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YOUNG COMPOSERS IN IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC C. 2004 – 2016: COMPOSITIONS, PROCESS, AND TRADITION A dissertation submitted for the degree of Master of Arts by Tadhg Donncha Tomás Ó Meachair Supervisor: Dr. Aileen Dillane Submitted to the University of Limerick, April 2018 Dedication Do mo thuistí, Neasa agus Timmy. Young Composers in Irish Trad. Music i Abstract This dissertation is an examination of the compositional styles and imperatives of young composers locating within the Irish music tradition from the years c.2004 – 2016. Over the course of this paper, four case studies investigate two sample compositions each by four identified composers of Irish traditional music, aged between 14 and 28 during this time period. Analysis of these compositions as well as in-depth interviews with the selected composers inform the bulk of the findings of this thesis. Interviews touch on the composers’ respective motivations, approaches, and attitudes towards composing. Personal satisfaction, commerciality, and education each emerge as motivational factors to varying degrees for the young composer in undertaking composition. In terms of approach, the role of harmony in composition emerges as a particularly important aspect of the process for these composers. Following on from this, the study discusses issues surrounding the composers' own understanding of what it is that comprises ‘the composition’. Varying attitudes are uncovered whereby predetermined harmonic accompaniments can be seen as an equal constituent part of the composition at times, while at other stages remain secondary to the melody. Composers’ adherence to certain traditional expectations, especially in terms of the overall structure of compositions, is a key trend uncovered in this study. While innovations in terms of rhythmic patterns and time signatures emerge that stray beyond those commonly found within the traditional repertoire, the standard structure of the tunes, or ‘the round’ (Ó Súilleabháin 1990), is retained with little exception. In addition to this, the impact that choice of instrumentation has on the compositional process becomes evident over the course of this dissertation. At times, an instrument’s limitations and/or possibilities can impact an idiomatic compositional process, while in other instances, these can be deliberately ignored in the quest to compose a tune. In all, the young composer emerges as an agent of tradition and innovation in his or her own quest to create new repertoire. Young Composers in Irish Trad. Music ii Notes on Transcription Transcriptions in this study are used as a visual portrayal, in staff notation format, of an agreed ‘basic’ representation of a composition. This representation is of a single iteration of each (typically eight-bar) part of the tune, which, in performance, is subsequently subjected to ornamentation and variation in line with traditional performative norms. These representations are agreed upon after consultation with each composer. Precedence in regard of this format of transcription is found in historic (Petrie 1855), and contemporary (Carroll 2010) collections of Irish traditional music as well as in academic studies (Harvey 2010) dealing with composition. Further to this, transcriptions are also used to emphasise certain features or aspects of compositions. In order to aid the illustration of these features, coloured arrows and boxes are used to highlight the relevant notes or segments of a tune. Transcriptions have been compiled using the MuseScore 2 program, with the exception of figures 3.2, 3.3, and 5.15. Figure 3.2 is an image of the tune ‘Tripletocity’ as supplied by the composer Martin Tourish. Figure 3.3 is an image of the tune ‘619’ as supplied by the composer James Harvey. Figure 5.15 is an image from June McCormack’s Fliúit: Irish Flute Tutorial (2006) book. These are included with permission from the authors. Young Composers in Irish Trad. Music iii Acknowledgements I dtosach báire, ba mhaith liom buíochas ó chroí a ghabháil le mo theaghlach. Gan mo thuistí, ní bhéinn tar éis tabhairt faoin dtionscamh seo in aon chor. Go raibh maith agaibh as ucht an gcúnamh agus an tacaíocht ar fad. Buíochas mór chomh maith le Déirdre beag agus Déirdre mór, mo dheirfiúr agus m’aintín, a thug cabhair dom i gcónaí. Huge thanks also must go to my fiancée, Joanna, for her constant support and assistance. To my supervisor, Aileen Dillane, who was a continual source of inspiration and excitement, as well as of sound guidance, thank you so much. I simply cannot convey how grateful I am to you for your understanding and encouragement. A big thank you must go to my four key informants, Seán Óg Graham, Áine McGeeney, Jos Kelly, and Diarmuid Faherty. Thank you for trusting me with your work and for putting up with all of my questions and queries. This simply could not have come together without your enthusiasm and unending helpfulness. I am grateful to all at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Sandra Joyce, Mats Melin, Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain, and especially Niall Keegan. Thank you for shaping me as a student and for your generous support whenever called upon. To everyone who participated in interviews for this study, Ernestine Healy, Niall Vallely, Paddy Ryan, and Michael Rooney – a big thank you for your time and for your valuable insights. Finally, a special note of thanks must also go to Gary Lynch, Pam Cotter, Conal O’Kane, James Harvey, and Colm Phelan, who have been constant sounding boards for ideas, as well as willing participants in trawling through books and archives with me. Young Composers in Irish Trad. Music iv Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. i Notes on Transcriptions .................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Parameters of the Research ............................................................................. 4 1.2 Contextualisation ............................................................................................ 6 1.2.1 Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann ........................................................... 7 1.2.2 The ‘Ballad Boom’ .......................................................................... 9 1.2.3 Seán Ó Riada ................................................................................. 10 1.2.4 Growing Recognition of Composers ............................................ 11 1.2.5 University of Limerick ................................................................... 13 1.2.6 Riverdance ..................................................................................... 14 1.2.7 Crosbhealach an Cheoil ................................................................. 14 1.2.8 Other 1990s/2000s Developments ................................................. 15 1.2.9 Undertaking this Study .................................................................. 17 1.3 Literature Review .......................................................................................... 18 1.3.1 Irish Music Studies ........................................................................ 19 1.3.2 Broader Ethnomusicological Considerations ................................. 24 Young Composers in Irish Trad. Music v 1.3.3 Fieldwork and Methodology .......................................................... 28 1.4 Chapter Summaries ....................................................................................... 34 Chapter 2 Case Study A: The Compositions of Seán Óg Graham ................................. 38 2.1 ‘Waterboogie’ ............................................................................................... 39 2.1.1 Innovative Rhythms ....................................................................... 46 2.1.2 Re-creation ..................................................................................... 48 2.2 Arrangement, Harmony, and Approach ........................................................ 50 2.3 ‘Kick’n the Box’ ........................................................................................... 53 2.3.1 Harmonic Structure, Arrangement, and Syncopation .................... 57 2.4 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 3 Case Study B: The Compositions of Áine McGeeney ................................... 66 3.1 ‘Transformed’ ............................................................................................... 67 3.2 ‘A Like for All but Love for None’ .............................................................. 75 3.2.1 The vi-IV-I-V Chord Progression .................................................. 79 3.2.2 The Role of Harmony .................................................................... 80 3.2.3 Structure and Rhythm .................................................................... 82 3.3 Instrumentation ............................................................................................
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