It Takes a Village: Family and Community Ties To Irish Music
“There was music before me and after me.” These powerful words open the book The Living Note: The Heartbeat of Irish Music, and encompass the “living” nature of musical traditions in Ireland. As I come to a close on my semester in this module I have latched on to the important and reoccurring role of “Family” in the Irish culture, and specifically the arts. Each week I found myself engaging with the word family whether it be from films such as Se Mo Laoch-Joe Derrane or Dara Bán Mac Donnchada, in class with our teachers like Pádraic Keane and Colm Gannon, or during the arts in action concerts of the Ó hIarnáin brothers and others. The common thread was always this notion of family. The more I engaged with these different sources of information, the more I began to understand the vital role this simple six letter word has played throughout a history of music. It is not only unique to the individual, it is always transforming. I challenged myself to explore the connection between music, the Irish culture, and familial ties. Alongside these connections I want examine the impact it can have on the individual and the community through an alternative definition of family.
Pádraic Keane, one of the professionals brought in to teach the tin whistle section of our module was one of the first musicians I heard speak on the notion of family. Coming from a linage of musicians he grew up surrounded by music. Specifically his father, Tommy Keane, was is also a renowned musician. He spoke to us about his natural tendencies and this sense of being drawn to the music. Many artists are connected to their work through their passion; however with Pádraic you could see a deeper connectio...
... middle of paper ...
... importantly Ireland. I am humbled to have had this experience that I will forever hold close to my heart from my semester abroad, and cannot wait to see where this new knowledge can be helpful in my future.
Bibliography
SéMo Laoch’ (‘You are my hero’) : Joe Derrane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U4CBZhY4H0
Oileán Thoraí’- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF9i3jJ_qcU
Dara Bán Mac Donnchada- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqHSIaLHx9c
Flanagan, William. Ireland now : tales of change from the global island / Notre Dame, Ind. : University of Notre Dame Press, c2007.
Woods, Peter. The living note : the heartbeat of Irish music /Dublin : O'Brien Press, 1996
Henigan, Julie. Sean-nos in Donegal: In search of a definition. 19996. http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/sean-nos.htm
An Chead Mhairt de Fhomhair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqrNB7gPPPY
1. Music is a strictly local expression, rich in variety since each culture expresses affective differences through art, 2. Music is a poetic process--complex, vague, and irrational--based upon borrowed traditional musical materials (melodies, rhythms, forms, etc.), 3. Music is for a religious, elitist-class performer who can understand and appreciate its mysterious nature and power, 4. Music is played softly in intimate gatherings, 5. Music making is the activity of Everyman, exacting the talents of variously trained amateurs who, with industry and practice, decorate their recreation and leisure in moments of social intercourse.
The father, Lou, is characterized as an odd jazz aficionado that cares about his family and wants them to have every opportunity available. Lou losses himself in the music as told in, “Are you listening to this? These cats are burning the paint right off the walls,” while also vigorously snapping his fingers and bobbing his head (19). On the way home from this very same jazz concert he has the idea to start teaching his children musical instruments so that they can form a group. Lou is convinced that his three novice children could, “go right through the roof,” (20). This is an instance of the father’s will for his children to make something of themselves. As a jazz connoisseur the father seems to have some suppressed dreams of his own to perform and “make it big” but has chosen the life of a computer engineer so that he can support his family comfortably. Thusly as a parent Lou believes that his ch...
Music is magical: it soothes you when you are upset and cheers you up when you are down. To me, it is a communication with souls. I listen to different genres of music. When appreciating each form of music, with its unique rhythm and melody, I expect to differentiate each other by the feelings and emotions that it brings to me. However, I would definitely never call myself “a fan of jazz” until I witnessed Cécile McLorin Salvant’s performance last Friday at Mondavi Center. Through the interpretations and illustrations from Cécile’s performance, I realized that the cultural significance and individual identity are the building blocks of jazz music that create its unique musical features and support its development.
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
... themes of individualism and alienation. The chief value of living with music lies in its power to give us an orientation in time. In doing so, it gives connotation to all those indefinable aspects of experience which nevertheless helps us make what we are.
Western Music has developed in many ways since the middle ages through its form, sound, and message. Throughout these different periods in western music one thing has remained constant, the true essence of music, a way to communicate with someone on a much more divine level than be by rudimentary conversation. Though Ludwig Van Beethoven and Paul McCartney may seem completely opposite they have one in common through their music they changed the world’s perception of its self
As the child is, so will the man be… So it is in music that the songs which a child assimilates in his youth will determine the musical manhood…the musical influence upon his afterlife and also that the melodies which composers evolve in their maturity are but the flowers which bloom from the fields which were sown with the seed of the folk-song in their childhood. (Barham, 9).
Music, quite obviously, is a fantastic medium for telling long and winding tales. However many simply regard music as ‘entertainment’, something that can be put on at a party to fill in those awkward silences. However,
Hughes, Michael. Ireland Divided: The Roots of the Modern Irish Problem. New York: St.Martin’s Press Inc., 1994.
Walsh’s, Ford’s and Toibin’s works help influence the way Ireland is perceived nowadays. Despite what some people may think, Ireland and it’s people lives do not revolve around Pubs and alcohol. The country relies heavily on their culture and customs. Religion, music and food are three ways my family celebrates our Irish heritage. Those three parts of the Irish culture are only a small portion of what it means to be Irish.
This ethnography, written and told from Campbell’s point of view, shares her experiences as she sets out on her goal to study the musical culture among children in hopes to provide insight into how music plays a role in the lives of children of all different ages. This ethnography is split into three different sections, the first detailing Campbell’s different periods of observation. During her studies on the subject, Campbell spent time in different settings (such as a school bus, a cafeteria, a music class, and at a playground) in the hopes to observe their behavior and create detailed field notes in order to provide details into their interactions and their usage of music. In the second section, Campbell shares her conversations with several different children. Through these conversations, we get a taste of how music can be integrated within many different aspects of children’s lives. The third section focuses on what music means to children as well as how it can play a role or be integrated into diff...
This book discusses the life of Glenn Gould who was a profound pianist known for his classical music, Peter Ostwald a late violinist who wrote “The Ecstasy and Tragedy of Genius of Glenn Gould” believed that Gould was extraordinary gifted and that his music gained much appreciation among the people in the community. He not only saw Gould as a genius but also as a companion who struggled to find peace in his life through the sound of music. Gould didn’t act like a normal child he isolated himself from others because he felt that others around him did not share the same passion for music. His father noticed when he was born that instead of crying, “Glenn always hum” (Ostwald, 1997). This showed that Glenn was born with a passion towards music from the very early stages of life. Gould formed behaviors of an ambivalent attachment style towards his mother and behaviors of a secure attachment towards his father this impacted his ability to form long lasting relationships with people during his childhood progressing into his adult years. (My thesis)
Ronsley, Joseph, ed., Myth and Reality in Irish Literature, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Canada, 1977
There could not exist any real understanding of a specific music culture without firstly examining its concept and meaning of music. It is clearly agreed that every human society has music but the definition differs widely in many cultures. Bruno Nettl presents three ways in finding the definition of a society’s term of music. These are by asking an “expert”, who is the trained scholar of the society, or even a dictionary; by asking the members of society at large; and by observing people with the aid of fieldworking. He claims that dictionaries often avoid the explanation of music, and there are others who do explain it, but having their own Western concept in sight. Secondly, the other alternative is by asking the members of society at large. This approach could also be somehow supernatural as the people being asked could have a plenty of time to consider the question and modify their natural answers. Nettl claims that the third approach, which is performed by getting information from an informal conversation of some friends, is the most reliable one.
McCann et al. Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994, 95-109).