Traditional Irish Music Listening Guide ______

Traditional Irish Music is made up of ‘tunes’. A ‘tune’ is effectively an extended melody. In most tunes, the melody will be divided up into two parts, the A phrase and the B phrase.

These tunes will have a very simple overall form or structure, following the pattern AABB.

This means that the first phrase of the melody is played (A) and then repeated (A again), followed by the second phrase of the melody (B) which is also repeated (B again). Sometimes the repetitions of each phrase can vary slightly from the original, but still a version of that melody. In this case we would label the phrases as AA1BB1. The small 1 shows that there is a similar to A, but it is not the exact same.

This pattern of AABB, or AA1BB1 is called Binary Form.

In Traditional Irish Music, this pattern will repeat over and over again, but with performers adding variation in many different ways. These ways can include varying the melodies themselves, adding different ornamentation, varying the instruments that play the melody, varying the tempo.

When you listen to these pieces of music, listen out for this pattern as it’s a great aural skill to develop!

We’re now going to listen to some pieces and develop our listening skills. This guide will walk you through what is happening in the music as it is happening. Please keep an eye on the timing of the pieces of music to make sure that what you’re listening to and what you’re reading match up.

The Chieftan’s O’Sullivan’s March

[00:00 – 00:07] Solo Bodhrán plays the introduction [00:07 – 00:13] Second Bodhrán joins [00:13 – 00:23] Third Bodhrán is added, and a drone (a long held/sustained note) begins on the Uilleann Pipes [00:23 – 00:34] Uilleann Pipes play the A phrase [00:34 – 00:44] Uilleann Pipes and Traditional Flute play A1 [00:44 – 00:55] Many instruments (fiddle, tin whistle, and more) join in to play the B phrase in unison (all together) [00:55 – 01:06] B phrase is repeated

[01:16 – 01:17] The A phrase is played by many instruments [01:17 – 01:29] The A phrase is repeated (note this time it is A and not A1) [01:29 – 01:40] The B phrase is played [01:40 – 01:51] The B phrase is repeated

A variation of the whole tune is now played [01:51 – 02:05] A variation of the A phrase is played on the Flute and Tin Whistle with drone played by Uilleann Pipes and Fiddle [02:05 – 02:15] This version of A is repeated [02:15 – 02:26] A variation of the B phrase is played [02:26 – 02:36] This version of B Is repeated

[02:37 – 03:32] This variation is repeated again multiple times – It’s your turn now to listen out for the AABB form]

[03:32 – end] Uilleann Pipes repeat the original tune (AABB) with a drone, and Bodhráns playing

Traditional Irish Music Listening Guide ______

Fergal Scahill Patsy Geary’s

This video is solo fiddle, and he plays through it quite fast (which is standard!) so I’ve outlined the first half of the piece, but after try to follow yourself. Bear in mind that Fergal is varying the phrases each time he plays them. This does make it a little bit more tricky to hear each phrase. Each phrase is 16 beats, so count to 8 twice in order to follow what’s happening. I know that it is fast and difficult to hear, but the more you expose your ear and brain to these active listening tasks, the more you will be able to hear.

[00:00 – 00:33] Talk talk talk…! [00:33 – 00:42] A phrase [00:42 – 00:49] A phrase repeated [00:49 – 00:56] B phrase [00:49 – 01:02] B phrase repeated [01:02 – 01:10] A phrase [01:10 – 01:17] A phrase repeated [01:17 – 01:23] B phrase [01:23 – 01:30] B phrase repeated

Keep listening and follow the phrases. Tap your foot or your hand to keep timing, and say ‘A’ and ‘B’ out loud to yourself!

The Blue Rock Boys Doctor O’Neill

This tune does not follow the AABB structure that we have looked at with the other two tunes. This tune has the structure of AABBCCDDEE, which is a rather unusual structure. Be careful here while listening, as the phrases are longer than you might think at first. I have outlined the first half of the piece, and the second half is simply a repeat of the whole idea again (AABBCCDDEE) so try to follow the pattern for yourself in the second half. Again, each phrase is 16 beats, so you will count to 8 twice before the phrase will move on.

[00:00 – 00:08] A phrase played by Fiddle and Banjo, with a percussion instrument keeping the beat (perhaps just a foot!) and the Spoons providing rhythmic ideas. [00:08 – 00:16] A phrase repeated, and a Guitar strumming on the main beats is added [00:16 – 00:24] B phrase [00:24 – 00:31] B phrase repeated [00:31 – 00:39] C phrase [00:39 – 00:47] C phrase repeated [00:47 – 00:54] D phrase [00:54 – 01:02] D phrase repeated [01:02 – 01:10] E phrase [01:10 – 01:17] E phrase repeated

Whole pattern repeats itself to the end.

Traditional Irish Music Performer Profile ______

The Gloaming

The Gloaming are an Irish/American super-group of musicians who each have their own very successful solo careers.

Martin Hayes a fiddle player from County Clare. Martin is a prolific performer and performs as a soloist and with different pairings and groups, both within Ireland and internationally. Within The Gloaming, Martin brings the tradition of the tunes used, but allows for flexibility within the playing which creates a more lyrical and emotional sound.

Denis Cahill a guitar player from Chicago, although his parents are Irish. Denis and Martin have played together since the 1980s, and are an active performing duo. Denis’s guitar playing within the groups provides a percussive element, along with a minimalist accompaniment that is never over powering.

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh is a multi-instrumentalist from Dublin. He plays the Uilleann Pipes, and Fiddle, and within The Gloaming he plays an instrument called the Hardanger D’Amore. This is a hybrid fiddle instrument which has 5 main strings and 5 ‘sympathetic’ strings. The sympathetic strings lie underneath the main strings and vibrate and make sound when the main strings are played. Listen out for the sound of this instrument as it creates a more ‘airy’ and softer sound than a normal violin/fiddle. Caoimhín and Martin will alternate playing the main melody and accompanying each other. The Hardanger D’Amore allows for an airy and almost ghostly accompaniment, and a beautifully rich tone when playing the melody.

Iarla Ó Lionáird is a sean-nós singer from County Cork. Iarla has worked as a solo performer, as well as in the group Afro Celt Sound System. He has provided vocals for many different projects, and recently appeared to sing in the film Brooklyn. His inexplicitly distinctive voice and fluency in the Irish language allows for emotionally sensitive performances that are utterly hypnotising. Iarla also provides extra instrumental support to some works, by playing Harmonium.

Thomas Bartlett is a pianist and music producer from Vermont (US). As a producer he has worked with many artists such as The National, Sufjan Stevens, St Vincent, Florence and The Machine, to name a few. He has released music as a solo artist and in two duo groups, one with contemporary composer Nico Muhly, and with Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. As the pianist of The Gloaming, Thomas adds the significant and unique sound to The Gloaming. His style of playing and choice of harmony can completely alter the ‘traditional’ idea within the music.

The combination of all five musicians fuses Traditional Irish Music with contemporary minimalist ideas and creates a nearly indescribable musical landscape that is both calming and invigorating.

Traditional Irish Music Worksheet ______

Answer the following questions which will ask you to compare and contrast the following performances

The Chieftan’s O’Sullivan’s March, Fergal Scahill Patsy Geary’s, The Blue Rock Boys Doctor O’Neill, The Gloaming Set: O’Sullivan’s March/ Patsy Geary’s, Doctor O’Neill.

1. The Chieftan’s O’Sullivan’s March

a) What percussion instrument can be heard at the beginning ______b) Which instrument plays the drone AND the melody ______c) What does the term unison mean? ______

2. Fergal Scahill Patsy Geary’s

a) In this performance, changes are made to the melody through the addition of decorative notes. What is the musical term for this? ______

3. The Blue Rock Boys Doctor O’Neill

a) What instrument play the melody at the beginning ______b) Which instruments provide rhythmic accompaniment ______

4. At the start of The Gloaming Set, which instrument plays: The melody ______The accompaniment ______

5. Identify the instrument(s) used in each of the performances

The Chieftan’s O’Sullivan’s March ______Fergal Scahill Patsy Geary’s ______The Blue Rock Boys Doctor O’Neill______The Gloaming Set ______

6. Outline the Form of each of the following

The Chieftan’s O’Sullivan’s March ______Fergal Scahill Patsy Geary’s______The Blue Rock Boys Doctor O’Neill______

Traditional Irish Music Essay Question ______

Write a short essay in which you compare and contrast The Chieftan’s O’Sullivan’s March, Fergal Scahill Patsy Geary’s, The Blue Rock Boys Doctor O’Neill, with The Gloaming Set: O’Sullivan’s March/ Patsy Geary’s/Doctor O’Neill. Use musical terminology as much as possible to describe your observations, and make sure that you refer to both performances when comparing/contrasting.

______

Traditional Irish Music Glossary of Terms ______

TERM DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE Form The structure of a piece of Music Binary Form A form that follows the pattern AABB / AA1BB1 Ornamentation Decorating the melody Tempo Speed Drone A long held/sustained note Unison Instruments or voices playing the exact same melody Fusion A combination of two different styles of music

INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION PLAYER Bodhrán Uilleann Pipes Traditional Flute Tin Whistle Fiddle Martin Hayes, Zoe Conway Banjo Spoons Guitar