Traditional Irish Singing
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Traditional Irish Singing
Traditional Irish singing is the singing of traditional songs in the native styles such as sean nós. Though some people consider sean nós to particularly refer to singing in the Irish language, the term 'traditional singing' is more universally understood to encompass singing in any language, as well as lilting. Some of the characteristics of traditional Irish songs might be * Solo singing * Unaccompanied * Unamplified * The audience is focused on the singing In contrast, Irish ballad singing might be thought of as differing in several respects, even if it is also sometimes referred to as 'traditional'. * Ballad singing is almost always accompanied by musical instruments. * It is most often a group activity, not solo singing. * It is performed typically in public areas, the singing is usually amplified, and the performance might be secondary (e.g. as background music in a pub). Source singers The term ‘source singer’ is generally understood to describe a singers in the p ...
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Sean-nós Singing
Sean-nós singing ( , ; Irish for "old style") is unaccompanied traditional Irish vocal music usually performed in the Irish language. Sean-nós singing usually involves very long melodic phrases with highly ornamented and melismatic melodic lines, differing greatly from traditional folk singing elsewhere in Ireland, although there is significant regional variation within Ireland. Sean-nós songs cover a range of genres, from love song to lament to lullaby, traditionally with a strong focus on conveying the relevant emotion of the given song. The term ''sean-nós'', which simply means "in the old way", is a vague term that can also refer to various other traditional activities, musical and non-musical. The musician and academic Tomás Ó Canainn said:''...no aspect of Irish music can be fully understood without a deep appreciation of sean-nós singing. It is the key which opens every lock.'' The origins of sean-nós singing are unknown, but it is probably at least seven cen ...
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Lilting
Lilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Goidelic speaking areas of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Mann. It goes under many names, and is sometimes referred to as ''diddling'' (generally in England and Scotland), ''mouth music'', ''jigging'', ''chin music'' or ''cheek music'', ''puirt à beul'' or ''canntaireachd'' in Scottish Gaelic, or ''portaireacht bhéil'' (''port a'bhéil'', "mouth-singing") in Irish. It in some ways resembles scat singing. Features Lilting often accompanied dancing. Features such as rhythm and tone dominate in lilting. The lyrics thus are often meaningless or nonsensical. History The origins of lilting are unclear. It might have resulted in part from the unavailability of instruments, whether because they were seen as too expensive or were banned. However, peasant music in other Indo-European cultures was subject to similar constraints, and lilting did not develop. Notable lilters * Jimmy Ward * Paddy Tunney * Bobby Gardiner * Len G ...
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Irish Ballad
The following are often-sung Irish folk ballads and folk songs. The songs are arranged by theme under the categories "Politics and soldiering" and "Non-political" and are not necessarily contemporary to the events to which they relate. Songs may fit into more than one category, but where possible, are grouped uniquely to where is most appropriate. Politics and soldiering Anti-war and anti-recruiting *"Arthur McBride" – an anti-recruiting song from Donegal, probably originating during the 17th century. *"The Recruiting Sergeant" – song (to the tune of "The Peeler and the Goat") from the time of World War 1, popular among the Irish Volunteers of that period, written by Séamus O'Farrell in 1915, recorded by The Pogues. *" Mrs. McGrath" – popular among the Irish Volunteers, 1916 *"The Saxon Shilling" – written by K. T. Buggy, 1840s *"Sergeant William Bailey" – written by Peadar Kearney, recorded by Dominic Behan and Maeve Mulvany Moore *"Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" – ...
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Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924) was an English-born collector of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as well as a lecturer, teacher, composer and musician. He was the pre-eminent activist in the development of the folk-song revival in England during the Edwardian period. According to ''Folk Song in England'', Sharp was the country’s "single most important figure in the study of folk song and music." Sharp collected over four thousand songs from untutored rural singers, both in South-West England and the Southern Appalachian region of the United States. He published an extensive series of song books based on his fieldwork, often with piano arrangements, and wrote an influential theoretical work, English Folk Song: Some Conclusions. He also noted down surviving examples of English Morris dance, Morris dancing, and played an important role in the revival both of the Morris and English country dance. In 1911, he co-founded the English Folk Dance So ...
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Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activist, oral historian, and film-maker. Lomax produced recordings, concerts, and radio shows in the US and in England, which played an important role in preserving folk music traditions in both countries, and helped start both the American and British folk revivals of the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. He collected material first with his father, folklorist and collector John Lomax, and later alone and with others, Lomax recorded thousands of songs and interviews for the Archive of American Folk Song, of which he was the director, at the Library of Congress on aluminum and acetate discs. After 1942, when Congress terminated the Library of Congress's funding for folk song collecting, Lomax continued to collect independentl ...
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Hamish Henderson
Hamish Scott Henderson (11 November 1919 – 9 March 2002) was a Scottish poet, songwriter, communist, intellectual and soldier. He was a catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland. He was also an accomplished folk song collector and discovered such notable performers as Jeannie Robertson, Flora MacNeil and Calum Johnston. Early life Born on the first Armistice Day 11 November 1919, to a single mother, Janet Henderson, a Queen's Nurse who had served in France, then working in the war hospital at Blair Castle. Though he was born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Henderson spent his early years in nearby Glen Shee and eventually moved to England with his mother. He won a scholarship to the prestigious Dulwich School in London; however, his mother died shortly before he was due to take up his place and he was forced to live in an orphanage while studying there. He studied Modern Languages at Downing College, Cambridge in the years leading up to World War II, and as a visiting ...
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Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture, workers' rights, and environmental causes. A prolific songwriter, his best-known songs include "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (with additional lyrics by Joe Hickerson), " If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" (with Lee Hays of the Weavers), " Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (also with Hays), and "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement. "Flowers" was ...
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Ewan MacColl
James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the instigators of the 1960s folk revival as well as for writing such songs as "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Dirty Old Town". MacColl collected hundreds of traditional folk songs, including the version of " Scarborough Fair" later popularised by Simon & Garfunkel, and released dozens of albums with A.L. Lloyd, Peggy Seeger and others, mostly of traditional folk songs. He also wrote many left-wing political songs, remaining a steadfast communist throughout his life and engaging in political activism. Early life and early career MacColl was born as James Henry Miller at 4 Andrew Street, in Broughton, Salford, England, to Scottish parents, William Miller and Betsy (née Henry), both socialists. William Miller was an iron moulde ...
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List Of Traditional Irish Singers
This is a list of notable traditional singers from Ireland. Some of the singers alphabetically listed below are known to have sung in both the Irish and English language and if so are listed in both sections below as well known singers of macaronic Irish songs. Singers (by language) Mainly English-language songs Men *Paddy Berry, a CCÉ singer *Eddie Butcher of Magilligan, County Londonderry, singer, song collector and songwriter *Robert Cinnamond of Antrim, singer and song collector * Len Graham, married to Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin, with whom he has recorded numerous albums *Con Greaney, from Limerick *Frank Harte, seminal collector and singer in the English language tradition *Joe Holmes *Luke Kelly, from Dublin, best known for co-founding The Dubliners *Ronnie Drew, another founding member of The Dubliners * John Reilly *Paddy Tunney *Liam Weldon * Tom Lenihan, Irish sean-nós singer *Tommy Makem, The Bard of Armagh; sung multiple of his traditional Irish songs with t ...
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Lilting
Lilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Goidelic speaking areas of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Mann. It goes under many names, and is sometimes referred to as ''diddling'' (generally in England and Scotland), ''mouth music'', ''jigging'', ''chin music'' or ''cheek music'', ''puirt à beul'' or ''canntaireachd'' in Scottish Gaelic, or ''portaireacht bhéil'' (''port a'bhéil'', "mouth-singing") in Irish. It in some ways resembles scat singing. Features Lilting often accompanied dancing. Features such as rhythm and tone dominate in lilting. The lyrics thus are often meaningless or nonsensical. History The origins of lilting are unclear. It might have resulted in part from the unavailability of instruments, whether because they were seen as too expensive or were banned. However, peasant music in other Indo-European cultures was subject to similar constraints, and lilting did not develop. Notable lilters * Jimmy Ward * Paddy Tunney * Bobby Gardiner * Len G ...
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Sean Nós And Sean-nós Activities
Sean Nós and Sean-nós Activities refers to the Irish traditional activities in the "Old Style," such as Sean-nós singing and Sean-nós dance. When the words ''Sean Nós'' are used in isolation, the general connotation is to anything Irish in an "old style"—as opposed to the "new way." When referring in isolation to just "Sean Nós," the term frequently means Sean-nós song in particular. However, other "old style" Irish cultural activities exist as well, such as Sean-nós dance. The terms "Sean Nós" and "Sean-Nós" activities Non-English words—and the associated foreign characters or diacriticals (the " fada," accent mark, or other symbols added to the "base letter" to indicate the specific character or phoneme)—can be confusing to non-native speakers or readers. The Irish Gaelic phrase "Sean Nós" is a prime example. * In the Irish Gaelic Language, the word "sean" means "old" and "nós" means "style." Therefore, "sean nós" means "old style" (noun form)—as con ...
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Irish Dance
Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from various influences such as earlier native Irish dance, English country dancing and later possibly French quadrilles, as it became popular in Britain and Ireland during the 19th century. Dance was taught by "travelling dance masters" across Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries, and separate dance forms developed according to regional practice and differing purposes. Irish dance became a significant part of Irish culture, particularly for Irish nationalist movements. From the early 20th century, a number of organisations promoted and codified the various forms of dance, creating competitive structures and standardised styles. Irish dancers who compete for competitive reasons dance in a dance style that is more modern than traditional Irish da ...
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