Irish Music School of Chicago study guide

LotusBlossoms2016
SeánCleland&JackieMoran
Teacher’sResourceGuide
TeacherResourceGuide
TableofContents
MusicBackground;FromIrelandtotheUnitedStates……………………………………………………………2
FunFactsabouttheIrishFiddleandBodhrán…………………………………………………………………………3
LearningtoSpeakGaelic…………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
IrishMusicSessions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…4
CéiliDance…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…4
IrishMusicSchoolofChicago:SeánCleland&JackieMoran…………………………………………………..5
In-ClassActivitiesandLessonPlans…………………………………………………………………………………………6
HelpfulLinks……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….6
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………7-9
PhotobyIrishMusicSchoolofChicago
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MusicBackground;FromIrelandtotheUnitedStates
1848-FrancisO'NeillborninTralibane,Co.Cork,Ireland.
1850-1900-Firstmajorattemptsattunecollection.
1930-DeclineinIrish
traditionalmusicdespite
effortstopreserve,
promote,andnationalize
it
PhotobyWTTWChicago
1890s-SecondCeltic
revival.GaelicLeague.
PrecursorstoComhaltas.
Attempttoreviverather
thanpromote.
FrancisO’Neill’sManuscripts
1930s-1940s-IrishtraditionalmusicthrivesanddevelopsinIrishdiasporacommunities(U.S.and
elsewhere)
1956:FirstFleadhCheoil.Attempttogivelegitimacytotraditionalmusicandprovideagathering
pointformusicians.
1960s-FirstdecadeofIrishmusicrevival;shifttowardneo-traditionalmusicalstyles,including
ensembleratherthansoloperformance.Folkrevival
1980s-Altanandothernewgroupsestablished,preservingtraditionalstyleswhilecontinuingto
pushIrishtraditionalmusicinnewdirectionsaswell
1990s-Riverdancebecomesaninternationalsensation
Irishfiddleplayingtodayhasneverbeenmorevigorous,whetherataprofessionaloramateur
level,withanextremelyhighstandardofplayingandastrongdemandforthemusicbothin
Irelandandelsewhere.AsearlyasthemiddleagesIrelandhadaninternationalreputation
forthequalityofitsmusicians.
FrancisO'NeillwasanIrish-bornChicagopolicechiefwhocollectedthesinglelargestcollection
ofIrishtraditionalmusiceverpublished.Hewasaflautist,fiddlerandpiperwhowaspartofa
vibrantIrishcommunityinChicagoatthebeginningofthe20thcentury,onethatincludedsome
fortythousandpeople,includingmusiciansfromallthirty-twocountiesofIreland,accordingto
NicholasCarolan,whoreferredtoO'Neillas"thegreatestindividualinfluenceontheevolution
ofIrishtraditionaldancemusicinthetwentiethcentury.”
FormoreinformationregardingthehistoryandtypesofIrishMusic,pleasereferenceAppendixA
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FunFactsabouttheIrishFiddleandBodhrán
IrishFiddle
•
•
•
AviolininIrishmusicthatisplayed
inanuniquestyleandsoundthat
makesitdifferentfromclassical
violinplaying
Theplayingstyleispredominantly
infirstposition
Itisplayedwithabowandis
thoughttohavebeenplayedin
Irelandsincethe17thcentury
Bodhrán
•
Thisisalargeframeddrumranging
from25cmto65cmindiameterand
coveredwithstretchedanimalskin,
typicallygoatskin.
•
Itisstruckwithastickwhichis
traditionallymadefromdoubleendedknucklebonetoprovide
traditionalmusicwithapulsating
beat
Theothersideisopenendedfor
onehandtobeplacedagainstthe
insideofthedrumheadtocontrol
thepitchandtimbre
•
LearningtoSpeakGaelic
HereisacollectionofphrasestohelpintroduceaclasstotheGaeliclanguage.Considereda
complexlanguagetolearn,theseshortphrasesincludeaphoneticpronunciationtoassist.
Phrase:Hello
Phrase:Whatisyourname?
Irish:Diadhuit
Irish:Cadisainmduit?
Pronunciation:Djee-ahgwitch
Pronunciation:Codhisanamgwitch
Phrase:Thankyou
Phrase:You'rewelcome
Irish:Goraibhmaithagat
Irish:Táfáilteromhat
Pronunciation:Guhrowmahaguth(rowasin Pronunciation:Thawfoil-chehroath
cow)
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IrishMusicSessions
SessionsaremostlyinformalgatheringsatwhichpeopleplayIrishtraditionalmusic.Theyare
thecornerstonesofthesocialnatureofplayingtraditionalIrishmusic.TheIrishlanguageword
forsessionisseisún.
Sessionsareakeyaspectoftraditionalmusic;somesayitisthemainsphereinwhichthemusic
isformulatedandinnovated.Further,thesessionsenablelessadvancedmusicianstopracticein
agroup.InmanyruralcommunitiesinIreland,sessionsareanintegralpartofcommunitylife.
Sessionsaremostoftenheldinpubsbutalsoareheldinhomesoratvariouspublicplaces.
Thegeneralsessionschemeisthatsomeonestartsatune,andthosewhoknowitjoinin.Good
sessionetiquetterequiresnotplayingifonedoesnotknowthetune,andwaitinguntilatune
oneknowscomesalong.Inan"open"session,anyonewhoisabletoplayIrishmusicis
welcome.A"closed"sessionisbyinvitationonly.
FormoreinformationregardingIrishMusicSessions,pleasereferenceAppendixB
PhotocourtesyoftheIrishMusicSchoolofChicago
CéiliDance
Acéili(kay-lee)danceisapopularformof
folkdancinginIreland.Traditionalcéili
danceswereenjoyedathousepartiesand
cornerroadgatheringsintherural
countryside.Decadeslater,theyarestill
dancedinIrelandandthediaspora.
Céilimusicmaybeprovidedbyan
assortmentoffiddle,flute,tinwhistle,
CéiliDanceattheCrossroadsinIreland
accordion,bodhránandinmorerecenttimes
alsodrums,guitar,mandolin,andbouzouki.The
musicischeerfulandlively,consistinginIrelandmainlyofjigs,reels,hornpipes,polkas,slip-jigs
andwaltzes.DancingatacéiliisusuallyintheformofCèilidhdances,setdancesorcouple
dances.A"Set"consistsoffourtoeightcouples,witheachpairofcouplesfacinganotherina
squareorrectangularformation.Eachcoupleexchangespositionwiththefacingcouple,and
alsofacingcouplesexchangepartners,whileallthetimekeepinginstepwiththebeatofthe
music.
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PhotobyIrishMusicSchoolofChicago
IrishMusicSchoolofChicago;SeánCleland&JackieMoran
Theschool’sgoalistoprovidequalityeducationandfun
experiencesinthetraditionalIrishartstoeveryone.That
includeslearningfromgreathometownteachersyear-roundas
wellastheopportunityforChicagoanstolearnfromandlisten
tothebesttraditionalIrishmusicdirectfromIreland.
TheSchoolwasfoundedin2003byChicago-bredand
internationallyacclaimedIrishfiddlerSeanCleland.Asayoung
Irish-AmericandeterminedtoplaytraditionalIrishmusic,Sean
maderepeatedtripstoIreland.Backathome,heimmersed
himselfinthevibrantChicagoIrishMusiccommunity,literally
sittingatthefeetofthemostlyimmigrantIrishmusicians.
SeánCleland-IrishFiddle
SeánisanIrishfiddleplayer,Irishmusicteacher,adjudicator,
collaborator,producerandexecutivedirectoroftheIrishMusicSchoolofChicago.Seángrewup
ontheNorthsideofChicagoinanIrish-Americanhousehold.Hestartedclassicalviolinlessons
atage7,andatage9hisparentstookhimtooneofthefirstNorthAmericanconcerttoursof
ComhaltasCeoltóiríÉireann,Ireland'snationalmusicorganization.Therehebecameenthralled
withIrishFiddleandbeganplaying.Hehassincegoneontoformamultitudeofgroupsand
performwithsomeofthefinestmusiciansworldwide.
JackieMoran-Bodhrán
PhotobyIrishMusicSchoolofChicago
BorninTipperary,ten-year-oldJackieandhisfamily
immigratedtoChicagowherehequicklybegan
drummingwiththebestplayersintheIrishmusic
scene.Heswiftlygrewintooneofthepreeminent
figuresintheChicagoIrishmusicscene.Jackie’stalents
havealsoledhimtoappearonstagewith
“Riverdance,”andtohelpformandperformwiththe
TrinityIrishDanceCompany
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In-ClassActivitiesandLessonPlans
1) ExploretheworldofIrishculturethroughplaying,singinganddancing.Studentswill
learntodifferentiatestylesofIrishmusicandstartdiscussingtheculturalcontextof
songanddance.FollowthelinktotheSmithsonianlessonplanthatintroduces
traditionaldancingandmusicalactivities: http://www.folkways.si.edu/irish-experiencesdance-singing-instrument-playing/jigs-polka/music/tools-for-teaching/smithsonian
2) Playthebodhránaccuratelyandwithasteadybeat.Learnlistening,singinganddancing
skillthroughthetraditionalsong“Cunla.”Anydrumwouldserveasasuitablesubstitute
toatraditionalbodhrán.Lessonplanavailableinlink: http://www.folkways.si.edu/irishbodhran-celtic-classics-singing-dancing-playing/music/tools-for-teaching/smithsonian
3) TraditionalIrishMusicLearningResourceCenter.Includesamultitudeoflinksto
materials,songsandlearningtools.
http://www.tradirishmusic.org/index_files/ExtHome3.html
HelpfulLinks
1) AinformativebackgroundonFrancisO’Neill,whoservedasaninstrumentalfigurein
spreadingIrishartsandcultureheritagethroughChicagointheearly20thcentury.
http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=1,7,1,1,34
2) ListenandlearnsomeclassicsongsinGaelic!Sheetmusicandaudiorecordingsavailable
atthislink:http://www.gaelic4parents.com/maoilios/listen-and-sing
3) Colorthesesignsthatdenotethevariousroomsofthehousefromthekitchentothe
bedroom.http://www.gaelic4parents.com/maoilios/make-and-print/door-signs
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AppendixA:AdditionalHistory
Incommonwithmanyotherkindsoftraditionalmusic,Irishmusictookabigdownturninthe
40’sand50’sasswing,rockandroll,andgeneralpostwaroptimismsawanewgeneration
turningtheirbacksonwhatwasseenasatiredandoutdatedgenre.Concernedbythedecline
andpotentialdemiseoftraditionalplaying,agroupofmusiciansgottogetherinDublinin1951
andformedComhaltasCeoltóiríÉireann(“gatheringofmusiciansofIreland”),commonly
referredtoasjustComhaltas(key-ol-tas).TheiraimwastopromoteIrishtraditionalmusic,
dancing,languageandculture,andtoestablishanannualnationalfestivalandcompetition
orFleadh.Classesteachinginstrumentsanddancetoyoungchildrenbecamewidespread,and
thecompetitionshaveconsistentlydrivenuptheoverallstandardofplaying.
IrishimmigrantscreatedalargenumberofemigrantballadsonceintheUnitedStates.These
wereusuallysadlaments,steepedinnostalgia,andself-pity,andsingingthepraisesoftheir
nativesoilwhilebitterlycondemningthelandofthestranger.Thesesongsincludefamoussongs
like"ThousandsAreSailingtoAmerica"and"BytheHush",though"ShamrockShore"maybe
themostwellknowninthefield.
AppendixB:AdditionalHistory&TypesofIrishMusicbyStyle
Mostoftentherearemore-or-lessrecognizedsessionleaders;sometimestherearenoleaders.
Attimesasongwillbesungoraslowairplayedbyasinglemusicianbetweensets.
Typically,thefirsttuneisfollowedbyanothertwoorthreetunesinaset.Theartofputting
togetherasetishardtoputintowords,butthetunesmustflowfromonetoanotherinterms
ofkeyandmelodicstructure,withoutbeingsosimilarastoallsoundthesame.Thetunesofa
setwillusuallyallbeofthesamesort,i.e.alljigsorallreels,althoughonrareoccasionsand
amongstamoreskilledgroupofplayersacomplementarytuneofadifferentsortwillbe
included,suchasaslipjigamongstthejigs.
Somesetsarespecifictoalocale,oreventoasinglesession,whilstothers,likethe"Coleman
set"ofreels("TheTarbolton"/"TheLongfordCollector"/TheSailor'sBonnet"),represent
longstandingcombinationsthathavebeenplayedtogetherfordecades.
AppendixC:TypesofIrishMusicbyStyle
Reelsarefasttunesin4/4time(ormoreaccurately,incuttime).ReelsarethestapleofIrish
traditionalsessionstheworldover,usuallyoutnumberingallothertunetypesbyalargemargin.
TheywereimportedfromScotlandinthelate18thC,buthavenowdevelopedtheirownstylein
Ireland,andmakeupalargepartoftherepertoire.Theyaremadeupmostlyofeighthnotes
(quavers),whichmaybeplayedstraight,orgivenaswingabitlikehornpipes.Thepulseofareel
caneitherbeonthefirstofeachfourquavers(theonbeat),oronthethird(theoffbeator
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backbeat).KevinBurkefrequentlyusesthelatterapproach,similartotheAmericanGeorgia
shuffle.Patternsinwhichthebowrocksacrosstwostringsarecommoninreels.Mostreelshave
repeatedeight-barsections;making32bars(eg.theStarofMunster,theMerryBlacksmith,)
Lesscommonare3-part(48bar)reelssuchastheFloggingReelortheMovingCloud.Single
reelsarethoseinwhichthe8-barsectionsarenotrepeated.Examplesoftwo-partsinglereels
includeTheWindthatShakestheBarley,theMonaghanTwig,andDrowsyMaggie.Singlereels
canalsobethree-part(TheFloggingReel,theLongfordSpinster,BoysofMalin);fourpart;(Lord
MacDonald’s),orfive-part(BucksofOranmore).
Reelsareusuallyfastandflashy,showingthefiddler'stechniquetogoodeffect,thoughMartin
Hayesisknownforplayingreelsinaveryslowandexpressivefashion.
HornpipeswereintroducedfromEngland.Theyaresimilartoreels,butwithabouncy,"humpty
dumpty"rhythmcreatedbylengtheningthefirstofeachpairofquavers,andshorteningthe
second.Theytendtobeplayedslowerthanreels,particularlywhenplayedfordancing.A
hornpipecanbereliablyidentifiedifthe8barlineendswiththreeevencrotchets,asfor
exampleinthesailor’shornpipe.Hornpipestendtobemoremelodicthanreels,andwithmore
harmonicinterest,andfrequenttripletsareacommonfeature.Arpeggiatedphrases,chromatic
notesandimpliednon-diatonicchordsareallcommoninhornpipes.ExamplesincludeHarvest
Home,BoysofBluehill,StackofBarleyandOfftoCalifornia.ListentoFrankieGavin’stake
onTheWonderHornpipe,whichmorethanlivesuptoitsname.
Polkasareplayedfasterthanreels,butfeelsteadierastheyhavefarfewerrunsofquavers.
Theyarein2/4time-ietwocrotchetstothebar.TheyoriginatedinPolandinthe1830's.The
polkawassoonapopularthroughouttheballroomsofEurope,beforefilteringdowntothe
dancesofordinarypeople.Polkasareoftenverysimplemelodies,andaparticularlyprevalentin
theSliabhLuachraregionofCork,KerryandLimerick.AmongtheleadingexponentswereJulia
CliffordandDenisMurphy,abrotherandsisterfromcountyKerry,andmorerecentlythefiddler
MattCranitchfromthebandSliabhNotes.
Examplesofwell-knownpolkasincludeMaggieintheWood,The£42cheque,Farewellto
Whiskey,andDenisMurphy'sPolka.BritchesfullofStitchesisaparticularlyeasytunetolearn,as
itisbasedonapentatonic(fivenote)scale.
Jigs,amongtheoldestformofIrishdancetune,haveabouncy6/8rhythm,withastressatthe
beginningofeachthreenotes(rashersandsausages)ExampleswouldbeHastetothe
WeddingorLannigan'sBall.Youmaysometimeshearthetermdoublejig;thisisinfactthe
normalform.Theterm“double”inreferencetojigsreferstothe“doublebattering”stepused
bydancers.
Jigsareoccasionallythree-part(suchasDingleRegatta)orfour-part(TheLark),butlikemost
Irishtunesareusually2-part.Asinglejighasasimplerrhythm(boiltheeggsandcookthe
bacon),andissometimesnotatedin12/8time.ThebestknownexamplesincludeSmashthe
Windows,HagattheChurnandOffSheGoes.
Slipjigs.Farlesscommonthanordinaryjigs,thesehaveasimilarfeelbutarein9/8(cookingmy
rashersandsausages).Theslipjigisusedforagracefulsoftshoestepdance,usuallydancedby
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womenonly,andalsofortheceilidanceStriptheWillow.AmongthebestknownareThe
Butterfly(acompositionbyDublinfiddlerTommyPotts),RockyRoadtoDublin,DropsofBrandy,
theKidontheMountainandtheFoxhunter’sJig.
Slides;similartojigsagain,butinabrisk12/8time;foundonlyinthesouthwestofIreland.
Theycanbedistinguishedfromjigsbythelongmelodicphraseswhichwouldnotfitintoabarof
6/8(cookingmytatersandrashersandsausages)ExamplesincludeStarabovetheGarter,Hare
intheCorn,andKilfenoraJig.
Mazurkas.LikePolkas,Mazurkasoriginatedascouple-dancesinPoland(aMazurbeingan
inhabitantoftheprovinceofMazovia).Theyarein3/4time,butunlikethewaltz,theaccentis
usuallyonthesecondbeatofthebar.ExamplesincludeJohnnyDoherty's,CharlieLennon's,
andSonny'sMazurka.Theyareplayedsomewhatfasterthenawaltz.Theyhavebecome
particularlyassociatedwithDonegalmusic.
Slowairs,derivedinpartfromthesean-nos(oldstyle)gaelicsinging,areonlyoccasionally
playedatsessions,andmakemoredemandsontoneandintonationthandothedancetunes.
Theyareplayedrubato,andwithagreatdealofexpression.Examplesofwell-knownslowairs
includeAnChúilfhionn(TheCoolin),BeanDubha’Gleanna(DarkwomenoftheGlen),SliabhGeal
Gcua(Fareyouwell),andTheWoundedHussar.Slowairsareanimportantfeatureoffiddle
contestsatthefleadh;intheadultcategorytheplayingofoneiscompulsory.Itissaidthatto
performoneproperly,youneedtobefamiliarwiththegaeliclyrics,otherwisethephrasingwill
makenosense.
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Materials Prepared by Lotus Education Arts Foundation, January 2016
Written - Sean Benolken, Lotus Graduate Assistant
Contributor - Kathy Medic & the Irish Music School of Chicago
Photo Credit – Irish Music School of Chicago
----------------------------------------------For more information regarding Lotus,
Please contact Loraine Martin, Outreach Director
P.O. Box 1667 | Bloomington, IN 47402
Phone: (812) 336-6599 | Fax: (812) 336-3959 | [email protected]
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