Irish music is simply about...

Subject: Irish music is simply about...
From: GUEST,Don
Date: 16 Feb 02 - 06:26 PM

In melody it sometimes sounds oriental but the quick driving tunes do have a repeatitious energetic impetus that has a quality of biological intertia.

The words deal with 3 topics alone.

Drinkin, screwin and fightin. Romance is generally found between fightin and specificly sandwiched between drinkin and screwin.

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Feb 02 - 06:43 PM

"biological intertia"?

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: artbrooks
Date: 16 Feb 02 - 06:44 PM

GUEST.Don, I think you need to listen to a wider selection of Irish music.

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: InOBU
Date: 16 Feb 02 - 07:06 PM

I would sugest you listen to a rather wonderful band called Sorcha Dorcha. Topics of the songs include, the firefighters of Engine 33, Ladder 9 killed in the trade center, the murder of Amadou Diallo, forced assimilation of Canadian Natives, discrimination against Roma (Gypsy), They don't do a lot of what you describe, and are remarkably good at what they do...
Larry

Boingggg, the plugomatic strikes again...

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: Kaleea
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:56 AM

According to the circuit preacher in my mother's hometown deep in the heart of the "Bible belt" (he was babtist) Irish music is all about sin, and if one plays or sings the music, one will be going to the saloon for the sole purpose of drinking, dancing & sinning. Therefore the preacher did not allow Irish music in any form whatsoever in the town, nor did he allow dancing at all whatsoever. Thus, when he removed the music & dancing, any other Irish traditions were tossed aside and long forgotten, so as to insure safe passage to heaven. My Grandad did, however, manage to play some jigs & reels on his harmonica, and once, when she was still in her early sixties, I remember Granny danced a jig for us as Grandad played on his harmonica. This was after the Methodist minister came to town!

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: The Pooka
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 02:04 AM

Don, I'm a Clancys/Makem era guy but even *I* know *that* ain't so. In fact so did the ould Clancys & Makem & Dubliners & Irish Rovers etc. & even the Wolfetones (!) & all those guys; and their work covered a pretty broad subject-matter spectrum even back in the day. AND, even if THEY sometimes hyped the faux-macho image you portray, which they sometimes did. And for loftier oldies that don't fill your bill at all, at all--ever hear The Chieftains? Now Irish & other Celtic music as it has cintinued to evolve down to *today* --- well, both lyrically & melodically it's even farther removed from your premise.

Oh, sure, there's *some* basis for most stereotypes including this one---stereotypes (just *generally* speaking here, yknow :) don't arise out of nothing at all---but leave us not overexaggerate, OK? (Yes, let us exaggerate *just enough*:)

Oh an' by the by, b'ye, whaddaya mean, "screwin"? Ain't no **screwin**! Too dam' graphic. Needs subtlety, indirection, nuance. Love.

I know a valley fair
Eileen Aroon
I know a cottage there
Eileen Aroon
Far in that valley's shade
I know a tender maid
Flower of the hazel glade
Eileen Aroon.

Who in the song so sweet
Eileen Aroon
Who in the dance so fleet
Eileen Aroon
Dear are her charms to me
Dearer her laughter free
Dearest her constancy
Eileen Aroon.

Were she no longer true
Eileen Aroon
What would her lover do
Eileen Aroon
Fly with a broken chain
Far o'er the sounding main
Never to love again
Eileen Aroon.

Youth will in time decay
Eileen Aroon
Beauty must fade away
Eileen Aroon
Castles are sacked in war
Chieftains are scattered far
Truth is a fixed star
Eileen Aroon.

"Romance...specificly sandwiched in between drinkin and screwin" ?

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: Amergin
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 02:16 AM

Lorcan! You crack me up!

But then, I agree with you!

Do not forget Dan Milner, Seamus Kennedy and so many others...

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 03:04 AM

Irish music is not simple. For a start, there are a number of very strong song and instrumental traditions, which is to say there is a great deal of VARIETY and COMPLEXITY in the music.

Within the song tradition, there are songs from 400 years ago and songs from 4 days ago, fast and slow, sad and joyous and sly and rebellious and reverent and other things as well; some in major, minor, mixolydian and scales the Greeks never conceived... and then there are songs in English and Gaelic and a bit of both sometimes with Classical touches thrown in on purpose and at random.

Like the songs, the tunes come in all scales and speeds in forms from Scotland, England and the Continent as well as native Irish and few of the instruments they're played on are Irish at all.

In general, I would not start a sentence about Irish music saying that it was "simply" anything.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 04:15 AM

"songs from 4 days ago" - things must be slowing down if it's as long ago as thta.

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:17 PM

...and it's been said that once you've heard one Irish dance tune, you've heard them both...

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: GUEST,Priscila
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 12:46 PM

This reminds me of an exchange I had with an Irish-American friend a few years back. He was always making sheep remarks to me (me being of Scottish descent). If there was a sick sheep joke out there, believe he, he told it to me! Well, one day after yet another sheep comment, I said to him, "Hey Pat, ever notice how often the Irish sing about their mothers? I dunno, man... That sounds kind of weird to me!" I never heard another sheep joke from him.

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: The Celtic Bard
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 02:43 PM

I agree with Dan. There is nothing simple about Irish music.

Don, I think you need to listen to a lot more Irish music.

When I organized my Irish songbook into categories, I came up with 32 categories. My songbook is 272 pages. That's barely scratching the surface in the world of Irish music!

Come back in a couple years then you can possibly tell us again what you think Irish music is.

Rebecca <><

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: The Pooka
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 04:12 PM

Guest Priscila - LOL! - O so it's t'be Scottish Sheep & Irish Mothers izzit? [THREADDRIFT WATCH] Couldn't you just've told him "Bah!"? Nah. "I majored in animal husbandry. Until they caught me at it." -Woody Allen [THREADDRIFT WARNING!] Yeah well it ain't just us Hibernians 'n' Hebrideans; it's them Ancient Greeks too, & guilty on both counts. [THREADRIFT ALERT!!!] I can't present the first indictment right now 'cause my search engine's gone to sheep; but here's the irrefutable proof of the second:

Oedipux Rex
by Tom Lehrer

From the Bible to the popular song,
There's one theme that we find right along;
Of all ideals they hail as good,
The most sublime is motherhood.

There was a man though, who it seems,
Once carried this ideal to extremes.
He loved his mother and she loved him,
And yet his story is rather grim....
************************************

There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex,
You may have heard about his odd complex.
His name appears in Freud's index
'Cause he loved his mother.

His rivals used to say quite a bit
That as a monarch he was most unfit.
But still in all they had to admit
That he loved his mother.

Yes, he loved his mother like no other,
His daughter was his sister and his son was his brother.
One thing on which you can depend is,

He sure knew who a boy's best friend is.

When he found what he had done,
He tore his eyes out, one by one.
A tragic end to a loyal son
Who loved his mother.

So be sweet and kind to mother,
Now and then have a chat,
Buy her candy or some flowers
Or a brand new hat,

But maybe you had better let it go at that

Or you may find yourself with a quite complex complex
And you may end up like old Oedipus -
I'd rather marry a duck-billed platypus -
Than to end up like old Oedipus Rex.

Subject: RE: Irish music is simply about...
From: little john cameron
Date: 17 Feb 02 - 06:37 PM

Whit a bunch o' crap!!! Can ye no' tell when ye're bein wound up? ljc