five types of Irish music on one page

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: Cruiser
Date: 23 Mar 06 - 10:44 PM

Whoops, I meant to say 2 or sometimes 3 staves (with 8 to 9 bars/measures each) per tune.

My copy is published by Waltons Manufacturng Ltd., 9 Parnell Square, Dublin. I purchased it from Mel Bay Publications, INC.

Ron

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Mar 06 - 04:21 PM

I wonder how many versions of O'Neill's are out there? Mine was published by Rock Chapel Press, a division of Shanachie Records. The music is so old-fashioned looking that I assume it is a facsimile of the original of 1903 (or some year around then.)

Cruiser, you say your songs have stanzas. My book doesn't have any lyrics at all. It has a section of wordless songs & airs in the front, but most of it is dance music. "1,850 airs, jigs, reels, hornpipes, long dances, marches, etc."

The cover of mine is yellow with green print, and the lettering is so frantically neo-Celtic that used to think that long dances were bong dances.

Where did your edition come from? How many songs does it have? Maybe I ought to buy it.

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: Cruiser
Date: 20 Mar 06 - 01:45 AM

Mr. Brennan,

Your compilation of O'Neill's tunes is outstanding. I will definitely help support your excellent site with a donation of $15.00 for the CD of the tunes…what a bargain.

I learned some of the tunes in my copy of "O'Neill's 1001 Jigs, Reels, Hornpipes, Airs and Marches; The Irish Music Collection" by playing them on my fiddle. The lack of ornamentation and improper notations that you acknowledged on your site caused me, over the years, to wonder if I really could read music when I attempted to follow the music notations from the book. Thanks for confirming that there are some errors with that notation. The sound files should help with the interpretation of the written music.

Your Knotting Site is equally interesting and impressive. One of my favorite books I own is the definitive "The Ashley Book of Knots" by Clifford W. Ashley. It has 7000 drawings representing over 3900 knots. I bet you own a copy also. I purchased my copy in the 1960s and the big book only cost me $14.92 back then (the cost tag is still on the book jacket). A visit to your website reminded me to spend more time with both books (O'Neill & Ashley) I have been neglecting for many years, mainly because of work. I recently retired so I can once again pick up my fiddle and fid!

Your efforts are very much appreciated and anyone that has not visited your 2 sites is missing a fantastic trip through the fading and slowly dying artistries of rare Irish music and knot tying. What a combination of talents you are fortunate to be capable of.

Thank you again for your extraordinary efforts sir.

Ron



leeneia: Thank you for starting this thread. I would have likely never found the Old Music Project site otherwise. BTW, my edition of O'Neill's has as many as 8 songs, arranged in 2 stanzas each, on one page.

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: GUEST,Old Music Project
Date: 19 Mar 06 - 11:50 PM

Well, thanks to all for the kind words. Another nice person who is on the forum sent me the URL for this thread and I must say, it restores my faith in why I did the (censored) thing in the first place.

Sumer Is Come: I've always wondered about that tune, but it's just as it is in my copy of O'Neill's... how should it be notated?

email me HERE and I'll add a corrected set.

We aim to please but shoot to kill.

The O'Neill's site
My Knotting Site

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Mar 06 - 05:58 PM

Yes, it's a valuable site. Although it uses Noteworthy Composer (which I have) I like to download the songs as MIDI's. Then I can change the sound on them.

For example, the first tune I downloaded used the synthetic fiddle sound, a sound I really dislike. I tried changing it to flute, but the change just wouldn't take. So I returned to the site and downloaded the tune as a MIDI, and then I could have my way with it.

I was disappointed when I downloaded a tune with complex timing (The Summer Is Come) and found the durations to be all whopperjawed. I was hoping to save myself the time it takes to enter such tunes. Such is life.

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: ard mhacha
Date: 19 Mar 06 - 06:23 AM

Leeneia, This must be one of the best resources for Irish music, many thanks.

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 Mar 06 - 02:25 PM

You're all very welcome. It's so nice to hear from people who like the music I like.

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: Gedpipes
Date: 18 Mar 06 - 11:29 AM

Good stuff Leeneia
All I want now is a decent reed!
Blue skies

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: jeffp
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 09:46 PM

Thanks a bunch. I've got it bookmarked.

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: Kaleea
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 12:31 PM

Leenia-Sure &, it's a terrific St. Pat's gift you & the folks at that site have given us today!

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: Paul Burke
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 11:51 AM

Thanks Leenia

Subject: RE: five types of Irish music on one page
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 11:18 AM

Here's the URL I promised.

http://www.oldmusicproject.com/oneils1.html

(I tried to make a blue clicky, but it didn't work.)

Subject: five types of Irish music on one page
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Mar 06 - 11:14 AM

From time to time, I get out my copy of "O'Neill's Music of Ireland" and open it to a random page to see what's on it. This time I had the good luck to turn to page 84. In my edition this is part of the Songs & Airs section, and it contains numbers 478 - 483.

The first one, The Fairies' Well, is a good one because the tune starts with a interesting set of chromatic notes. (Ignore the little run which is a mere pickup.) A lot of people think that Irish trad doesn't do this, but it does.

Next we have Let Us Be Drinking. The A part is nothing special, but the B part is really cute.

Then, The Goat's Song. It's a good F/Dm tune with a B part that's so Irish you can hardly believe it.

Next, George Gubbins' Delight, a good tune which looks like a reel. However, it's in the Songs section and it's marked "Slow." So try it that way. It's in the key of C. What do you think of the F# and G# in the B part?

Number 482 is The Summer is Come, a beautiful slow air. If you download this from the site I'm going to give you, and if you have a music-editing program, then you have to change the tempo from 120 to about 50 to have it sound right.

Finally, Sweet Molly Malone. The tune here is different from what I learned as a kid, and I like it better.

If you don't have the book, you can go to a nifty site whose URL I will post next and listen or download as you wish.