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Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?

22 Jun 01 - 03:24 PM (#489893)
Subject: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: GUEST,Undine

Hello all. I hope you can recommend some good recordings of Scottish mouth music (besides the group "Mouth Music", of course). I love to listen to this, but I've not found much of it recorded by itself, only bits and pieces on various Celtic music cds. Any suggestions?

22 Jun 01 - 03:27 PM (#489898)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: GUEST,Undine

oh yes, I forgot to ask, can someone guide me in the Gaidhlig (?) pronunciation of "puirt a beul"?

23 Jun 01 - 03:43 PM (#490471)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: GUEST

janet Russell includes some mouth music on her CD 'Bright shiny morning?'

23 Jun 01 - 04:00 PM (#490478)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: hesperis

Uh... what is it?

23 Jun 01 - 04:47 PM (#490510)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: Brían

There is a recording called Celtic Mouth Music by Ellipsis Arts (CD4070)featuring scottish, irish and french mouth music. there's a rather nice discography in the back. I can't help you with the pronounciation. I don't speak any scotch gaelic.

Brían.

23 Jun 01 - 09:00 PM (#490638)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: Helen

The Scottish harp duo called Sileas, i.e. Mary McMaster and Patsy Seddon, do some mouth music on their CD's.

Helen

23 Jun 01 - 10:07 PM (#490653)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca

"Poo-rst ah bale"

24 Jun 01 - 09:44 AM (#490781)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: GUEST

hesperis; if you mean what is mouth music, i suppose it's 'nonsense' stuff, sung for the pleasure of it. someone else may have a better definition.

24 Jun 01 - 09:56 AM (#490784)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: Brían

Mouth music is generally is nonsense words or syllables sung by unaccompanied voice to dance tunes. It is sometimes called lilting or diddling. It is sometimes used to accompany dancers when musicians are't present. the songs are usually comical. The usually add a lift to a musical gathering. Brían.

24 Jun 01 - 10:48 AM (#490808)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: Malcolm Douglas

The subject comes up here from time to time.  Here are a few of those previous discussions which include further information and useful links:

Mouth Music or any Gaelic songs
Mouth tunes
Song Style?
Lilting
mouth music

Be warned, though; some posts repeat the myth that the Wicked English somehow contrived to ban all sorts of musical instruments in Scotland, most particularly the bagpipes.  Never happened, though it's true that local Scottish clergymen (both Catholic and Protestant) sometimes blackmailed their flocks into giving up "the devil's music".  Of course, mouth-music is not peculiar to the "Celtic" nations, being known in almost every traditional culture.

So far as recordings are concerned, I'd particularly mention the School of Scottish Studies'  Scottish Tradition  series, which includes a lot of Gaelic material recorded from traditional singers.

Malcolm

24 Jun 01 - 10:53 AM (#490812)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: hesperis

Ah! Thanks for the explanation, folks.

24 Jun 01 - 02:11 PM (#490884)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: GUEST,Undine

Thanks to you all for the suggestions...however, I hadn't known that mouth music was merely nonsensical syllables being sung in rapid, repetitive fashion...had thought there were actual words being sung. I'll check out the links George (thank you, George) provided, but if anyone knows of anything else about the singing itself (i.e., history, occurrence in other cultures), please expound. most grateful, -u

24 Jun 01 - 02:53 PM (#490908)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: GUEST,Undine

oops...links by Malcolm (sorry, Malcolm)! -u

25 Jun 01 - 01:49 PM (#491543)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: Peter Kasin

Second the motion on the School of Scottish Studies recordings. A tremendous project spanning over 40 years, recording traditional singers and instrumentalists, and those recordings are readily available to the public.

Another excellent CD of Gaelic singing that contains some mouth music is Catherine-Ann MacPhee, "Canan Nan Gaidheal." A powerful singer and great selection of songs.

-chanteyranger

25 Jun 01 - 02:28 PM (#491572)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: GUEST

Undine; I do think that some of the recordings do have set words, but it's the sounds that are important, not the meaning.

25 Jun 01 - 04:23 PM (#491645)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca

I beg to differ. Most of the puirt that I am familiar with are NOT nonsense syllables.

However, the words are real in most cases, but the sentence doesn't make much sense.

For a few of them, look at my web-page on puirt. It's near the bottom of the Gaelic Songs Page

25 Jun 01 - 04:24 PM (#491647)
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Mouth Music cds?
From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca

The only one which has a nearly totally nonsense chorus is Bodachan a Mhirein.