Leaving Cert - Irish Traditional Music Ms Leonard

Irish Music Listening

Traditional Features Non traditional features
Solo Group performances
No harmony Harmony
Ornamentation ccompaniment
!lattened "
th
Non traditional instruments
#ide range Noted music
Monophonic Homophonic
No dynamics !usions
Not e$pressive Syncopated rhythm
%epeat final note &ynamics
Traditional instruments No ornamentation
ural tradition ' passed do(n )y ear
Modal *eys and gapped scales
!orm dictates (hat (ay the dances go
Traditional Instruments Non traditional instruments
!iddle Guitar
!lute Mandolin
Tin (histle +iano,*ey)oard
-illeann pipes Synthesiser
Concertina .ou/ou*i
Melodeon,)utton accordion &rums
Harp Harpsichord
+iano accordion Orchestral instruments
Harmonica 0thnic instruments
.odhr1n
.ones
Spoon
Tenor )an2o
Musicians:
Harp - &ere* .ell3 Laoise 4elly3 M1ire N5 Chathasaigh6
!iddle - !ran*ie Gavin3 Tommy +eoples3 +addy Glac*in
!lute - Matt Molloy3 Seamus Tansey
#histle - Mary .ergin3 Geraldine Cotter3 +addy Maloney
-illeann +ipes - Seamus 0nnis3 #illie Clancy3 +ady Maloney
.odhr1n - 4evin Conneff3 Mel Mercier
Sean Ns
Solo !ree rhythm
-naccompanied No dynamics
In irish Glottal stop
Ornamentation Modal tonality
Melismas Nasal tone
Glissando,sliding %egional &ifferences
Examples: 7na .h1n
nach Cuain
n &roimeann &onn &5lis
Caoine na dT5r Mhuire
Regional Differences
Donegal onnemara Munster
Scottish influence Narro( range #ider range
%egular rhythm Nasal tone 8i)rato3 pronounced
nasal 9uality
Least Ornamenation Lots of ornamentation3
very melismatic
%hythmic variation
Singers: Lillis ; Laoire3
Sal5 Gallagher
Singers: %<is5n 0lsafty3
Seosamh ; h=ana5
Singers: Iarla O>Lionair3
S?amus .egley
Irish Dance Music
T!pe Time Rh!thm Tempo Info Example
@ig:
&ou)le
Single
Slip 2ig
A
B
A
B
C
B
Wrigleys
Chewing Gum !ast and
lively
Most
native3
some
0nglish3
Most from
DB
th
E
DC
th
century
The Ten penny
.it
Smash the
#indo(s
Hardiman the
fiddler
%eel
F or G
F G
Black and
Decker
!ast and
flo(ing
Most
common3
Scottish
origin
.onnie 4ate
Cooley>s reel
Hornpipe
F
F
Blaaaack and
Decker
Slo(er
than reel
0nglish
origin3
strong
accent on
D
st
and
H
rd
)eats
The harvest
home
%ights of man
+ol*a
G
F
!ast #est
Munster3
set
dancing in
slia)h
Luachra
.ritches full of
stitches
4erry pol*a
Slide
DG or A
B B
!ast fast
single 2ig
&enis Murphy>s
slide
Song Tradition
Sean-n<s
.allads Iold and ne(J
Macaronic songs Iin G languagesJ
nglo-Irish songs
T!pe of songs
T!pe Features Examples
Love songs 0$pressive3 often sad 7na .han
She moved through the
fair
Laments )out loss3 death3
eviction3 emigration of
friend3 longing for )etter
times
nach Chuain
n Mhaigh?an Mhara
&rin*ing songs Lively rhythm3
cele)ratory3 social
events
#his*ey in the 2ar
+rea) san ;l
N5l s? Kna L1
#or*ing songs !or tas*s li*e (or*ing in
the fields3 *itchen3 forge3
steady rhythm to match
the (or*
&ing dong &?dero
mhr1n na Cuiginne
Lulla)ies Gentle roc*inig rhythm3
sleep songs3
&eirin &?
&Ln o ShLile
%eligious songs Sorro(ful3 grief3 focus
on religious topics3
usually slo(3 not
common due to penal
la(s
#e$ford Carol
Caoineadh na dTr5
Mhuire
Humorous songs Light hearted3 lively
rhythm3
The holy ground
n +oc ar .uille
&andling songs !or small children3
)ouncy rhythm3 repeats
(ords and melody
&5l5n ; &eamhas
+atriotic songs shling ' dream,visions
song3
%e)el,nationalist and
famine songs
.oolavogue
!our Green !ields
T1imse im> Chodladh
Macronic lternates )et(een
0nglish and irish3 Some
patriotic in the irish parts
SiLil a %Lin
One day for %ecreation
.allads narrative lyric song3
often on political or
social life3 love3 alcohol3
emigration3the sea
The !oggy &e(
!innegan>s #a*e
The Croppy .oy
The !ields of thenry
nglo-Irish songs Composed )y irish in
0nglish language3 many
are )allads as (ell
The Last %ose of
Summer
The Mountains of
Mourne
Essa! Topics
ll 0ssay topics and the years they have appeared6

Sean Ns
The Term sean n<s is used to descri)e unaccompanied solo singing3 usually I the
irish language in (hich the (ords and the music are of e9ual importance6
Sean n<s is a singing style developed over the centuries in Irish
spea*ing Ireland and Gaelic spea*ing Scotland6 It has )een passed on from
generation to generation6 The style is deeply rooted in the rhythms of the Gaelic
language and in the metres and rhythms of Gaelic poetry6
Songs are sung (ith free rhythm3 the singer speeds up or slo(s do(n to suit the
(ords (hich may sometimes sound distorted6 &ynamics are not used6 The singer
ornaments the tune to convey emotion6 No t(o performances of a song )y the same
singer (ill )e identical6
Melodic ornamentation used may )e melismatic3 (here a note is replaced )y a group
of ad2acent notes3 or intervallic3 (here additional notes are used to fill intervals
)et(een notes in the tune6 %hythmic variation also is common (here the notes may
)e lengthened or shortened6 Sean n<s singing tends to have a nasal tone 9uality6
Glottal stopping is use (hich interrupts the flo( of air through the (ind pipe6 0$tra
meaningless sylla)le are sometimes added to (ords and some singers slo( do(n at
the end (hile others spea* the final line of the song6
There are three regions associated (ith sean n<s singingsM Munster3 &onegal
and Connemara6 These are all Gaeltacht areas and each has it>s o(n distinctive
spo*en dialect and sean n<s style6 In &onegal ornamentation is not use very often
and it has a very regular rhythm6 Sal5 Gallagher is a performer of the &onegal sean
n<s style6 InConnemara a lot of ornamentation is use and it is very florid6 The songs
also tend to have a narro(er range6 Seosamh ; h=ana5 is a sean n<s singer
in Connemara6 The range tends to )e much (ider inMunster and many use vi)rato
so it is most similar to classical singing6
The "arping Tradition
The harping tradition in Ireland flourished from medieval times until the seventeenth
century6 It (as fostered and developed among the po(erful and (ealthy Irish and
nglo-Irish families6 Harpers (ere employed along (ith poets and orators3 *no(n as
reacoirs3 to provide entertainment for the families6 s the families acted as patrons to
the harpers3 they (ould often have solo pieces3 *no(n as plan$ties3 (ritten in their
honour )y their harper6 One famous song is +lan$ty 4elly6 The occupation of a
harper (as a very prestigious one6 The harping tradition (as passed on3 father to
son3 for many years and (as one of very fe( via)le career options for )lind )oys at
the time6 Ho(ever3 after DANN3 as the great families (ent into decline3 there (as a
loss of patronage and harpers (ere left unemployed6 The harping tradition then
)ecame a nomadic one3 as harpers (ould travel from county to county3 playing for
money and food6
There (ere t(o styles of harp: the .ardic harp and the Neo-Irish harp6 The .ardic
harp had )et(een GC and HD strings made of (ire3 (hich (ere played (ith the nails6
-sually around "Ncm in height (ith a curved pillar and a hollo( sound)o$3 the .ardic
harp (as the more resonant of the t(o6 The Neo-Irish harp typically had HF strings
made of nylon or cat gut3 (hich (ere played (ith the pads of the fingers6 They (ere
taller Ia)out CDcm in heightJ than the .ardic harp3 )ut less resonant6
In D"CG the .elfast Harp !estival (as setup (ith the aim of preventing the decline of
the harping tradition6 It consisted of eleven harpers from the age of DO to C"3 playing
pieces in their o(n particular style6 One player that (as the light of the day (as
&enis Hempson3 age C"3 )eing the oldest player there6 0d(ard .unting (as
commissioned )y the .elfast Harp Society to record the lifestyles of the harpers as
(ell as recording and (riting do(n the music from the festival to preserve it for future
generations6 This method3 unli*e the oral tradition (hich had e$isted up until then3
did not allo( for particular nuances in style and some of these (ere lost6 There (as
a harping revival in the second half of the t(entieth century6 The role of the harp as a
traditional instrument (as led )y M1ire N5 Chathasaigh3 (ho had solo al)ums such
as PThe Ne( Strung HarpQ and Laoise 4elly (ho release the al)um P@ust HarpQ
Se#n $ Riada:
-se for Irish composer
Sean O %iada IDCHD-DC"DJ (as )orn in Cor* and gre( up in .ruff3 Co6 Limeric*3
(here he learned to play the traditional fiddle6 He studied music in -niversity College
Cor*6 He also learned to play piano and played it in )oth 2a// and dance )ands6 He
(as assistant &irector of music in %adio =ireann until he left for +aris in DCOO6 fter
a further study in +aris3 (here he )ecame involved (ith @a// and Gree* musicians3
he (as appointed Musical &irector of the ))y Theatre in &u)lin in DCO" and also
returned to (or* (ith %adio 0ireann6 O %iada first came to prominence in DCOC (hen
he (as commissioned )y Gael Linn to (rite the Music for the movie KMise 0ire>6 In
DCAH O %iada too* up a post lecturing in Music at -niversity College3 Cor*3 and he
continued to (or* there until his death in DC"D6
Throughout his life O %iada (as a much reno(ned Irish Music Composer6 .ut he
also composed Classical music6 He (as also a very talented .odhran player ' giving
this instrument a ne( lease of life in Irish Music6 ; %iada (as 9uite critical of ceilR
)ands and he formed a Pfol* orchestraQ called CeoltoirR Chulann in DCAN6 He (anted
to create a popular audience for traditional music and give it the dignity it deserved6
He hoped that his ne( )and could revolutioni/e the arrangement and performance of
Irish Music6 There imaginative arrangements involve inter(eaving melodies a
classical-style harmonies6
The )odhr1n had )een seen as a primitive rhythm instrument )ut once O>%iada use
it in Ceolt<ir5 Chualann is )ecame a mainstream traditional Irish instrument in many
groups6 He also (anted to revive the DB
th
century Irish Harp music so he played the
harpsichord in order to replicate the sound6 &espite not giving many concerts they
had a large follo(ing6 Their last performance (as recorded on the al)um PO>%iada
sa GaietyQ6 #hen the group )ro*e up in DCAC many of them 2oined The Chieftains3
(hose style (as greatly influenced )y O>%iada6
The use of traditional airs such as P%<is5n &u)hQ and patriotic tunes li*e P nation
once againQ in his orchestral scores made him a national cele)rity6 His soundtrac*s
includeM PMise =ireQ and PSaoirseQ and also the film PThe +lay)oy of the #estern
#orldQ6 He also (rote many liturgical (or*s including Pg Cr5ost an S5olQ6 O>%iada
also composed choral (or*s3 a symphony3 and pieces for solo instruments and
cham)er groups6 These include3 Hill !ield3 !our Holderlin songs and !ive 0pigrams
from the Gree* nthology6
M%che#l $ Shuillea&h#in:
-se for: Irish composer and solo fusion of styles6
M5che1l ; Shuillea)h1in (as )orn in DCON and he is an Irish performer3 arranger3
composer and musicologist6 He is a piano player nd com)ines traditional music
(ith )oth classical and 2a// in his arrangements of dance tunes3 airs and harp tunes6
; Shuillea)h1in plays traditional tunes on piano and improvises them in a 2a// style3
*no( as PHi)erno @a//Q such as PThe !o$ ChaseQ6
His al)um PIdir 0atarthruQ (hich means )et(een (orlds3 features a classical
orchestra3 as (ell as harp3 fiddle3 piano3 flute3 harpsichord3 )odhr1n and sa$ophone6
The first trac* PChristmas 0veQ )egins (ith an introduction3 (hich is a classical
feature3 on piano and )odhr1n6 The piano plays chords and improvises3 a 2a//
feature3 and it leads into a reel3 (hich is the traditional
Irish feature6
nother trac* PCrispyQ contains features of modern art music as it contains changing
time signatures and t(o motifs )eing repeated3 (hich are t(o short melodies that are
ta*en from Irish tunes and are repeated constantly6 It contains )oth classical and
traditional instruments (ith the piano3 strings and )odhr1n6
His other compositions include (or*s for )oth classical orchestras and traditional
instruments such as POile1n,IslandQ (hich features the Irish Cam)er Orchestra as
(ell as the traditional flute6 He also composed the DCCO 0urovision interval piece
PLumenQ (hich (as for voices3 orchestra and traditional instruments6
'il% (ands:
The (ord PC?il5Q means Pa gathering of people for danceQ6 C?il5 )ands play solely for
dancing6 c?il5 )and must play loud enough so it can )e heard )y everyone in a
large hall over the noise from dancing feet6 ll the instruments that play the melody
play in unison6 standard c?ili )and consists of ten players6 Instruments used
include3 accordion3 concertina3 harmonica3 uilleann pipes3 )an2o3 fiddle3 mandolin3
flute3 tin (histle3 drums and piano6 The position of the instruments on the stage is
important for )alance6 Generally the fiddles and flutes are in the front (ith the )an2o
a little )ehind them and the accordion and concertina further )ac* as they are the
loudest6 &rums and piano are al(ays furthest from the dancers6 #ell *no(n )ands
include the 4ilfenora and .allina*ill C?il5 .ands6
The first c?il5 (as organised in DBC" in London )y the Gaelic League6 It included
music for 2igs3 9uadrille sets and (alt/es6 There (as long ro(s of dancers facing
each other (hich is a practice that still continues today6 !r Tom Lar*in set up the
.allina*ill C?il5 )and in DCGA,G" as at that time the clergy (ished to get rid of 2a//
music6 They played tunes (hich (ere suited to a )lend of flute3 fiddle and piano6 The
)and (as very influential and remained active until the DCANs6 They inspired many
others (ho heard them play on radio or live at c?il5s and feiseanna such as their
DCHN recordings of The pipe on the ho)3 Sueen of the %ushes3 The old )ush reel
and the copperplate reel6
nother successful )and are the 4ilfenora C?il5 )and (hich (as formed in DCDN in
Clare and are still active today6 They recorded PThe !a)ulous 4ilfenora C?il5 .andQ
and PThe 4ilfenora C?il5 .andQ6 &ance houses (ere )anned in Ireland in DCHO so
dance halls (ere )uilt (here local priests supervised C?il5s such as the Tulla and the
4ilfenora in Co6 Clare6 C?il5 music (as )roadcast on radio in the HN>s ad FN>s and it
(as *ept popular )y Irish made recordings in the DCONs and also )y the !leadh
Cheoil6 Ho(ever in DCAN Sean O>%iada criticised C?il5 .ands )ecause of there lac*
of individual e$pression ho(ever despite all the critics and competition from other
genres of music C?il5 )ands still remain )usy today6
Irish Song Tradition:
Ireland has a very strong3 important song tradition6 Irish music (as a completely oral
tradition and as a result different versions of the same song may appear in different
parts of the country6 There is a (ide variety of different songs in the Irish tradition3
(hich are )oth in Irish and in 0nglish3 such as sean n<s3 )allads3 nglo Irish songs3
macaronic songs3 laments3 drin*ing songs3 (or*ing songs3 lulla)ies3 love songs3
patriotic songs3 humorous songs3 dandling songs and religious songs6
Many of the Irish songs in 0nglish are in )allad style6 )allad is a song that tells a
story and is (ritten in verses of either four or eight lines6 The same music is repeated
for each verse of the song6 The (ords in Irish )allads often come from political and
social life inIreland and themes usually include love3 politics3 re)ellion3 alcohol and
the sea6 Some (ell *no(n Irish )allads include3 PThe !oggy &e(Q3 PThe Croppy
.oyQ3 P!innegan>s #a*eQ3 PThe !ields of thenryQ3 PThe Sash My !ather #oreQ6
.allads groups include groups such as The #olfe Tones and The Clancey .rothers
and Tommy Ma*em and solo performers are singers such as +addy %eilly and
Christy Moore6
+atriotic songs are songs a)out nationalist pride6 n isling is a song a)out a
)eautiful (oman representing Ireland in a dream Such as PT1imse im>ChodladhQ3 Pn
&roimeann &onn &5lisQ6 !amine songs descri)e the a)use that the Irish people
suffered from the system of landlords and %e)el songs encouraged people to fight
for Irelandsuch as P.oolavogueQ3 P!our Green !ieldsQ6
Sean n<s is another style of singing and song that is rooted in the rhythm of the Irish
language and poetry and has )een passes do(n through generations6 Sean n<s
does not use dynamics3 is atonal and has free rhythm6 It is usually sung in the Irish
language and is a solo3 unaccompanied3 performance6 Ornamentation in )oth the
rhythm a melody is used as (ell as glissando or sliding6 There are regional
differences in the style (ith the &onegal3 Connemara and Muster dialect )eing the
three main types6 Singers of sean n<s include3 Lillis ; Laoire3 S?amus .egley3 %<s5n
0lsafty and Iarla ; Lion1ird6 Some sean n<s songs are P 7na .h1nQ3 Pnach CuainQ3
PQn %ai)h tL ar an gCarraigTQ
&rin*ing songs are lively3 cele)ratory songs that are sung (hile drin*ing at a social
event and cele)rating6 They have a lively rhythm6 0$amples include P+rea) San ;lQ3
P#his*ey in the @arQ3 and P#ild %overQ6
Irish Dance:
Irish &ances follo( a simple t(o-part structure6 The part is *no( as the tune and
the . part is the turn6 0ach section is usually B )ars long and are often played t(ice6
The . section usually has more notes and has a higher range than the section6
Often one dance runs into another (hich is *no(n as a set6 Types of Irish dances
include %eels3 @igs3 (hich can )e single3 dou)le or slip 2igs3 Hornpipes3 Slides and
+ol*as6
The reel is the most common type of Irish dance tune6 It (as )rought
to Ireland from Scotland at the end of the DB
th
century6 reel is a lively dance tune in
F,F or sometimes G,G time and consists mainly of 9uavers (ith an accent on the first
and third )eats of the )ar6 Most reels are in )inary form I..J and the dancers
(ear soft shoes6 0$amples of reels include P.onnie 4ateQ and PCooley>s %eelQ6
@igs are divided into single 2igs3 dou)le 2igs and slip 2igs6 The @ig has )een
in Ireland since the D"
th
century and many are native in origin )ut some may have
come from Italy6 Li*e reels3 2igs have HG )ars in )inary3 ..3 form6 &ancers (ear
soft shoes for 2igs6 Single 2igs are either A,B or DG,B time and have a crotchet-9uaver
rhythm6 0$amples of single 2igs are POff She GoesQ and P Smash The #indo(sQ6
&ou)le 2igs are lively in A,B time consisting mainly of 9uavers grouped in threes6
&ou)le 2igs include PI )uried my (ife and danced on her graveQ and PThe Tenpenny
.itQ6 Slip 2igs are in C,B time and the B )ar sections are not repeated3 unli*e (ith
other 2igs6 Slip 2igs are danced (ith soft shoes and usually )y (omen6 There are
three main )eats per )ar in groups of three 9uavers6 Sometimes there is a crochet
9uaver rhythm6 PHardiman the !iddlerQ3 P&rops of .randyQ and PThe !o$ Hunter>s 2igQ
are e$amples of slip 2igs6
The hornpipe dates )ac* to the end of the DB
th
century and may have come
from 0ngland6 It is a slo( dance in F,F time6 They )egin (ith an up)eat and have a
dotted rhythm and some triplets6 The first and third )eats are accented6 The dancers
(ear hard shoes and perform intricate steps as it (as first adopted as a sho( piece6
0$amples of hornpipes include P%ights of ManQ and PThe Harvest HomeQ6
Influence of traditional Irish Music on the Music
of North )merica:
Irish traditional music is popular in the -S and Canada today and it has greatly
influence the fol* music of the -S and Canada6 There are many reasons for this
(ith the ma2or contri)uting factor )eing emigration6 Hundreds of thousands of Irish
emirgarated to North merica and (ent to places li*e in the ppalachian Mountain
regions3 Ne(foundland3 nova Scotia an Cape .reton and along the #est Coast6 they
had Irish music in hands and hearts and they interacted (ith the North merican
music they found so Irish traditional music had great Influence on merican fol*
music such as S9uare &ance Music and .lues6
#e can see similarities )et(een traditional Irish and merican music6 Irish structures
and forms can )e found in merican tunes such as K!red !inn>s +ol*a>6 Similarities
e$ist )et(een Irish and tha)as*an music such as Ornamentation li*e slides and
dou)le stops and also set dancing6 Similarities )et(een Irish and ppalachian music
include dou)le stopping in fiddle playing3 modal ornamentation and singing similar to
sean nos (ith a nasal 9uality and vocal improvisation6 8ersions of Irish tunes can )e
found in mercan traditional music also6 Songs )rought over )y immigrants and a
shared repertoire of music no( e$ists )et(een Itish3 mreica and Canadian fol*
performaers6 K%ose Connolly> an merican fol* song (as originally noted do(n )y
0d(ard .unting in &erry in DBDD *no( as P%osey CollollyQ6 The merican co()oy
)allad PThe Streets of LaredoQ uses the same tune as PThe .ard of rmaghQ6
The !iddiling tradtion of Ne(foundland an Sue)ec in Canada has )een greatly
influenced ) the Sligo fiddiler Micheal Coleman6 He recorded music in merica for
gramaphone and his fiddiling style can no( )e heard in Nova Scotia6 The piper3
+atsy Touhey3 also recorded irish music6 8ersions of tunes played in Ireland feature
in the North merican fiddiling traditions such as PSt6 nne>s %eelQ6 Many 2igs in
Cape .reton date )ac* to Irish settelers and their fiddle plaers still ornament 2igs3
reels3 marches and slo( airs (ith grace notes3 tre)ling and dou)le stopping6
ollectors:
s Irish traditional music (as an oral tradition the music (as never (ritten do(n
instead it (as passed on through generations and learnt )e ear6 It (as only in the
late eighteenth century that collectors )egan to (rite Irish music do(n6 Thousands of
Irish traditional tunes that have survive to the present day may have )een lost
forever if it (as not for music collectors (ho helped preserve the tunes for the future
generations6
0d(ard .unting (as the first *no(n collector an (as employed to dictate the music
at the .elfast Harp !estival (here he collected FN tunes at the festival including PS5
)heag S5 Mh<rQ P0i)hl5 a %LnQ PThe !airy SueenQ and PLord MayoQ6 fter the festival
he (ent around -lster and Connaught collecting more tunes6 .unting pu)lished
almost HNN tunes in H volumes6 In DC"A he pu)lished P General Collection of the
ncient Irish MusicQ (hich contains AA tunes adapte for piano including PCarolan>s
concertoQ6 In DBNC he pu)lished P General Collection of the ncient music of
IrelandQ (hich contains "" tunes in romantic piano arrangemets some (ith specially
(ritten songs in 0nglish6 This volume includes P+lan$ty Ir(inQ6 PThe ncient music f
IrelandQ from DCFN is the mots important historical source of information on the old
gaelic harpers as he lists the fingering and damping techni9ues used6 It contains 2ust
over DON tues arranged for piano such as PTa)hair dom do LamhQ6 .unting is
impoartant as he (as the first collecter to gather the tunes in a informative3
systematic (ay and his (or* is invalua)le although he (as a classical musican and
his pu)lications are irish tunes arranged for piano and he sometimes added in notes
and features that are more suited to classical piano playing6
!rancis O>Neill (as an e$tremely important collector as he emirgrated to Chicago
and collecte tunes there from other Irish immigriants that might have other(ise )een
lost6 He pu)lished PThe Music Of IrelandQ in DCNH (hich has DBON tunes including
2igs3 reels3 hornpipes3 marches3 airs and O>Carolan tunes6 He also pu)lished PThe
&ance Music Of IrelandQ in DCN" (hich conatins DNND dance tunes and is refered to
as PThe .oo*Q6 These (ere the first collections that (ere aimed to(ards Irish
musicians6
George +etrie helped to set up PThe society for the +reservation and +u)lication od
the Melodies of IrelandQ6 He pu)lished his )oo* Pncient Music of IrelandQ (hich
contains nearly GNN melodies as (ell as song te$ts in Irish and 0nglish and also
contains information a)out the sources of the songs6 His daughter composed piano
accmpaniments for the melodies in the )oo*6 The )oo* (as the repu)lished in GNNG
(ithout the piano versios so the tunes (ere in their original format6 One song he
collected (as the PLondonderry irQ (hich is also *no(n as P&anny .oyQ6
Ed*ard (unting:
0d(ard .unting ID""H'DBFHJ (as an Irish musician and fol* musiccollector6 He (as
an organist from the age of DD and (as employed to notate the airs at the .elfast
harp festival6 He collected FN tunes at the festival including PS5 )heag S5 Mh<rQ
P0i)hl5 a %LnQ PThe !airy SueenQ and PLord MayoQ6 fter the festival he (ent around
-lster and Connaught collecting more tunes6
.unting pu)lished almost HNN tunes in H volumes6 In DC"A he pu)lished P General
Collection of the ncient Irish MusicQ (hich contains AA tunes adapte for piano
including PCarolan>s concertoQ6 In DBNC he pu)lished P General Collection of the
ncient music of IrelandQ (hich contains "" tunes in romantic piano arrangemets
some (ith specially (ritten songs in 0nglish6 This volume includes P+lan$ty Ir(inQ6
PThe ncient music f IrelandQ from DCFN is the mots important historical source of
information on the old gaelic harpers as he lists the fingering and damping
techni9ues used6 It contains 2ust over DON tues arranged for piano such as PTa)hair
dom do LamhQ6
.unting is impoartant as he (as the first collecter to gather the tunes in a
informative3 systematic (ay and his (or* is invalua)le although some is inaccurate
as he (as a classical musican and his pu)lications are irish tunes arranged for piano
and he sometimes added in notes and features that are more suited to classical
piano playing6 His material is uni9ue and has )een the )asis for other composers
such as Thomas Moore6
Regional St!les:
!or regional styles in singing see Sean N<s6
%egional Styles in Instruments:
&ifferent instruments and styles of performing e$ist in different area inIreland6 The
main regions include3 &onegal3 North Connaught3 0ast Gal(ay3 Clare and Slia)h
Luachra6 The styles differ in terms of ornamentations3 articulation3 tone3 speed3
phrasing3 and variation6 Generally the different styles are associated (ith virtuoso
performers such as Michael Coleman from Sligo (hose virtuoso style (as very
ornamented and fast6 &ifferent instruments and dances are common in different
styles6 &onegal is associated (ith the fiddle3 Scottish influences and reels (hereas
North Connaught,0ast Gal(ay is associated (ith fiddle and flute3 2igs and reels and
a style of pol*a that includes 9uavers and semi9uavers6 Clare is *no(n for the fiddle3
concertina3 reels and 4ilfenora and Tulla C?il5 .ands3 and Slia)h Luachra is
associated (ith the fiddle3 accordion3 pol*a and slides such as the 4erry pol*a (hich
is )ased on a 9uaver rhythm6
%egional Styles in Irish !iddling vary greatly6 In North &onegal , #est Tyrone ,
North(est Tyrone the fiddle is played very aggressively6 It is fast paced music (here
even lighter sounding melodies have a very hard punch There is a sense of urgency
and po(er to the music6 Some players associated (ith this style are !eli$ 4earney3
The &earg .rothers and &anny Meehan6
In comparison3 in 0ast &erry , ntrim, South(est Tyrone fiddlers tend to play a
slo(er Ithough not muchJ3 not as aggressive and it is more highly ornate6 +layers in
this style are .o))y Martin3 8incey McLaughlin and +addy 4elly6
The music of Sligo is )etter documented than other regions as a result of emigration6
The players of this county filled the dance halls ofNe( Uor* and paid tri)ute to their
native country )y sending )ac* some of the most magnificent recordings of Irish
music to date6 +layers such as Michael Coleman3 @ames Morrison3 +addy S(eeney3
Michael Gorman3 are several of the e$cellent e$ponents of the light and )ouncy style
of this county6 The music is characteristically fast and the overall mood favoured is a
light one (ith the rhythm )eing as stated a)ove3 )ouncy or (ith great VliftV6
Slia)h Luachra ta*es in parts of Counties 4erry3 Limeric* and northCor*6 The music
of the district is faster paced (hich has an incredi)le range of musical emotion6
There is life and 2oy in the fast moving light melodies yet at the same time older
players such as Con Curtin are a)le to play magnificent lonely tunes6 The most
distinct trademar* of this area is the dominance of the slide and pol*a6 +layers from
this district include +addy OWConnell3 &onal OWConnell3 @erry McCarthy3 and +at
!it/gerald6
In 0ast Gal(ay the pace of the music is greatly reduced (hich allo(s the player to
concentrate more on the mood of the music6 The tunes in this area are often highly
ornate )ut the overall eerie feeling due to common occurrence of playing tunes in 0
flat and . flat (hich allo( this type of sound6 0$cellent e$ponents of this style are
+addy !ahey3 +addy 4elly3 Connor Tully and Liam Le(is6
Essa!
++ +, +- +. +/ +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 ,+ ,, ,-
%egional +erforming
styles
$ $ $ $ X
&evelopment of Irish
music in the last ON
years IGNth centuryJ
$ $ $ X
Influence of Irish music
on North merica
$ $ $ $ $
The Harping Tradition $ $ $
Song tradition $ $ X
Irish &ances $ $ $
Sean ; %iada $
-illeann pipes $
Composers,+erformers
Isolo and groupJ
$ $ $ $ $ $ $
0d(ard .unting $
&escription of a
particular performance
in Irish Music
$ $
The CeilR .and $ $ $
Ornamentation $ $ $
!usion $ $ $
Changes from (ithin
and (ithout the
tradition
Collectors $ $
Instruments $
+reservation of irish
music DB
th
and
DC
th
century
$
Sean NYs Singing $ $ $ $ $ $