional music. Frankie Kennedy didn't meet Mairead Ní Mhaonaigh, however, until years later, when they were both attending tea- chers' college in Dublin. Frankie Kennedy is a late convert, who only discovered traditional music and his instrument, the concert flute, at the age of twenty. The fact that he has played his way into the elite of Irish
flautists within a very few years, says a great deal about his talent. Frankie Kennedy and Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh first played as a duo, before forming the group Altan.
Like Frankie Kennedy, Mark Kelly, born in Dublin, was a late-comer to traditional music. Rock and jazz are his musical roots, which enabled him to develop a unique style of guitar accompaniment, which, despite adventurous chord arrangements, has never detracted from the character of traditional Irish music.
Kinawley in County Fermanagh is the home of Ciarán Curran. Traditional Irish folk had been preserved and passed on for generations in Ciaran Currán's family and environment. He adapted many Irish melodies and accompaniments, for the flatback bouzouki, the Irish variation of the originally Greek instrument. Ciaran Currán attends to the rhythmic accompaniment of the Altan- Sounds.
Paul O'Shaugnassy, likewise Dublin born, plays second fiddle in the band. He masterly complements the group's melody sec- tion, thereby rounding off Altan's extensive pattern of sound.
De Danan, named after characters in Celtic mythology, is one of Ireland's top bands. The formation, founded in Spiddal, County Galway, in 1974, has, throughout all these years, constantly remained true to its principles of playing with an innovative sense of fun.
Apart from Frankie Galvin, already introduced at length, Alec Finn is the only member of De Dannan's original line-up. Alec Finn's brilliant, but consciously discreet playing of the bouzouki, is a perfect complement to Frankie Gavin's fiddle power, and his guitar accompaniment is at the core of the ballad arrangements.
With the thickened end of a wooden drum- stick, Colm Murphy beats the Irish frame drum, known as the bodhrán. By using a special manual damping technique, he produces a wide range of sounds and, by clever use of the beater, develops an exciting rhythmic structure. Colm Murphy supplies the driving spice in De Dannan's performances. He is one of the best bodhrán players in Ireland and other artists often engage him as guest and session musician for studio work and concerts.
flautists within a very few years, say deal about his talent. Frankie Kenr Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh first played before forming the group Altan.
Like Frankie Kennedy, Mark Kelly Dublin, was a late-comer to tr music. Rock and jazz are his music which enabled him to develop style of guitar accompaniment despite adventurous chord arrang has never detracted from the cha
Aidan Coffey plays a double-row button accordion. He masterly supports De Dannan's melody section with his instrument.
Eleanor Shanley smoothly joins the ranks of first class singers who have worked with De Dannan throughout the years, (Dolores Keane, Maura O'Connell, Mary Black). From the musical comedy genre, she made her way into traditional music and the group De Dannan. Eleanor Shanley has a clear, expressive, soprano voice, which is superbly suited to both English and Gaelic ballads.
THE SONGS
Thug Mé Rúide. A love song in the sean nos style, written by a Catholic priest, who describes his unfulfilled emotions.
Tá mo chleamhnas A Dhéanamh. In this song the verses are sung alternately in Gaelic and English. In Ireland, this form is called macaronic. As in many other cultures, mar- riages were arranged in Ireland, too, and many of them were solemnized without love. Here a man, in just such a marriage, suddenly falls in love with another woman. Tuirse Mo Chroí. This Gaelic ballad tells of a long-married man, who wants to trade his wife for a pretty young girl. This leads to some problems.
The Bantry Girls' Lament. In this song Johnny, from the town of Bantry, is force- fully inducted into the army, to fight against the King of Spain. This makes the girls of Bantry very sad.
Táim I Mo Shuí. In this Gaelic song, a desolate young man laments the pangs of love.
Harald Jüngst.
TRADITIONAL MUSIC
There are myriad definitions of the term, traditional music, but basic to all of them is the fundamental characteristic of oral transmission. In other words the music is passed on by mouth and by ear not by written word or musical notation. The music is learned from the performances of other singers and players and one generation learns from the next in this manner. As Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin has said: "Traditional music has to come out of an actual meeting of bodies in space, you know, people communicating; and I think it always has that immediacy and root and warmth as a result."
Ireland is unique in the western world in still retaining a vigorous, orally transmitted tradition of music. As many attest, this 'warm' musical atmosphere exerts an influence on musicians working outside the pure traditional field. Traditional music has remained uncorrupted by other forms and idioms. It is in no way on the artificial respirator of institutional preservation. It is not a museum piece. It is alive and developing, and involves growing numbers of young musicians - a sure index of health.
On the subject of definitions, the term 'folk music is often used interchangeably with the term 'traditional' music. However, the two are not necessarily one and the same. In addition to having a 'folk music tradition which can be described as 'music of the people', Ireland also has two highly developed musical forms. One of these, the harping tradition, now defunct, was never folk musie'. The second, the 'Sean Nós tradition, drew some of its elements from mediaeval bardic poetry which was the preserve of a scholarly élite. These forms are as complex and sophisticated as classical or European art music. In their highest forms of expression, they are inaccessible to many performers and listeners.
The other characteristic of traditional music is anonymity. There were, and are, composers, but the nature of the music and the performance of it are such that the composer, even if known, is of little significance.
The tune itself, in its original form, is only the barest outline of the melody. If it were to be played in this way it would be incomplete. Consequently, another defining characteristic of traditional music is the degree of variation and ornamentation that occurs in its performance. The execution of the music is heavily dependent on the skill and creative imagination of the player. So within the actual performance itself there is an element of controlled extemporisation. In this way each time a player plays a tune, he plays it as it were for the first time. Each time he plays will be different from the last time. In this way it is rather like jazz. There is, however, a defined musical structure within which this extemporisation is allowed to take place. It is the mastery of this, in addition to imagination and skill, which combine to produce a great player.
The player is both performer and composer.
A player who attempts to move outside this structure (a rare occurrence) will not be able to play with other players. The nature of the transmission and performance of the music would work against this happening because Irish traditional music involves a community of musicians. Although exceptionally fine players abound, they are not simply a collection of soloists. A large part of the ethos of Irish traditional playing is players playing together in session for each other. Gigs and paid concert performances are only one small part of the picture. Very few traditional musicians in Ireland make a living out of playing. Until very recently the very idea of a professional traditional musician in the concert performance sense would have been unusual. An intrinsic part of the tradition is that there is no audience as we understand it in the modern sense.
This will become clearer as a concept when we look deeper into the performance aspect of Irish music.
Do Philib a Cheoil
