Traditional Irish Folk Music 7 Instrumentation 3 Uilleann Pipes and Tin Whistle

Uilleann pipes
There are many forms of aerophones used in traditional Irish Folk music. The most common of these being the tin whistle a relative of the recorder. 
Perhaps the most strange looking are the Uillean pipes. Thought to be a partial translation of the Gaelic píobaí uilleann( pipes of the elbow). Unlike other forms of bagpipes uilleann pipes are played with a bellows under the elbow( perhaps how the name came about).

Traditional Uilleann pipes

http://www.uilleann.com/pipes.html

It is believed that before the 17th century the more typical mouth blown bagpipes were used. 

The full set of uilleann pipes comprises a bag, bellows, chanter, 3 drones and 3 regulators, and has a range of two octaves compared with the 9 note scale of Scottish bagpipes.

[http://www.taramusic.com/features/uilleann.htm]

Seamus Ennis, God of Uilleann Pipe

Here we see Seamus Ennis masterfully playing the Uilleann pipes. This video also demonstrates the amazing haunting quality of the pipes.

Tin Whistle
Perhaps one of the most well known instruments used in Irish Folk music is the tin whistle.
Generally one of the first instruments learned, The tin whistle is a  6 hole diatonic relative of the recorder. Most common in D, tough also seen in other keys such as C, the diatonic nature of the tin whistle means it can easily be easily played in two keys. For the D whistles this would be D and G, named for the lowest note playable, the tonic of the  lowest major key. A C whistle would accommodate the keys of C and F. This diatonic nature also means the whistles are able to play in the relative minor keys and associated modes. Techniques such as half holing(half covering a finger hole) and cross fingering(leaving a higher hole open) allow players to perform accidentals and notes not with in the key of the whistle as this chart below shows for a D whistle.

The Tinwhistle Fingering Chart

[http://fullbodyburn.com/?page_id=108]

Howard Shore made good use of the tin whistle in Lord of the Rings for the Hobbit Theme, paired with a violin, this is almost a typical Irish Folk instrumentation until the full orchestra starts. 

The Lord of the Rings - The Shire/The Hobbit

Reference:

Gallagher Seth, Seth Gallagher Workshop  1997—2012 (image) [online] available at:<http://www.uilleann.com/pipes.html> (accessed 29 September 2013)

Tara Music Company Limited 'THE UILLEANN PIPES' 1999 - 2013 (article) [online] Available at:<http://www.taramusic.com/features/uilleann.htm> (accessed 29 September 2013)

Seamus Ennis, God of Uilleann Pipes, peabodyharris, Uploaded 4 Sep 2006, (video) [online] Available at:<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF3fW4Nox9U> (accessed 29 September 2013)

TelfordTotally Turquoise,  'THE Tinwhistle Fingering Chart' fullbodyburn 2013 (image) (article) [online] Available at:<http://fullbodyburn.com/?page_id=108> (accessed 29 September 2013)

The Lord of the Rings - The Shire/The Hobbit, jediking12 uploaded 1 Feb 2011 (videeo) [online] available at:<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhRGV8-kMw> (accessed 29 September 2013)

Traditional Irish Folk Music 6 Instrumentation 3 Bodhrán

Battle Drum or Farming Impliment?

Like the harp, the bodrhán is an iconic symbol of Ireland.

Yet there is a huge amount of speculation over not only the meaning of the name, but also of the instruments origin.

Liam Ó Bharáin(1), Ronan Nolan(2), Paul McAuley(3), Josh Mittleman(4), and Tony Locke(5), have all arrived at roughly the same conclusions, no-one knows for certain.

The name itself is either 

a) a derivative of the word tambourine which became bourine then bodhrán. 

b) a varient of the Gaelic bodhar (deaf) which came to mean deafening or thundering drum.

 As for the instruments origin it is either

a) A round tray used to separate wheat from chaff

b) It came to Ireland via either Asia, Spain or Africa as a result of migration or trade.

 What is agreed upon is the fact that until around the mid 20th Century the bodhrán as an instrument was mostly relegated to use during special occasions.  Harvest festivals (perhaps where the farming implement origin came from) or warfare, appear to be the most common times of use.

Since around the 60's the bodhrán has become a mainstay of Irish Folk music percussion. Artists such as platinum selling pop band The Corrs, helping to drive that image with their blend of traditional Irish Folk music and pop.
 Drummer Caroline Corr a very adept bodhrán player shows off her skill at 1:37 in the video below

The Corrs -Toss the Feather (live)

The Corrs here use a traditional instrumentation of fiddle, tin whistle and bodhrán accompanied by piano (perhaps this would have been a harp in days of old).

Though Caroline Corr is a very talented bodhrán player it is people like Martin O'Neill who really showcase the bodhrán as the video below shows, where he creates an amazing Jazz style piece including bass line on just a bodhrán

Martin O'Neill bodhran solo during Fred Morrison concert at Edinburgh Folk Club - November 2009

Reference
1 Ó Bharáin Liam,'Bodhrán: its origin, meaning and history' PART I:ETYMOLOGY 2000–2013 Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. (article) [online] availabe at:<http://comhaltas.ie/music/treoir/detail/> (accessed 29 September 2013) 
2  Nolan Ronan, 'History of the Bodhran' 2009 ramblinghouse (article) [online] availabel at:<http://www.ramblinghouse.org/2009/08/history-of-the-bodhran/> (accessed 29 September 2013)
3  McAuley Paul, History 2013 irishbodhrans (article) [online] available at: <http://www.irishbodhrans.com/pages/view/history> (accessed 29 September 2013)
4 Mittleman Josh, 'History of the Bodhrán' 2000 ceolas (article) [online] availabel at: <http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/bodhran/history.shtml> (accessed 29 September 2013)
5 Locke Tony,'The History of the Bodhrán' 2013 Irishabroad (Blog) [online] available at:<http://www.irishabroad.com/Blogs/PostView.aspx?pid=4374> (accessed 29 September 2013)
The Corrs (Toss the Feather Live),  patoche75017, uploaded 17 Jul 2007 (video) [online] Available at:<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1FqGm5z9X0> (accessed  29 September 2013)
Martin O'Neill bodhran solo during Fred Morrison concert at Edinburgh Folk Club - November 2009davidvivanco Uploaded 5 Nov 2009 (video) [online] available at:<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlP2aWgOEfw> (accessed 29 September 2013)

Traditional Irish Folk Music 5 Instrumentation 2.1 The Fear of the Harp

Harps and Their Power.

As I stated in the previous post, the harp during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, was feared.Why did the harp gain this power? Surely, the Monarch of England had nothing to fear from simple musicians?

As I stated in my Instrumentation Introduction, the tradition of Irish Folk music was an oral one.Songs were passed from generation to generation, and from location to location, by the Files , Bards and Harpers. In the earlier periods, these would have been tales of heroic deeds of a tribal chieftain, or the lament of a fallen hero. As time progressed, the repertoire grew to include all the great battles and the tales of foes vanquished. 

So by the time of Queen Elizabeth I the majority of Ireland's history was in the form of songs and poems set to music (much the way that the Icelandic Edda, were the oral Skaldic poems of Norse Mythology).

So what made Queen Elizabeth I wish to eradicate Irish History?

To answer this the history and happenings of that time period have to be addressed.

First we have a very Catholic Ireland during the Tudor period, and protestant reformation. The Irish people already at odds with Henry VIII and the English Administration of Ireland bringing in this reform.

Secondly we have the division of Ireland itself between the New English Pale of Dublin, The old English lordships, The Irish Gaelic lordships and even Scottish Gaelic lordships all adding to the unease of the common Irish folk. 

Socio-political division of Ireland circa  1530

http://omaelearcaidh.com/archives5.htm

Finally and perhaps most importantly we have the Nine Year War from 1595 to 1603. This war in the beginning almost eradicates the English from Ireland, but by the end for the first time in history, England, and the English Government in Dublin has complete control of Ireland. 

During these troubled times a midst the war and famine, we see what is perhaps the start of the protest song. 

Bards and harpers who were previously singing tales about great hero's, now appear to be singing tales about the dubious nature of the enemy and of their defeat.

 One such song 'Follow me up to Carlow' about the defeat of the English at The Battle of Glenmalure by Fiach Mac Aodh Ó Broin (anglicised as Feagh or Fiach McHugh O'Byrne)  during the second Desmond rebellion of 1579-1583. Believed to have been first performed as an air by the pipers of McHugh in 1580. The Lyrics were added later by Patrick Joseph McCall.

Follow me up to Carlow

Lift Mac Cahir Og your face,

You're broodin' o'er the old disgrace

That Black Fitzwilliam stormed your place

and drove you to the ferns

Gray said victory was sure,

And soon the firebrand he'd secure

Until he met at Glenmalure

with Fiach McHugh O'Byrne

Chorus

Curse and swear, Lord Kildare,

Fiach will do what Fiach will dare

Now Fitzwilliam have a care,

Fallen is your star low

Up with halbert, out with sword,

on we go for, by the Lord

Fiach McHugh has given the word

"Follow me up to Carlow"

See the swords of Glen Imaal,

They're flashing o'er the English Pale

See all the childer of the Gael,

Beneath O'Byrne's banner

Rooster of the fighting stock,

Would you let a Saxon cock

Crow out upon an Irish Rock,

Fly up and teach him manners

Chorus

From Tassagart to Clonmore,

There flows a stream of Saxon gore

And great is Rory Og O'More

At sending loons to Hades

White is sick and Gray is fled,

And now for black Fitzwilliam's head

We'll send it over, dripping red

to Liza and her ladies

         Chorus

Follow me up to Carlow- performed by Five Alive 

It is at this point, that Queen Elizabeth I in an attempt to quell any thought of an Irish revolt or uprising, makes the decree to execute harpers and destroy their instruments. 

Reference:

The MacCarthys and the Nine Years War in Munster. 1595-1603. The Irish Story. John Dorney 13 April 2011  (article) [online] Available at <http://www.theirishstory.com/2011/04/13/the-maccarthys-and-the-nine-years-war-in-munster-1595-1603/#.Ukgpy4btZ8E> (accessed 29 September 2013)

McCall PJ. Songs of Erinn,1899  Simpkin Marshall & Co. London [online] available at <http://www.archive.org/stream/songserinn00mccagoog#page/n26/mode/2up>(accessed 29 September 2013)

Five Alive O Follow me up to Carlow,sean1405 uploaded 2 October 2008(Video) [online] available at:<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O8Bs6DlrFg> (accessed 29 September 2013)

Traditional Irish Folk Music 4 Instrumentation 2 The Harp

The Harp

The history of the harp can be traced back via stone carvings such as the Ullard Cross in County Kilkenny, which is believed to be circa 845 AD. On the east face, left hand side of the horizontal, there is a carving believed to be David playing a harp.

Ullard Cross

[http://www.megalithicireland.com/High%20Cross%20Ullard.htm]

In Nora Joan Clark's book 'The Story of the Irish Harp:Its History and Influence' (Clark 2003). She offers the origin of the harp as possibly starting with a U shaped lyre from South-West Asia, brought to Ireland by the Celts in their migration from Central Europe as far back as the eighth Century BC.

Clark draws this conclusion from Joan Rimmer's Book The Irish Harp [ Rimmer,1977)]. In which Rimmer states:

It seems highly probably that the characteristic stringed instrument of the Celts was a U shaped lyre, originating...in South West Asia. It seems, too, that the Celts may have preserved it in something not far removed from its original form for a thousand years or so.

Clark then continues  to detail the history and use of the harp throughout Ireland's history, including its prevalence throughout the Celtic culture in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and of course Ireland. She also introduces the Druid and Bardic traditions. Stating that;

Three distinct artistic classes were associated with the bardic tradition of druid society: the poet, the bard and the harper(p.38)

Here Clark informs us that the highest rank was the poet or file, whom composed the heroic poetry.The bard is, to all intent, a mere covers artist whose job is to simply learn and recite those poems whilst the harper afforded almost as high a status as the poet. The harper in particular, but also other musicians, were held in such high regard that they were quite often attributed as having mystical powers.

This high regard is still apparent today with the symbol of the harp adorning much of Ireland's identity, from the flag and currency down to its alcohol. In fact this regard became so apparent that Queen Elizabeth decreed in 1603 that all Irish harp players should be hung and their harps burned. This is supported by Flood (Flood 1905) 

 On January 28th, 1603, a proclamation was issued by the Lord President of Munster, by the terms of which the Marshal of the Province was strictly charged "to exterminate by marshal law all manner of Bards, Harpers," etc. Within ten days after said proclamation, Queen Elizabeth herself ordered Lord Barrymore "to hang the harpers wherever found, and destroy their instruments."

The following link is an excellent example of traditional harp playing performed by Paul Dooley (Irish Traditional Music Archive 2013).
Loftus Jones, harp piece - Paul Dooley, harp

In the following posts I will look at some of the other typical instruments associated with Traditional Irish Folk Music.

Reference:
Dempsey Jim,(no date). Irish High Crosses. Available at http://www.megalithicireland.com/High%20Cross%20Ullard.htm (accessed 27 September 2013).
Clark, Nora Joan. (2003) The Story of the Irish Harp:Its History and Influence. Lynwood.WA:North Creek Press. [online] Available at books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=0972420207 (accessed 27 September 2013).
Rimmer,Joan(1977) The Irish Harp Cork:The Mercier Press.
Grattan Flood, William H. (1905) A History of Irish Music. Dublin:Browne and Nolan. [online] Available at: http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/Contents.php (accessed: 27 September 2013).
Irish Traditional Music Archive (2013) Loftus Jones, harp piece / Paul Dooley, harp. Available at: http://www.itma.ie/digitallibrary/sound/loftus-jones-dooley (accessed 27 September 2013).

Traditional Irish Folk Music 3 Instrumentation 1

Traditional Instruments

The instruments and history of Irish music

This video from Penn State University is a video we were presented to watch as an introduction to the instrumentation used in Traditional Irish Music.

Grattan Flood(1905) offers the following list summarised from 'Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History' (O'Curry 1878)

1. Cruit and Clairseach [harp]; 2. Psalterium, Nabla, Timpan, Kinnor, Trigonon, and Ocht-tedach [stringed instruments]; 3. Buinne [oboe or flute]; 4. Bennbuabhal and Corn [horns]; 5. Cuislenna [bag-pipes]; 6. Feadan [flute or fife]; 7. Guthbuinne [horn]; 8. Stoc and Sturgan [trumpets]; 9. Pipai [pipes]; 10. Craebh ciuil and Crann ciuil [musical branch or cymbalum]; 11. Cnamha [castanets]; 12. Fidil.

Omitting the 10th and 11th, which, after all, were not musical instruments in the restricted sense, we thus find nine instruments in general use among the ancient Irish. The professional names of the various performers were:—

1. Cruitire [harper]; 2. Timpanach [timpanist]; 3. Buinnire [flute player]; 4. Cornaire [horn player]; 5. Cuisleannach [player on the bag-pipes]; 6. Fedanach [fife player]; 7. Graice [horn player]; 8. Stocaire and Sturganaidhe [trumpeter]; 9. Pipaire [piper].

So early on we see a large collection of various aerophones with some percussion and stringed instruments. Interestingly this is still the case today where a common instrumentation would be bodhrán, fiddle and tin whistle.

Although the instruments themselves may have changed over the years, the overall structure of what instruments are used appears to have remained.

Over the next few posts I will look at some of these instruments in more depth.

Reference:
PennState (2010) The instruments and history of Irish music, Available at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXccNOUTe7o> (accessed: 26 September 2013)

Grattan Flood, William H. (1905) A History of Irish Music. Dublin:Browne and Nolan. [online] Available at: http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/Contents.php (accessed: 26 September 2013).

 O'Curry, E (1878) Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History Dublin: Hinch & Traynor  [online] Available at: http://archive.org/stream/lecturesonmanusc00ocur#page/n7/mode/2up (accessed: 26 September 2013).

Traditional Irish Folk Music Links

http://www.itma.ie/
Irish Traditional Music Archive
A huge collection of sound recordings, scanned images and literature, videos and interactive scores

http://comhaltas.ie/
Comhaltas a group devoted to preserving and promoting Traditional Irish Music
Audio, sheet music and videos

http://www.irishtune.info/
Irish Traditional music tune index

http://thesession.org/
The Session
An online musicians community which share and discuss Traditional Irish Music

http://www.libraryireland.com/
Library Ireland
A huge project to digitize and share books about Ireland and Irish literature 

http://unitedireland.tripod.com/
A website by Martin Dardis 
Sharing lyrics, guitar chords, tin whistle notes and sheet music, ranging from traditional songs to music by The Saw Doctors and The Pogues

http://home.comcast.net/~saustin98/lark/
Vashon Celtic Tunes
A collection of Celtic Tunes(mostly Irish) organised by style such as jig, hornpipe etc. Also contains rough midi files for many of the tunes. Lists key and/or mode for most of the tunes

Traditional Irish Folk Music 2 Instrumentation Introduction

Instruments
Traditional Irish Folk music uses a wide range of instruments, some of which are more associated and common place than others.

Over time, as the music itself has evolved, more and more instruments have been incorporated and this has been for many reasons including the diaspora of the Irish themselves.So invasion, migration and trade may all have contributed to the evolution of the instrumentation used.

Quite interestingly there appears among academics to be a certain amount of disagreement regarding the preservation of Traditional Irish Folk music. The music tends to be passed on via an oral, look and learn system rather than a written notation one. This obviously creates a type of 'Chinese Whisper' scenario where by a musician in one geographic location may embellish a melody slightly differently to one from another location. As these embellishments are passed from musician to musician, a topographical map appears allowing historians to localise a song.

William H. Grattan Flood in his book 'A History of Irish Music'(Grattan Flood, 1905) discusses this disagreement.The start of chapter 5 'Irish Music Before the Anglo-Norman Invasion' has quite an interesting postulation about the Danish invasion period during the ninth to eleventh century. Whereby he states all of the ancient chronicles are in agreement about vandalism and destruction of art in Ireland, yet an Irish academic Dr George Sigerson (Sigerson, 1897) in his book  'The Bards of the Gael and Gall' offered the idea that the Norsemen actually helped preserve the arts.

Both of these books I plan on reading in depth and both are available online.

A History of Irish Music is available on the excellent Library Ireland website, which also contains a host of other books covering the Irish Culture.
http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/Contents.php

The Bards of the Gael and Gall is available on the Open Library website
http://openlibrary.org/books/OL24174000M/Bards_of_the_Gael_and_Gall

In the next post I will look at overall instrumentation.

Reference:
Grattan Flood, William H. (1905) A History of Irish Music. Dublin:Browne and Nolan. [online] Available at: http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/Contents.php (accessed: 26 September 2013).

Sigerson, G. (1897) Bards of the Gael and Gall. London: T. Fisher Unwin. [online] available at: http://openlibrary.org/books/OL24174000M/Bards_of_the_Gael_and_Gall (accessed: 26 September 2013).

Traditional Irish Folk Music 1

Traditional Irish Folk Music /Celtic Folk.

The first area of 'World Music', or perhaps 'The World's Music'/'Music of the World', we are investigating is Traditional Irish Folk music. I use the word investigating to encompass the fact that for each of these areas it wouldn't be enough to simply watch a few YouTube clips or listen to a few tracks. 

This will become a more in depth study as it progresses. Instrumentation, structure and even the socioeconomic climate during the development and history of the music will all need to be taken into consideration.

My own introduction to traditional Irish Folk music, like many peoples, can probably be traced back to 'The Pogues'.

Formed in London in 1981, as an adaptation and progression from singer Shane MacGowans earlier band, 'The Millwall Chainsaws'. The Pogues styled themselves as a Celtic Punk band using traditional folk instruments instead of the atypical instruments of a punk band.

My first introduction to The Pogues, unlike many people for whom it was 'Fairy tale of New York', started with the album 'Rum Sodomy and the Lash'. An album that mixes covers of both traditional Irish and English Folk songs, as well as songs written by The Pogues. One of my favourite being an original track called 'Wildcats of KilKenny'2.

In the next post I will start looking at instrumentation of Traditional Irish Folk music.

Reference:

The Pogues (no date) Shane MacGowan  Available at: http://www.pogues.com/PastPogues/SMacGowan/SMacGowan.html> (Accessed; 26 September 2013).

SwindonByf (2008)The Pogues - Wildcats of Kilkenny  Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1APnWRAMo (Accessed: 26 September 2013) 

World Music 1

Blogs are silly. Very silly.

This one is a Web log of my reading/viewing/listening for my world music module.

So, for example, if I watch a YouTube clip about Tibetan Throat singing, I have to link to the clip on here and write any comments or thoughts I have about it.

This may end up becoming the rantings of a mad man, whom after listening to the Tibetan Throat singing drank way too much fermented yaks milk, then ran around gurgling incoherently.

As you can probably tell, I dislike Blogs, I find most 'Bloggers' too share-y. To me its like renting out a billboard to write your diary on. All social media is as bad. 'Look at my cat', ' Look at my sandwich'.....Way too share-y( that's my new word of the day 'Share-y').

But, hey, new things and all that. So lets give it a go and see how it turns out.

Now I'm off to watch TV and drink a coffee ( I forgot to milk the yak this morning).