Music More Beautiful Than The Land

        Hey everyone! As we all know this is our last blog. Many of you might be excited that I finally decided to leave my comfort zone rather than country music. (Lol) So for my big blog two, I thought that it would be interesting to look into the history and origin of Ireland music. I have always been interested in Ireland’s beauty and culture. If you were around the woodruff area about two weeks ago, you might have been able to watch the Irish games that were being held! So, let’s get into it, starting with how Irish traditional music began.  

Going all the way back where traditional Irish music began was around 2000 years ago. During this time the Irish came to the country with the Celts. The Celts were influenced by the music of the east, and it has even been hypothesized that the traditional Irish harp may have originated in Egypt due to the interaction of these two cultures. The harp was actually the most popular instrument during these times, and we’re even employed to play and create music for nobles (Mulraney). 

Irish traditional music began as an oral tradition. Hence, that was only passed on from generation to generation by listening. This was very important to the Irish culture because storytelling in music was the only form of entertainment they had during this time. However, a major factor to this was because only a small minority of the population was literate. Similarly, anyone learning learns by listening. And never formally writes out the tunes on paper. I found this point very interesting because of the fact that we studied many cultures that began with only passing on music by oral tradition. However, I also feel as though that it makes more sense for a culture that has a lower education to use this form of “passing on”. In an article by Irish Central, they even go into deeper detail about the practice. “This is a practice that is still encouraged today, and students of traditional music are encouraged to pick up tunes they hear from others or to learn as they listen” (Mulraney). In 1762, history was made. As the first pieces of music were officially written down. Ever cents Irish music has been collected by collectors that love to travel the country compiling the music into galleries. The Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin has the largest collection of traditional Irish music in the whole world (Mulraney). In 1920 the first recordings of traditional Irish music were finally taken for the first time. Due to this, there was actually a very famous fiddle player who made his break. “The fiddle player Michael Coleman was one such player whose recordings in New York were to influence fiddle-players in the States and in Ireland for many years to come” (Mulraney).

 

Now I’d like to get into some of the traditional musical instruments of Ireland. 

1. Bodhrán (BOW-rawn) - The Bodhrán it’s a simple handheld drum. And was typically around 14 to 17 inches in diameter. Goatskin with use to stretch across the surface and the interior sometimes would have a wooden crossbar for an easier grip. A short wooden stick called a tipper, was also used to be the Bodhrán shaking yet fluid motion. The Bodhrán is only played vertically, resting on the name of the musician. The musician's free hand can even be placed on different parts of the interior of the drum that controls the pitch in the timbre (Healy).  

2.             Fiddle- The fiddle is the main instrument used in most rational Irish music and is often classified as folk musicians (Healy). 

3.             Tin Whistle- The Tin Whistle is an instrument that requires a lot of skill to master. It has a range of two octaves with six holes and a mouthpiece. It’s almost like a recorder yet it’s thinner and smaller in diameter. The Tin Whistle is actually the cheapest Irish instrument starting around €10 (Healy). 

4.             Uilleann Pipes- The Uilleann Pipes or better known as the Scottish bagpipes. There are several forms of the Uilleann Pipes. However, the Uilleann Pipes have a range of two octaves which makes them much quieter than the Scottish bagpipes. The Uilleann Pipes also have keys, drones, regulators, and even a few extra pipes that can play chords (Healy). 

5.             Concertina- The Concertina does not strictly have an Irish origin. The Concertina was actually created in both England and Germany. Yet, the Concertina still makes a regular appearance and traditional Irish music. The Concertina is a small hexagon-shaped accordion with a keyboard on both ends with no bass. This instrument became popular at the beginning of the 20th century because of its rich multi-tonal sound. It has even been studied those female musicians are particularly skilled in playing it (Healy). 

6.             Harp- I know I already touched on the harp however I would like to give you a little more information. The harp is Ireland’s national instrument. It appears on coins, government documentation, and any other official symbol for the country. There are many different types of Harps. They can vary in size, shape, and sound. Depending on the size of your harp it can be played holding your hand, standing on a table, or even the floor. Yeah, it is always played vertically and is known to have a fairy-like/fairytale-like sound (Healy). 

 

 Finally, from my last topic, I would like to talk about some traditional types of songs. Traditional Irish songs fall into two general categories. There are slow ballad songs and there are fast-paced dancing songs. Well, both of these categories have several subcategories we won’t get into that much detail because I’m not going to lie I had quite a hard time understanding it. An example of a slow ballad song is Sean Nós. Sean Nós songs are always sung unaccompanied by a single person singing in Irish. The Sean Nós has a nasal town with a slow melodic style. They typically embody dark topics like death, famine, and even oppression (Healy). Meanwhile dancing songs are much more popular than the Sean Nós for obvious reasons. They are almost always accompanied by a Ceilidh, A group of dancers who have partners and dance in a simple formation switching partners well going in different directions. They are known to be very fun and even sometimes chaotic. The real is the most common form of an Irish dance tune. It is fast paced with a 4/4 or a 2/2 timing and is typically danced by women (Healy). 

 

Overall Ireland is a culturally rich country that brings importance to tradition and heritage. Researching and looking over the traditional music of Ireland has been quite exciting and also very interesting. I’m so glad for the last blog that I got to reach out of my comfort zone and do something different! Thank you all for such a great semester and I wish you nothing but the best in the future! 

 

Works Cited

Healy, Aaron, et al. “Traditional Irish Music: What’s It All about?” Handcrafted Irish Jewelry, Inspired by the Past, Claddagh Design, 31 Mar. 2021, www.claddaghdesign.com/ireland/traditional-irish-music-whats-it-all-about/.

Mulraney, Frances. “The History and Origins of Traditional Irish Music.” IrishCentral.com, Irish Central, 26 Nov. 2020, www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/history-origins-traditional-irish-music.