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).