Music of Ireland
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Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the entire island of Ireland, North and South of the border.
The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th into the 21st centuries, despite globalising cultural forces. In spite of emigration and a well-developed connection to music influences from Britain and the United States, Irish music has kept many of its traditional aspects and has itself influenced many forms of music, such as country and roots music in the USA, which in turn have had some influence on modern rock music. It has occasionally been fused with rock and roll, punk rock and other genres. Some of these fusion artists have attained mainstream success, at home and abroad.
In recent decades Irish music in many different genres has been very successful internationally. However, the most successful genres have been rock, popular and traditional fusion, with groups such as Westlife, Thin Lizzy, The Pogues, The Corrs, The Chieftains, Enya, Riverdance, Boyzone, Van Morrison and U2 achieving success nationally and internationally.
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[edit] Traditional music
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In the seventeenth century harp musicians were patronised by the aristocracy in Ireland. This died out in the eighteenth century. Turlough Carolan (1670 - 1738) was the most famous,[1][2] and over 200 of his compositions are known. He wrote in a baroque style that is usually classified as classical music, but is played by many folk musicians today. Edward Bunting collected some of the last-known harp tunes at the Belfast Harp Festival in 1792. Other important collectors include Francis O'Neill[3] and George Petrie.
Irish dance music at weddings and saint's days would have included reels (4/4), hornpipes and jigs (the common double jig is in 6/8 time).[4] The polka arrived at the start of the nineteenth century, spread by itinerant dancing masters and mercenary soldiers, returning from Europe.[5] Set dancing may have arrived in the eighteeenth century.[6] Later imported dance-signatures include the mazurka and the highlands (a sort of Irished version of the Scottish strathspey).[7] In the nineteenth century folk instruments would have included the flute the fiddle and the uilleann pipes.
By the start of the twentieth century the button accordion and the concertina were becoming common.[8] Irish stepdance was performed at ceilis, organised competitions and at some country houses where local and itinerant musicians were welcome. [9] Irish dancing was supported by the educational system and patriotic organisations. An older style of singing called sean-nós ("in the old style"), which is a form of traditional Irish singing was still found, mainly for very poetic songs in the Irish language.[10] From 1850 to 1918 over one million Irish emigrated to the USA, creating a Celtic diaspora in Chicago (see Francis O'Neill), Boston, New York and other cities. Irish musicians who were successful in the USA made recordings which found their way around the world and re-invigorated musical styles back in the homeland. [11]
The 1960s saw the emergence of The Dubliners and The Chieftains.
[edit] Classical music in Ireland
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Classical music in Ireland has produced a number of composers including Thomas Moore and Turlough Ó Carolan. John Field, who lived in the early Romantic era has been credited with the creation of the nocturne form, later developed by the young Frédéric Chopin. Charles Villiers Stanford achieved great success in England in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but invariably success for composers has come mainly outside of the Irish state. Today, the best-known living Irish composer is Gerald Barry whose operatic works have been particularly successful in the UK and Europe.[citation needed]
Performers of classical music of note include the concert flautist Sir James Galway and pianist Barry Douglas. Douglas achieved fame in 1986 by claiming the International Tchaikovsky Competition gold medal. Singers Bernadette Greevy and Ann Murray have also had success internationally.[citation needed]
Choral music in Ireland has produced Anúna, known for their contribution to Riverdance in the early 1990s. They have also been nominated for a Classical Brit Award in the UK and were invited to give the first ever Irish Prom at the BBC Proms series in the Royal Albert Hall in 1999.
[edit] Popular music
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Traditional music played a part in Irish popular music later in the century, with Van Morrison, Hothouse Flowers and Sinéad O'Connor using traditional elements in popular songs. Enya achieved international success with New Age/Celtic fusions. The Pogues, led by Shane MacGowan, helped fuse Irish folk with punk rock to some success beginning in the 1980s, while the Afro-Celt Sound System achieved fame adding West African influences and drum n bass in the 1990s.
In the 1980s, Irish rock bands U2, The Boomtown Rats and The Undertones. Punk rock entered Ireland in full in the late 1970s, and flowered in the following decade with performers like Gavin Friday, Bob Geldof, and Stiff Little Fingers. Later in the 80s and into the 90s, Irish punk fractured into new styles of alternative rock, which included That Petrol Emotion, My Bloody Valentine and Ash.
In the 1990s, pop bands like the Corrs, B*Witched, Boyzone and The Cranberries emerged. In the same decade, Ireland also contributed a subgenre of folk metal known as Celtic metal with exponents of the genre including Cruachan, Geasa and Waylander.[12]
[edit] Top 5 biggest selling Irish acts of all time
| Irish acts | Sold | Genre | Years active | Notes |
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| 1. U2 | 170 Million + | Rock | 1976 - Present (31 Years) | [13] |
| 2. Enya | 75 Million + | New Age | 1986 - Present (22 Years) | [citation needed] |
| 3. Van Morrison | 55 Million + | Soul | 1967 - Present (40 Years) | [citation needed] |
| 4. The Cranberries | 45 Million + | Rock | 1990 - 2003 (13 Years) | [citation needed] |
| 5. The Corrs | 43 Million + | Pop | 1996 - Present (11 Years) | [citation needed] |
[edit] See also
- Celtic music
- Irish rebel music
- Irish traditional music session
- Traditional Irish Singing
- List of Irish musicians
- List of All-Ireland Champions
- List of Irish Music Collectors
- List of artists who reached number one in Ireland
- List of songs that reached number one on the Irish Dance Chart
- List of songs that reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart
- One Hit Wonders in Ireland
- Top selling singles and albums in Ireland
[edit] References
- Vallely, Fintan. "The Companion to Irish Traditional Music" Cork University Press, ISBN 1 85918 148 1
- Carson, Ciaran. Irish Traditional Music. Appletree Press ISBN 0-86281-168-6
- O'Connor, Nuala. "Dancing at the Virtual Crossroads". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 170-188. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Mathieson, Kenny. "Ireland". 2001. In Mathieson, Kenny (Ed.), Celtic music, pp. 10-53. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-623-8
- Carson, Ciaran. "Last Night's Fun", Jonathan Cape ISBN 0-224-04141-X
- Geoff Wallis and Sue Wilson "The Rough Guide to Irish Music" ISBN 1-85828-642-5
- Barra Boydell: Music and Paintings in the National Gallery of Ireland, 1985, ISBN 0-903162-22-9
[edit] Notes
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The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking. |
- ^ Sawyers, June Skinner (2002), The Complete Guide to Celtic Music, London: Aurum, p 28.
- ^ Yeats, Gráinne. The Rediscovery of Carolan. Harpspectrum.com. Retrieved on April 25, 2008.
- ^ Haggerty Bridget. Francis O'Neill - The Man Who Saved Our Music. Irishcultureandcustoms.com. Retrieved on April 25, 2008.
- ^ Whistle Workshop
- ^ Sawyers, June Skinner (2002), The Complete Guide to Celtic Music, London: Aurum, p 48-49.
- ^ Inside Ireland
- ^ Sawyers, June Skinner (2002), The Complete Guide to Celtic Music, London: Aurum, p 48.
- ^ Concertinas in Ireland
- ^ Country House music
- ^ Sean nos
- ^ Clarke, Gerry (2006), Oldtime Records Vol 1, Galway: Oldtime Records, Liner notes to CD.
- ^ Bowar, Chad. What Is Heavy Metal?. About.com. Retrieved on April 25, 2008.
- ^ Vallely, Paul. Bono: The Missionary. Independent.co.uk. Retrieved on April 25, 2008.
[edit] External links
- A History of Irish Music, by W. H. Flood
- Contemporary Music Centre, Dublin Ireland's national resource and archive centre for contemporary Irish classical music.
- Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann A global movement promoting Irish traditional music and culture
- TheSession.org an online tune database and discussion site for adherents of Irish Traditional Music
- IRMA.ie - The Irish Recorded Music Association
