truckleehowe
- Hans-Joerg
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Re: truckleehowe
I think Seamus must of had some mushrooms for breakfast that morning.
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Re: truckleehowe
That's the second track on "Forty Years of Irish Piping."
Seamus Ennis was a very entertaining storyteller. Some of the terms he uses here are rather obscure, though. An academic article by Lynnsey K. Weissenberger (who is also a fiddler and harpist) describes "truckly-how" as "the philosophical 'why' of the musical tradition." Source, page 4 of this document: https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/cgi/vie ... text=docam
Seamus Ennis was a very entertaining storyteller. Some of the terms he uses here are rather obscure, though. An academic article by Lynnsey K. Weissenberger (who is also a fiddler and harpist) describes "truckly-how" as "the philosophical 'why' of the musical tradition." Source, page 4 of this document: https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/cgi/vie ... text=docam
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Re: truckleehowe
I think calling this 'a poem' rather than something Séamus made up on the fly puts the writer on the wrong foot right from the start.An academic article by Lynnsey K. Weissenberger (who is also a fiddler and harpist) describes "truckly-how" as "the philosophical 'why' of the musical tradition."
Last edited by Mr.Gumby on Mon Nov 04, 2019 12:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: truckleehowe
I'm Spartacus .
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Re: truckleehowe
RenaissanceGuy wrote:That's the second track on "Forty Years of Irish Piping."
Seamus Ennis was a very entertaining storyteller. Some of the terms he uses here are rather obscure, though. An academic article by Lynnsey K. Weissenberger (who is also a fiddler and harpist) describes "truckly-how" as "the philosophical 'why' of the musical tradition." Source, page 4 of this document: https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/cgi/vie ... text=docam
I also recall him using a term "Sylvan Tunnel"
I always wondered what he meant, I seached up Truckly-how only to find "Truckley-Howl"
Sounds like he certainly had a strong intellect, the more I read up about him.
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Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of the flame.
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Re: truckleehowe
A road overarched by trees, I'd think. 'Sylvan' is not that obscure.I also recall him using a term "Sylvan Tunnel"
But it is not strange to see him used florid language if you realise he had some literary aspirations, as a translator (from Irish) of poetry and prose. Breathnach mentions 'felicitous translations' and perhaps his most widely read (and dreaded by generations of Irish schoolchildren) work is the translation of Peig Sayers autobbiography 'Peig'. But he also wrote prose, short stories as I understand it, although these went unpublished. Again, I have heard Breandán Breathnach refer to these, and he also referred to them in writing although I can't immediately located the article. From Breathnach's description I understood his work was florid and wordy, not a surprise if you heard Ennis' choice of words and phrases in his spoken language. And that is before we get to the dirty limericks Clancy and himself spend nights putting together.
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Re: truckleehowe
I've always assumed that Seamus got the idea from listening to Stanley Unwin.rorybbellows wrote:This guy and Seamus could be long lost cousins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UJZF5iRhNg
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Re: truckleehowe
Ah I see, never heard the term "Sylvan Tunnel" in these parts. However yes, very intriguing, he certainly did strike as being very intense and ornate, occasionally hard to follow or understand. I'm almost persuaded into thinking that he possessed some kind of ethereal knowledge that has since been lost. It's no wonder when people said he would often leave a big impression. No doubt his character was just as vibrant and passionate as his piping.Mr.Gumby wrote:A road overarched by trees, I'd think. 'Sylvan' is not that obscure.I also recall him using a term "Sylvan Tunnel"
But it is not strange to see him used florid language if you realise he had some literary aspirations, as a translator (from Irish) of poetry and prose. Breathnach mentions 'felicitous translations' and perhaps his most widely read (and dreaded by generations of Irish schoolchildren) work is the translation of Peig Sayers autobbiography 'Peig'. But he also wrote prose, short stories as I understand it, although these went unpublished. Again, I have heard Breandán Breathnach refer to these, and he also referred to them in writing although I can't immediately located the article. From Breathnach's description I understood his work was florid and wordy, not a surprise if you heard Ennis' choice of words and phrases in his spoken language. And that is before we get to the dirty limericks Clancy and himself spend nights putting together.
Interestingly, and unsurprisingly, it also appears that some may have found him a bit too intense, or cerebral.
The owner of the Ash Grove had reckoned an unaccompanied Séamus might be too much for his audience, and asked Country Al to help out.
We musicians are enemies by disposition, so treat every musician you happen to meet, accordingly.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of the flame.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of the flame.
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Re: truckleehowe
I have a similar tape of him doing a gig in New York around that time. Not sure it had much to do with intensity, more with the pipes not working very well and trying to make do and giving the audience something they're more used to, for feck's sake he was singing the Spinning Wheel and the Leaving of Liverpool and stuff like that. He was trying to make a living. Even today not many concert organisers would give a full gig to a solo piper, it takes a very specialised audience and those are few and far between.The owner of the Ash Grove had reckoned an unaccompanied Séamus might be too much for his audience, and asked Country Al to help out.
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Re: truckleehowe
rorybbellows wrote:Who ever thought gibberish could be an art form.
RORY
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We musicians are enemies by disposition, so treat every musician you happen to meet, accordingly.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of the flame.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of the flame.
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- Location: Alberta Canada
Re: truckleehowe
Mr.Gumby wrote:I have a similar tape of him doing a gig in New York around that time. Not sure it had much to do with intensity, more with the pipes not working very well and trying to make do and giving the audience something they're more used to, for feck's sake he was singing the Spinning Wheel and the Leaving of Liverpool and stuff like that. He was trying to make a living. Even today not many concert organisers would give a full gig to a solo piper, it takes a very specialised audience and those are few and far between.The owner of the Ash Grove had reckoned an unaccompanied Séamus might be too much for his audience, and asked Country Al to help out.
That makes more sense, different climate for the instrument too.
We musicians are enemies by disposition, so treat every musician you happen to meet, accordingly.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of the flame.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of the flame.
- myles
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Re: truckleehowe
A definite touch of the stage about Ennis, but then again pipers were always entertainers - all those 19th century and earlier descriptions of concerts including animal impressions / human voice impressions / big set piece tunes come to mind. The emigre community in America understood this tradition very well - look at all those now-forgotten vaudeville pipers Nick Whitmer has researched, all respected musicians in their time.for feck's sake he was singing the Spinning Wheel and the Leaving of Liverpool and stuff like that. He was trying to make a living.
I think we think of having an 'act' alongside the music as a bit undignified these days but I'm not sure previous generations thought the same way.
I also think Ennis was having a bit of fun with his audience as well - the joke was on them.
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Re: truckleehowe
Some of Séamus's folkloric storytelling flourishes couldn't have been meant to take literally.
For example, there's a recording of him playing a couple jigs, including Port an Bráthair. He explains that the title means The Reverend Brother's Jig... "in the language of the Saxon." Saxon??
For example, there's a recording of him playing a couple jigs, including Port an Bráthair. He explains that the title means The Reverend Brother's Jig... "in the language of the Saxon." Saxon??