A wee favour / survey request

[michael c]

Hello,

I'm writing a short dissertation as part of an Irish degree. The dissertation relates to how Irish traditional music has changed in the last 50 years, compared with how it changed in the previous century. I'm looking for responses to a couple of questions in order to gague how different musicians regard these changes. I've included the questions below. If anyone would have a couple of minutes to give their views in Irish or English (the dissertation is in Irish), I'd be very grateful. The questions are shown below.

Many thanks,

Michael. (iflute@googlemail.com)



English Version:


“From 150 until 50 years ago Irish Traditional Music did undergo change and evolution but it is likely that a musician from the beginning of that period would have found little difficulty in playing with a musician from its end. The changes in the music over the last 50 years, however, mean that in some cases, that would not be the case for many musicians over the span of the last 5 decades.”

1) Do you agree with this statement?
2) Do you think that Irish Traditional music is in a better state than it was 50 or 150 years ago?



Leagan Gaeilge

“Ó Chéad bliain go leith ó shin go dtí caoga bliain ó shin, d’imir athruithe agus forbairt tionchar ar Cheol Traidisiúnta na hÉireann ach is dócha nach mbeadh deacrachtaí ró-mhór ag ceoltóirí ó thús na tréimhse sin ag iarraidh ceol a sheinm le ceoltóirí óna deireadh. De thoradh na n-athruithe a tharla maidir leis an cheol le caoga bliain anuas, áfach, ní bheadh sin fíor idir ceoltóirí ó thús agus ó dheireadh na linne seo a chuaigh thart”.


1) An aontaíonn tú leis an ráiteas seo thuas?
2) An gcreideann tú go bhfuil dóigh níos fearr ar Cheol Traidisiúnta na hÉireann inniu ná a bhíodh caoga bliain nó céad bliain is caoga ó shin?

[djm]

Are you looking for personal opinions, or are your requiring that anybody who answers you back it up with proof and academically acceptable references?

djm

[michael c]

Opinions are fine. The question of whether traditional music is in a better or worse state now than it was is fairly subjective so I'm not really looking for evidence, unless people want to provide it. I don't want anyone to spend too much of their time on the questions. I just want to get a feel for what people think.

Thanks again,

Michael.

[colomon]

I think the general idea of the statement is on the right track, but the time scale is all wrong. I think most musicians today would have no major problems (other than shear talent mismatch) playing with Michael Coleman in the 1920s.

But that would not necessarily be the case for other musicians of Coleman's generation. It was very instructive hearing Peter Horan (born 1926), Mike Rafferty (born 1926), and Marty O'Keefe (born sometime in the 1910s) in a short period of time last summer. Horan and Rafferty sound old-fashioned (a very good thing, IMO!) but are perfectly comprehensible to the modern ITM player. O'Keefe sounds like he comes from a different world.

In general, I think the music underwent a lot of changes from 1920-1950, and has been basically stable since 1950.

[rh]

sometimes i wonder if someone like Mrs Galvin would be appreciated if she were playing today.

[flutey1]

Dia duit,

I would love to answer in Irish, but unfortunately I've just started my second year of the language and would definitely not want to make you suffer through my attempt at this point so in English...

answer to 1: I do not completely agree with this statement. I do think that in terms of style (and maybe repertoire as well) more change has taken place in the last 50 years than in the 100 years previous to that. however, I think more change has taken place in the way the music is played (due to the rise in popularity of Ceili bands, changes in instruments and arrangements adopted from this side of the Atlantic, and O Riada's innovations), than in the music itself. In terms of repertoire and even style, musicians today might be able to play comfortably with Michael Coleman and his contemporaries, but I don't know that Coleman would recognize the format of many popular Irish music groups today, even ones that take much inspiration from him, such as Teada, mostly because the concept of arrangement is relatively new to the performance of Irish music.

answer to 2: I don't think a yes or no answer is possible. Certainly Irish music today is more widely appreciated, on both sides of the Atlantic. It's lost the association with poverty that the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem talked about having to overcome when they first started out. I can't really speak for how it is in Ireland, but it also seems to me that it has lost the close knit, social networks that kept local traditions alive in communities. Maybe the wider network of traditional musicians has replaced that, I don't know. I don't think that's it's worse off today, but it has changed (something many 'traditionalists' seem to resist). One of my favorite quotes that I think expresses this (you probably have encountered it): In Our Musical Heritage, Sean O’Riada said, “You might compare the progress of tradition in Ireland to the flow of a river. Foreign bodies may fall in, or be dropped in, or thrown in, but they do not divert the course of the river, nor do they stop it flowing; it absorbs them, carrying them with it as it flows onwards.”

anyways, sorry for my long-winded answer. let me know if it doesn't make sense one question for you - where are you doing your dissertation and would you be willing to send me a copy to read when you're done (in Irish is fine)? it sounds like a great topic!

cheers,
Sara

[Cathy Wilde]

I think the turning point was the inclusion of the woodblock in the ceili band. That changed everything.

OK, seriously, I'll think on that and see if, from my relative "newbie" American perspective I can say anything worthy of such a noble aim. (Highly doubtful, but sometimes miracles happen!).