Fairies and Irish Music

Subject: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Alan Woods
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 03:13 PM

Hello

I'm looking for information on songs or tunes that have an association with the fairies.

Even just song names or tunes names will be great to give me a start.

Any information regarding the story of the fairies link to particular tunes and songs will be greatly appreciated.

Actually any information you want to throw in about fairies in the Irish tradition will be gladly accepted.

Thanks
Alan

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Jack Campin
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 03:22 PM

There are probably more in Shetland tradition - I have ABCs for a bunch of them on my website. Trowies/trolls are a big deal in Scandinavian culture.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,grumpy
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 03:28 PM

http://www.fourcourtspress.ie/product.php?intProductID=1116

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,oldtimer
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 03:31 PM

Reel fairies or the others ?

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 03:33 PM

from Ireland, Si Bheag Si Mhor, one of O' Carolan's most popular tunes, there have also been words put to it... there's an older thread on it...

www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/irish-songs...lyrics/irish-lyrics.../fairy_hills.p...‎Cached

Similar Irish Song Lyrics from www.traditionalmusic.co.uk. FAIRY HILLS (To the tune of " Si Bheag Si Mhor"). Long long ago in this ancient land. A battle took place ...

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 03:34 PM

I would be hard to beat the Otherworld book linked in the post above but in addition you may want to hear the story and tune of Junior Crehan and the Luthrada, Séamus Ennis and his Gold ring, Fairies hornpipe and Pinch of snuff. Recording of story and music of all of those are knocking about. Plenty of others as well I suppose.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 03:35 PM

That should have been Luthradán, sorry about that.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 04:40 PM

The tune King of the Fairies.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: The Sandman
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 04:55 PM

Feaeries hornpipe, THE BANSHEE,reel.lilting banshee, jig.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 06:12 PM

In O'Neill's Music of Ireland there's an interesting tune called 'The Fairy Boy.' You can find it on JC's Tunefinder. (website)

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 06:32 PM

I found this site, where you can download O'Neill's as a PDF. So I did, and then I searched it for 'fairy.' That turned up these:

fairy boy
fairy queen
fairy cobbler
fairy rath (fort)

'Elf' and 'leprechaun' weren't found.

Here's the URL for the site:

http://www.guitarnut.com/folktablature/oneills/index.html

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 06:37 PM

You might find more by searching in the 'Lyrics and Knowledge' box on this page for likely key words such as fairy, magic, spell, etc.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,michaelr
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 06:41 PM

"Tam Lin" is Scottish, but may apply.

W. B. Yeats poems on the subject that have been put to music include "The Song of Wandering Aengus", "The Stolen Child" and "The Host of the Air".

Then there's "Thomas the Rhymer" and Danny Carnahan's take on it, "True Thomas" as well as his "Loughrask".

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 08:49 PM

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33887/33887-h/33887-h.htm

FAIRY AND FOLK TALES OF THE
IRISH PEASANTRY. EDITED AND
SELECTED BY W. B. YEATS.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 13 - 09:22 PM

Irish Fairy Book. ed. A P Graves

Lots of fairies in this and the illustrations are excellent.

https://ia600301.us.archive.org/31/items/irishfairybook00gravrich/irishfairybook00gravrich.pdf

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Dec 13 - 01:09 AM

The False Knight on the Road
Sir/King Orpheo
Some of it's symbolically quite subtle. Neil Gow's daemon passed from his mother, a harper, but is sometimes presented as a fairy gift. Although that's a modern reference, I've seen older. Most revealing in the matter is the way the Scots - in True Thomas, for example - turn the Christian dogmatic binary State of Grace into a trinary by adding a "neither of the above" and transferring fiddling from a diabolical gift to a faerie one. Or was it the other way around? Fiddling only started within documented history, after the Crusades brought the rebec back, so there should be a trace of it happening. Was it a Victorian myth?

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 13 Dec 13 - 04:08 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnlZpRp5Yg0

The Dubliners fiddler playing the step-dance King of the Fairies.

~M~

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,SteveT
Date: 13 Dec 13 - 04:32 AM

If you're looking for a somewhat alternative approach, the Mt.Haemus lecture "Music and the Celtic Otherworld" might be worth a glance.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 13 Dec 13 - 06:09 AM

There was an excellent book called the New Policeman about the Gentry living amongst us and moving back in to their own realm. A family of musicians was involved and each chapter was headed by an appropriate tune. I can't recall the name of the author at the moment.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 13 Dec 13 - 06:14 AM

Here it is..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-New-Policeman-Trilogy/dp/0099456273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386932985&sr=8-1&keywords=the+new+police

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Dec 13 - 06:39 AM

"King Orfeo" is a Scandinavian adaptation of a French version of a Greek legend, no Irish connection in sight.

Anyone know when the fairies got added to it? There are none in the Greek source.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,Learaí na Láibe
Date: 13 Dec 13 - 06:19 PM

Port na bPúcaí

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QskJoxYApo

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,guest - Lin
Date: 14 Dec 13 - 02:46 AM

To Alan Woods:

American folk singer, Elaine Silver has many albums with songs about Fairies. I know she has been doing fairie songs for quite a long time.
She has her own website, just type in her name on Google.
"Elaine Silver" folk singer.

I think she is from Florida and performs in folk venues & festivals in the Florida area.

I believe you can hear some song samples from some of her albums at her website too.

Quite a lovely singer.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Dec 13 - 06:26 AM

Jack, a fuller discussion of the Irish roots of King Orpheo lie here, p49. It dates to the fifteenth century at the latest, and may have come into Scotland through Shetland from Denmark, which becomes redolent of the Maid of Norway's period.
The Breton influence at that time is not therefore French, but Cornish, and thence from Ireland.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,Jackie Boyce
Date: 14 Dec 13 - 07:27 AM

Hi Alan
I have a couple of poems, both have airs but sorry I don't have the them. 'John MacAnanty's Courtship' and 'MacAnanty, Fairy King of Scrabo Hill' (Co. Down) I will post them to you, are you still in Dublin 8.
Jackie

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,Hilary
Date: 14 Dec 13 - 04:13 PM

There's a "Sir Orfeo," a Middle English romance from the 14th century. That one includes the fairies. I'm not aware of there being any French versions, but that doesn't mean there isn't one.
A good tune is "The Fairy Reel," although this may actually be Scottish, not Irish.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 14 Dec 13 - 08:19 PM

Scotsman Carl Peterson, currently residing in Pennsylvania, USA, has recorded a CD entitled A Faerie Place with 18 tracks all about fairies. Some are old poems that he has set to music and quite a few are Trad.
1: The Fairies (W. Allingham, C. Peterson) 2: The Fairy Fiddler (N. Chesson, C. Peterson) 3: The Fairy Queen (O'Carolan) 4: Highland Fairy Lullaby (Trad.) 5: The We, Wee Man (Child #38, C. Peterson) 6: The Fairy Boys (S. Lover) 7: Sí Beag, Sí Mór (O'Carolan) 8: Thomas The Rhymer (Child #37) 9: The Fairy Ring (Trad.) 10: The Great Silkie (Child #181) 11: Monday, Tuesday (Trad.) 12: A Faery's Love Song (Trad.) 13: Paul's Little Hen (Trad.) 14: The Elfin Knight (Child #2) 15: The King Of The Fairies (Trad.) 16: Queen Of Elfin's Nurse (Child #40, C. Peterson) 17: What Must A Fairy's Dream Be (S. Foster) 18 Tam Lin (Child #39)
You can contact Carl and order the CD here

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,J
Date: 16 Dec 13 - 08:27 AM

The tune 'The Pinch of Snuff' has a backstory relating to fairies.

I heard a recording of Seamus Ennis telling it once but I can't remember the exact details of it now.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 16 Dec 13 - 09:16 AM

'I heard a recording of Seamus Ennis telling it once but I can't remember the exact details of it now.'

I mentioned that above, it's on Ennis' Leader recording (as are the Gold Ring and Fairies hornpipe, with similarly relevant stories tacked onto them)

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Dec 13 - 11:20 AM

The original poster has never come back. Too bad.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Alan Woods
Date: 16 Dec 13 - 12:58 PM

Hello

Thanks everybody for all the responses which have been great help.

.....
To Jackie.....great thanks, yeah I still live in Dublin 8.
Hoping to make it to the January Singing Session in Drumkeeran.
see ya then hopefully
........


Thanks again everybody
Alan

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Dec 13 - 11:00 AM

Hello, Alan. I'm glad to see you came back after all.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 18 Dec 13 - 12:49 AM

No doubt some clúrachán whispered in his ear & waved her wand to arouse his attention to the developments in his thread!

~M~

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Claire M
Date: 18 Dec 13 - 06:53 AM

Hiya,

There's some good stuff on Sacred Texts, & Mark Chadbourn does a great series w/ that type of thing in, even w/ Thomas The Rhymer in as a character, trapped in the Court of the Yearning ♥. He's characterised as a burnt-out hippie, lover of bluesy rock & general grumpy old git [*WHY* AREN'T YOU REAL?! NOT FAIR] Every chapter is a song title. Can "hear" songs as I read, which I love. I love the idea of being entranced by faerie music, ideally in a forest.

I thought "gentry" =/= upper-class??

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 18 Dec 13 - 07:20 AM

Gentry is used as a euphemism for the faery folk as you're not meant to use their name.

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 18 Dec 13 - 10:41 AM

Q: Is 'gentry' an abridgement of 'gentle folk' and is 'fairy' an abridgement of 'fair folk' - if so the two words would presumably be linked by meaning?

Subject: RE: Fairies and Irish Music
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Dec 13 - 03:52 PM

Probably not: "gens" in Late Mediaeval French is almost derogatory, the hoi-polloi, the tribe. The book derivation has the Latin fata, the Fates, becoming fae, genericised in French contemporary to that time as faerie, just as gens becomes genterie.