Tag Archives: repertoire

The Longford Collector

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After the recent challenges of The Tarbolton Reel, the Improvers and Beyond class looked at the next reel in the Michael Coleman set, The Longford Collector.

This tune in G sits nicely on flutes and whistle and offers some scope for variation, particularly in the B part. There is not much known abut this tune, which is strongly associated with this set. There are a few variations on the title, and an account of how Michael Coleman gave it its current title on Alan Kuntz’s Tune Archive web site.

Some information on recordings of the tune can be found on Alan Ng’s site Irishtune.info, which puts the earliest source of the tune as 1936, when it was first recorded.

I have put resources for this tune and The Sailor’s Bonnet up on the Resources page for this year.

Photo: Summer sky in Longford, Ireland by Paul Wilson, some rights reserved.

An Dro: a Breton dance

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The Slow and Steady class have been enjoying Breton tunes lately and this tune is a nice contrast to the recent Gavotte Ton Double. In keeping with many Breton tunes, this one has no title other than An Dro, which simply translates as The Dance, in other words it is the principal dance form of Brittany.

I found this tune in Dave Shepherd’s Breton Tune Book. There is a discussion of Breton tunes, their titles and a useful list of links on The Session web site.

Music and notation for this tune are up on the Resources page.

Update: Here’s a version of the recent Gavotte, played by Mulberry Bend, who are Susanna Carman & Karl Farren. This replaces the mistakenly placed previous clip, which was not the right tune at all. However, the set is from the playing of Kevin Burke and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill:

And here’s Breton band Barzaz, who arose in discussion. The flute player is Jean-Michel Veillon:

Photo: le musique adoecit les mars by Rachel, some rights reserved.

Another Donegal Highland

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Last night the Improvers and Beyond class learned Charlie O’Neill’s No.2, the third and final tune of a set comprising a strathspey and two Donegal highlands. The other tunes are Bidh Eoin and Charlie O’Neill’s No. 1.

The version of the tune I play has come from the playing of regular musical partner Cathy Sharp in Edinburgh sessions and it is a little different from ones I have come across online. Versions have been recorded by Altan and by Cran, that I am aware of. Cran call it Charlie O’Neill’s and I have added the number to distinguish it from the other Charlie O’Neill’s we learned. It may be that both tunes are also known by other titles.

See the Resources page for the music.

Cathy learned it in Donegal, where there are many fiddle workshops and events that reflect the dominance of the instrument in that area. Flutes barely feature at all, although the late Frankie Kennedy was part of Altan for many years and has a festival in his honour.

The Donegal highland is related to the music of Scotland, in particular that of the west coast, where that have been strong cultural links over the centuries. If you’re looking around for examples of Donegal music, this site makes a good introduction and there is a good Wikipedia overview as well.

Photo of James Byrne in Glencolmcille by Rik Walton, some rights reserved.

 

Music from the Western Isles and beyond

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At last week’s class we discussed some aspects of Gaelic Mouth Music, psalm singing and Cape Breton fiddling in relation to some of the tunes we have been learning. This quick follow-up post is to share some related links.

Gaelic psalm singing

  • For some background on this unique singing style, there is an introduction at the Education Scotland website:

    Each line of the psalm is ‘put out’ by the precentor or leader. The congregation then joins in gradually and slowly sings those words, but with varying degrees of ornamentation and at varying speeds. Although each singer is singing the same tune, the effect is of a continuous sound with different chordal effects being created. This is known as heterophony.

    Although the music sounds very complicated, the roots of the melodies being sung lie in straightforward Scottish metrical psalm tunes.

  • Gaelic psalms at Back Free Church, Isle Of Lewis- 20/21/oct/2003:
  • The clip is from the church in this recording, Salm vol 2 which the text in the link describes as:

    the congregation singing unrehearsed, unaccompanied Psalms with various precentors.

    This is traditional Gaelic psalm singing in the style of free heterophony – precentor-led singing with the congregation following through. Various precentors lead a large congregation in the most popular psalms.

  • The many field recordings at Tobar an Dualchais/ Kist o Riches website includes this anonymous recording of Salm 133.

Mouth Music

  • We have looked at music associated with Mouth Music a little before. Here’s an example in strathspey time, similar to the Bidh Eoin and the Donegal Highlands we are looking at. Air Do Shlàinte Mhàiri an Dotair is sung by Annie Arnott and was recorded by the great archivist Hamish Henderson.

Cape Breton fiddle

    • We talked about the relationship between the fiddle styles of Cape Breton, the west of Scotland and the type of swing we are trying to put into our playing as flute players. I mentioned Winston “Scotty” Fitzgerald as someone to look out for and there are some related clips on Youtube, but it can also be seen in the opening strathspey by left-handed fiddler  Kimberly Fraser  in this set, accompanied by Mark Simos on guitar.

Highlands

  • Here’s a clip of Duncan Chisolm to compare, playing a strathspey followed by Scottish and Irish reels:

Donegal

  • And here are some links to Donegal. First some fine fiddling from Glencolmcille. The tunes are Casey’s Pig (The Duke of Gordon’s Birthday) and Miss McLeod of Raasay:
  • Here’s a Highland being danced:

Finally

  • Here’s a clip of flute player Calum Stewart astonishing performance of James Scott Skinner’s astonishing variations on Tullochgorum.

Photo from the Western Isles (CC) Kristian Dela Cour.

Border Gaitherin 2012 flute and whistle workshops

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This weekend sees the 10th anniversary of the Border Gaitherin at Coldstream and I’ll be running two flute and whistle workshops as part of the festival. One of these is for Absolute Beginners, the other for those developing their music on the instruments. I’ll also be taking part in the Tutor’s Concert on Sunday evening.

The festival runs 1st-3rd June. The workshops take place on Sunday 3rd of June. It’s a small, friendly festival on the Scottish Border with England just a stone’s throw away across the Tweed. Lots to do and see, with workshops and activities for musicians and non-musicians alike.

The Workshops

Beginners
For people new to the whistle or flute, this will provide an opportunity to learn the basics, from how to hold and sound the instrument to first notes, understanding notation and moving on to first tunes.

Developers
For those who have the basics already covered and are moving onto improving their technique and expanding their repertoire, this workshop will cover some different tune types from Scotland and Ireland and look at how phrasing and technique can be used to bring out the best of the tunes, regardless of experience.

I have been going to the Gaitherin at Coldstream for many years, for concerts, sessions and workshops as well as performances and more recently teaching. It’s one of my favourite places to go and I hope to see you there too!