Irish Traditional Music
Collection Search
- SpeakerIntroduction to the lecture and the speaker
- SpeakerThe speaker explains that Kim Vincent and David Papazain led him to play traditional fiddle music with typical Irish ornamentation and bowing. Others playing Irish influenced traditional music included Margie Carrmichael, Michael Mooney, Faye Pound, John Martin, Martie Reno, Gene MacLellan and Lennie Gallant.
- SpeakerThe speaker notes that Cape Breton’s Johnny Wilmot, Natalie McMaster, Kyle McNeil, The Barra MacNeils play the Irish style with Cape Breton and Scottish styling and bowing. The speaker gives examples of the PEI Fiddlers Society’s repertoire of Irish jigs, reels, and hornpipes. The speaker suggests that PEI fiddlers don’t play with Irish ornamentation because initially only a few players came from Ireland and the availability of written Scottish tunes.
- SpeakerThe speaker reviews the music collections of Francis O’Neill, (Edward) Bunting, (George) Petrie, (P.W.) Joyce, Nathaniel and Niel Gow, (James Scott) Skinner, William Marshall, and the Skye Collection. The speaker points out that Scottish music was better suited to PEI “house parties”. The speaker notes that Kim Vincent and David Papazain are influencing traditional Irish music on PEI.
- SpeakerThe speaker highlights the contributions of traditional music players and folklorists in Ireland. The speaker plays the slow air “Crossing the Sea to Ireland” and the hornpipe “Rights of Man”.
- SpeakerThe speaker explains that Breandan Breathnach is the foremost authority on Ireland’s traditional music. The Public Archives of Ireland’s Department of Education is described. The speaker explores the definition of traditional music and the dividing of instrumental music into thirds - slumber or “suantrai”, laughing music or “ganatrai” and crying music or “goltrai”.
- SpeakerThe speaker describes how the thirds were referenced in old stories such as “Tuatha De Danann” about the “Good god” Dagda. As well, the thirds are reference to the gold, brass and silver strings of a three stringed harp showing that some music was only instrumental. The speaker notes the harper had more status than a piper or a fiddler.
- SpeakerThe speaker explains that slow airs are learned from written sources rather than by ear or traditionally. Thus many airs are not played with the same phrasing, bowing and timing as traditional airs. When O’Neil’s Collection was republished, since the proper setting and transcriptions of airs could not be shown, they were not included.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays an air which he learned from its playing by Matt Cranitch, an Irish player. The speaker does not know the name of the air. He also notes that the open phrasing and timing are more formalized or regimented unlike modern music
- SpeakerThe speaker plays an air he learned from the playing of Matt Cranitch.
- SpeakerThe speaker explains that the dance pieces or jigs are probably from the Italian “giga” rather than Irish. The piper and composer Turlough O’Carolan born around 1604 introduced the Italian “giga”. The jig’s rhythm is a triplet or 6/8 time.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays the jigs “Banish Misfortune”, “The Connacthtman’s Rambles” and “Smash the Windows”. The speaker then plays a bodhran to illustrate the jig rhythm.
- SpeakerPEI’s Bodhran makers Brian Emery and Myron Glass are noted. The types of jigs include single, double, slip, and slides. The speaker explains and demonstrates the differences in the beats for single, double and slip jigs.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays the slip jig “Butterfly”.
- SpeakerThe speaker explains how the slip jig structure allows for several tunes to be connected. The speaker explains and demonstrates the “roll” which is key ornamentation in Irish music. The speaker notes that not all instruments can play a roll. A banjo is less able to play a roll and this is demonstrated.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays a slide jig which has a 12/8 rhythm.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays a jig to demonstrate its features.
- SpeakerThe speaker describes rhythms of jigs.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays a jig in 6/8s.
- SpeakerThe speaker explains that the jig was composed by the harper Turlough O’Carolan called Planxty Drury (??)and is not traditional music. The speaker describes how the English originated the hornpipes, but the Irish took hornpipes and made them more spirited. The speaker notes that reels originated in Scotland.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays a recording of Liz Carol playing the reels “Beatrice” and the “Abby Reel”.
- SpeakerThe speaker demonstrates how Carol played slide notes . The speaker then introduces Brendan Mulvihill and that his playing includes the ornamentation of rolling and cutting.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays a recording of “In and Out of the Harbour” by Brendan Mulvihill.
- SpeakerThe speaker discusses the different parts of the reel he just played with its short, quick, and fast bowing. The speaker introduces strathspeys which have Scottish ancestry. The speaker describes a recording by Sean Keane of the Chieftains.
- SpeakerThe recording of the Scottish strathspey “Marquis of Huntley” and the hornpipe “The Mathematician” by Skinner are played.
- SpeakerThe speaker points out the fingering Keane used. The speaker describes the structure of step dances and suggests that there were different dances than what we know today. The speaker describes Irish polkas which are very fast, and often played in Irish bars.
- SpeakerThe speaker plays an Irish polka.
- SpeakerThe speaker discusses how tunes were named. With reference to Sean Keane and Michael Coleman, the speaker notes that ornamentation varied throughout Ireland and with musicians traveling, the styles are starting to blend together. The speaker also explained that the language of the transcriber such as Bunting resulted in the loss of ornamentation of tunes.
- SpeakerThe speaker emphasizes that the best transcription of tunes came from people who knew the local Gaelic dialect. The speaker explains that the repertoire of Irish traditional music is expanding due to musicians new to traditional music as well as non-traditional instruments being used to play traditional music.
- SpeakerThe speaker sings “Slieve Gallion Brae” and then plays the reels “The Morning Dew”, “Pigeon on the Gate” and “The Tarbolton".
- SpeakerEnd of lecture, audience questions and discussion.