LECTURE 3: Irish Folk Music (Part 2)

Irish Folk Music: Sean-nos Style Singing

'...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'.
Ó Canainn, Tomas (1993). Traditional Music in Ireland. Cork, Ireland: Ossian Publications Ltd.

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The following excerpt from my work in progress called Journey's of A Space Age Musician recounts the first time I walked into a remote pub in County Sligo, Ireland. I had come to Ireland to research the music and some of the origins of the bodhran, the Irish frame drum. This was also my first encounter with sean-nos singing.

"Bartender, a Guinness, please,” I called out, while noticing a haggard, lonely gent seated two stools over.

“Ah, a yank eh? Coming right up,” the bartender shot back.

I wondered if ‘yank’ carried any local connotations I should know about. However, everything seemed relaxed and casual. I glanced over to my left just as the old gent’s head rose a bit, but soon fell once again, this time missing the brim of the glass by a cat’s whisker. I couldn’t tell which suffered more, his wrinkled, tired face or his tattered coat. I settled into my stool and watched the bartender hold the glass at a three-quarter angle, coaxing the Guinness through the spout with his opposite hand. When the glass reached three-quarters full, he set it aside to let the thick foam head settle. About three minutes later, he topped off the glass, and used the last few drops from the spout to design the shape of a shamrock in the foam. When I took my first sip, I noted with surprise how much fuller and richer it tasted than the bottled Guinness I tried at Colin’s party. It also tasted bitter, which I knew would change after the taste buds sort things out, and then the murky brew slips down the craw with nary a hitch.

I settled atop my stool just as I heard a shuffling to my left. I looked over at the depleted looking gent who suddenly rustled to life as if a bucket of water landed on his head. He arched his back, raised his head, and looked forward. To my surprise, he broke into song with a nasally, gruff voice that projected throughout the room. Patrons stopped in mid sentence, casting their attention to the old man, while he sang. He sang in the old sean-nos solo style, which I recognized from listening to recordings back in the states. Sean-nos singers love slow, as if they never heard a fast melody in their lives. That gives them plenty of time to play with melody, adding heavy ornaments as they go. The old man sang about a boy’s longing for a girl named Mary who comes from Moorlough in the north of Ireland. Using vivid, natural imagery, the old man brought Moorlough to life in the room. He sang

The very first time I met my Moorlough Mary
Was in the market of sweet Strabane
Her smiling countenance was so engaging
The hearts of young men she did trepan
Her killing glances bereft my senses
Of peace and comfort both night and day
In my silent slumber I start with wonder
Oh Moorlough Mary won’t you come away.

To see this darling on a summer’s morning
When Flora’s fragrance bedecks the land
Her neat deportment and manners courteous
Around her sporting that lamb and fawn
On you I ponder where e’er I wander
And still grow fonder sweet maid of thee
By thy matchless charms I am enamoured
Oh Moorlough Mary won’t you come away

On Moorlough’s banks I will ever wander
Where the heifers graze on the pleasant soil
Where the lambkins sporting, fair maids resorting
The timorous hare and the blue heather bell
I will press my cheese while my wool’s a-teasing
My ewes I’ll milk at the peep of day
When the whirling moorcocks and larks alarm me
From Mourlough’s banks I will never stray.

Were I a man of great education
And Ireland’s nation at my command
I would lay my hand on her snowy shoulder
And in wedlocks portion I would take her hand
I would entertain her both night and morning
With robes I’d deck her both bright and gay
With jewels rare love I would adorn her
Oh Moorlough Mary won’t you come away.

Listen above to Paddy Tunney's version of "Moorlough Mary"

Compare the lyrics above to Tunney's lyrics. There are some differences between the two versions, which is a typical trait in folk song tradition. Consider a cover rock band that attempts to recreate an oldie as accurately as the original, especially the lyrics. In the folk song tradition it is typical for singers to alter the words, since there is no set standard for how it is to be sung. This is due to the nature of oral tradition. Sometimes singers forget lyrics and substitute something else. Sometimes they may adapt the lyrics to fit better into the time and place in which they are singing. It is still recognizable as the same song, but a different version of that song.

More about the Ballad Moorlough Mary

“Moorlough Mary” is a traditional ballad, which also carries the name “The Moorlough Shore.” Ballads are narratives set to music. They generally have no known authorship or composer. They often date back centuries. They are passed along orally from singer to singer and from generation to generation. Over time, a ballad can change name. The lyrics can vary as well, depending on a number of social, geographical, personal, and cultural factors.

Take a closer look at the lyrics and the gist of the story line. Basically, it is about the sadness of unrequited love, a theme omnipresent in music everywhere. The singer recalls meeting Mary in Strabane, and being stricken. He describes how lovely it is to see her. He wishes he had education so he could wed and entertain her. Having no hope of wedding her, he departs Moorlough's banks forever.

Note also the many references to the countryside and farming.What does this say about environment or where the songs originate? Historically speaking, Ireland has relied on farming for its subsistence. The Irish talk very seriously and passionately about their love for the land and the deep connections that exist. Roughly a hundred years ago or so, much of Ireland was still involved in farming and their local communities. In that setting Irish folk or traditional music was nurtured, especially in what the locals call the country house dances or kitchen dances. These were small gatherings of local farmers who came to eat, drink, play music and dance. These gatherings brought the community together. Matchmaking when on, songs were revived and passed along, stories were told and the latest news shared. Since then, Irish folk music as moved into the pubs and into the cities. It has also gained a worldwide audience as well.

More about What Sean-nos Singing is

Remember, folk songs get passed along from singer to singer and from generation to generation via the oral tradition. Imagine trying to remember a repertoire of fifty songs or so all having to be sung the same way with no variations whatever. In the oral tradition, it just does not happen that way. Singers forget lyrics and sometimes substitute their own. Names of characters in the ballads get changed as do the names of local hillsides or towns. Sometimes, folk singers change something because they think it improves the song. The reasons for varying a song are many, and understanding what those are and why they occur in a particular song tell much about the music, the singer, and the culture. Remember, music reflects culture. It is one of the themes of the course.

With that in mind, consider more about what sean-nos singing is about. First, it is found widely throughout Ireland. It was originally sung by a solo vocalist in Gaelic, the native language of Ireland. Often today, Sean-nos is sung in English. The style (the way in which it is performed) can vary anywhere from the use of little to a lot of ornaments being used by the singer.

Sean nos betrays some of the following characteristics:

Highly ornamented where the voice is placed near the top of the range
The timber of the voice has a nasal quality
One syllable in a word can be sung to several notes. The term for this is called melisma.
Very long extended phrases
The ending of some songs by speaking the finishing line instead of singing it
Varying the melody in each verse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean-n%C3%B3s_song Links to an external site.