History of whistle in ITM
- buskerSean
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History of whistle in ITM
Sure this has been covered before, but couldn't get search to work.
What is the history of the tin whistle in ITM? All the old pics are pipes, flute, fiddle etc. I'm thinking early C20, when the whistle as we know it was mass produced for the 1st time?
What is the history of the tin whistle in ITM? All the old pics are pipes, flute, fiddle etc. I'm thinking early C20, when the whistle as we know it was mass produced for the 1st time?
- Mr.Gumby
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Whistles, more or less, as we know them were around from the latter part of the 19th century. Ofcourse bone whistles etc have been found dating back as far as viking Dublin.
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- pancelticpiper
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
There's an old attitude I ran into fairly often, when I first started playing Irish music back in the 70s, that the whistle was a beginner's or child's instrument, and that if someone showed musical promise they would 'graduate' onto a 'serious' instrument such as flute, pipes, fiddle, or box.
It's why practically all of the old trad guys could knock out a tune on the whistle, even if they hadn't touched one in decades: it's what they started out on.
I've often heard The Chieftans given credit for elevating 'the lowly whistle' to a concert instrument. (Ironic because their whistleplayer, Sean Potts, was a piper.)
How long have whistles as we know them been around? There were mass-produced inexpensive whistles widely available in the 19th century, that we know.
The feadan shows up in ancient literature and 13th century bone whistles were excavated in Dublin (with two holes, evidently like a Tabor Pipe).
It's why practically all of the old trad guys could knock out a tune on the whistle, even if they hadn't touched one in decades: it's what they started out on.
I've often heard The Chieftans given credit for elevating 'the lowly whistle' to a concert instrument. (Ironic because their whistleplayer, Sean Potts, was a piper.)
How long have whistles as we know them been around? There were mass-produced inexpensive whistles widely available in the 19th century, that we know.
The feadan shows up in ancient literature and 13th century bone whistles were excavated in Dublin (with two holes, evidently like a Tabor Pipe).
Richard Cook
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
c1980 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle
- MTGuru
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Henry Mayhew's description of Whistling Billy (the fellow on the Clarke whistle) in his 1856 work, London Labour and the London Poor, gives a good idea of the use of mass-produced tin whistles as they became available (and affordable) in the mid 19th century in the UK.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fIoB ... &q&f=false
[ Thanks again to Hoopy Mike for finding the online source. ]
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fIoB ... &q&f=false
[ Thanks again to Hoopy Mike for finding the online source. ]
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- Steve Bliven
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Your photos Mr. Gumby?
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Best wishes.
Steve
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- MTGuru
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Yep. It's a bit risky to impose rigid modern distinctions we sometimes like to make between different trad musics - Irish, Scottish, English, American, etc. Even folk musicians don't live in little boxes; there's always been a flow between them of both music and instruments. And the late 19th / early 20th century seems to have been an especially fertile period for exchanges.Mr.Gumby wrote:Not all necessarily playing Irish music though
I imagine there were Irish Whistling Billys as well. And at least historically, it's possible to talk about music of the UK or the British Isles to include Irish trad without running afoul of politics.
He's been at it a long time. Mr. Gumby, stealing souls since ...Steve Bliven wrote:Your photos Mr. Gumby?
Vivat diabolus in musica! MTGuru's (old) GG Clips / Blackbird Clips
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
- Mr.Gumby
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Not quite since Victorian times though.He's been at it a long time. Mr. Gumby, stealing souls since ...
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- Steve Bliven
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
He's been at it a long time. Mr. Gumby, stealing souls since ...
Victoria Beckham's not that old is she?Mr.Gumby wrote:Not quite since Victorian times though.
Best wishes.
Steve
Live your life so that, if it was a book, Florida would ban it.
- buskerSean
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Thanx all. That 'pirate club' pic is just gr8
- MTGuru
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Boxing, booze, guns, and fist-sized rocks. What could possibly go wrong?buskerSean wrote:That 'pirate club' pic is just gr8
Vivat diabolus in musica! MTGuru's (old) GG Clips / Blackbird Clips
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
- Nanohedron
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Somebody pulls out an accordion.
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- jemtheflute
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
The banjo hadn't arrived yet......
I respect people's privilege to hold their beliefs, whatever those may be (within reason), but respect the beliefs themselves? You gotta be kidding!
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Re: History of whistle in ITM
Below is a clickable thumbnail of the whistle that belonged to my great-grandfather. My grandfather was born in 1899, so I'd think this whistle was probably made sometime before then, but we really don't know anything else about it. The $10 is shown for scale. The fipple is lead. It plays very soft and sweet -- key of C, which you can see stamped on the barrel. It's a brass tube.
In the case of Scottish Highlanders it's impossible to know, because the word for bagpipe practice chanter is the same as the word for whistle in Scots Gaelic.
In the case of Scottish Highlanders it's impossible to know, because the word for bagpipe practice chanter is the same as the word for whistle in Scots Gaelic.