trebleclef528
May-05-2009, 8:28am
Hi
The term Celtic (which is pronounced KELTIC as mentioned on another thread) is widely used and often misused. Especially in musical terms it seems to have developed into a kind of "marketing" term.... however, a couple of years ago I asked nigel gatherer to write an article "WHAT IS CELTIC MUSIC".
It's interesting and makes a lot of sense especially considering the very complicated historical backgroud of "the Kelts"... so here is the article.....
What Is Celtic Music?
The term “Celtic Music” has problems, because it means different things to different people. To some it's a marketing label so that traditional music with roots in Ireland and Scotland can be found together in record shops and so on, and that's probably what most people understand by the term Celtic Music.
To others it's a bond between "seven nations", Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Isle of Man, Brittany, Cornwall and Galicia - the so-called Celtic fringes, where the original Celtic tribes penetrated and survived to an extent. Many actually believe that the music and people of these areas are descendents of a mythical, romantic race, and it can lead to ideas of pure-blood supremacy. The truth is that there is no music from the times when Celtic tribes existed as an entity, and every one of these areas are now made up of descendants from many ethnic origins. Scotland itself consists of people with origins as diverse as Pictish, Celtic, Scandinavian, Dutch, French, Welsh, English, Italian, Polish, Indian, Pakistani... and so on.
If we identify Celtic Music as music mainly from Ireland and Scotland, the reason for a unifying term is that the music of these two countries has much in common, and there are many shared tunes within each tradition. It is generally accepted, for example, that the reel originated in Scotland, and was enthusiastically absorbed into Irish dance and music; many of the old Irish reels have origins in Scotland. Also, because of the many collections of fiddle music which were published in Scotland from the 18th century, music arrived in this way too.
Travel and kinship between Scotland and Ireland over the centuries has resulted in a lot of exchange and cross- pollenation. It is said that at one time as much as a third of the population in Scotland's Central Lowlands had some Irish background, so with the waves of Irish immigrants came Irish culture. Today, towns such as Glasgow have a strong affinity with Irish music, while areas in Ireland such as Donegal have a strong affinity with Scottish music.
Celtic music has gone through various periods of fashion and disinterest. In 17th century England, for example, Scottish music became rather popular, and one of the first publications of printed music, Playford's collections, featured “Scotch” tunes.
In the 19th century, Scottish culture was of great interest in the Europe of the Romantic era, and novels, paintings, stories and music were eagerly consumed. Beethoven, Hayden and other composers set arrangements of traditional Scottish tunes. In a similar way, Irish culture has been exalted in the past 20 years, and you now have a huge interest in Irish music: Irish bars all over the world, even Irish sandwich shops! Irish music was shaken up in the early 1960s when musician Sean O'Riada started arranging Irish tune sets in a new way, which wasn't traditional, but was judged by listeners as enhancing the music.
Out of his ventures came The Chieftains, a group of traditional musicians who continued presenting the music in this new way, with multi-instrumental arrangements. They, and even more so in the 1970s with Irish folk groups such as The Bothy Band and Planxty, ensured an enormous rise in the popularity of Irish music.
Another thing which has contributed to the rise of Celtic music is the pub session. In the 1940s and 50s large numbers of Irish people came to London for work, mostly in the building trade. They congregated in certain bars, and a few became known for having Irish music.
This was the beginning of a phenomenon which slowly but surely spread around the world. You can now find Irish pub sessions just about anywhere, and it has also inspired many people to explore their own heritages, so you have English sessions, Scottish sessions, Klezmer, Cape Breton, etc. One of the reasons why so many people are keen to learn a musical instrument now, I believe, is because they see people having a session in a pub, and they feel like they want to join in. For this reason, Celtic music is enjoying a rose period.
Celtic Music as a term may not mean much as an ethnic identifier, but as a catch-all label for certain genres of folk music it is a fact of life, and as such it more easily understood than explained.
(by permission of Nigel Gatherer)
Trebleclef528
www.mandolinscotland.org
The term Celtic (which is pronounced KELTIC as mentioned on another thread) is widely used and often misused. Especially in musical terms it seems to have developed into a kind of "marketing" term.... however, a couple of years ago I asked nigel gatherer to write an article "WHAT IS CELTIC MUSIC".
It's interesting and makes a lot of sense especially considering the very complicated historical backgroud of "the Kelts"... so here is the article.....
What Is Celtic Music?
The term “Celtic Music” has problems, because it means different things to different people. To some it's a marketing label so that traditional music with roots in Ireland and Scotland can be found together in record shops and so on, and that's probably what most people understand by the term Celtic Music.
To others it's a bond between "seven nations", Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Isle of Man, Brittany, Cornwall and Galicia - the so-called Celtic fringes, where the original Celtic tribes penetrated and survived to an extent. Many actually believe that the music and people of these areas are descendents of a mythical, romantic race, and it can lead to ideas of pure-blood supremacy. The truth is that there is no music from the times when Celtic tribes existed as an entity, and every one of these areas are now made up of descendants from many ethnic origins. Scotland itself consists of people with origins as diverse as Pictish, Celtic, Scandinavian, Dutch, French, Welsh, English, Italian, Polish, Indian, Pakistani... and so on.
If we identify Celtic Music as music mainly from Ireland and Scotland, the reason for a unifying term is that the music of these two countries has much in common, and there are many shared tunes within each tradition. It is generally accepted, for example, that the reel originated in Scotland, and was enthusiastically absorbed into Irish dance and music; many of the old Irish reels have origins in Scotland. Also, because of the many collections of fiddle music which were published in Scotland from the 18th century, music arrived in this way too.
Travel and kinship between Scotland and Ireland over the centuries has resulted in a lot of exchange and cross- pollenation. It is said that at one time as much as a third of the population in Scotland's Central Lowlands had some Irish background, so with the waves of Irish immigrants came Irish culture. Today, towns such as Glasgow have a strong affinity with Irish music, while areas in Ireland such as Donegal have a strong affinity with Scottish music.
Celtic music has gone through various periods of fashion and disinterest. In 17th century England, for example, Scottish music became rather popular, and one of the first publications of printed music, Playford's collections, featured “Scotch” tunes.
In the 19th century, Scottish culture was of great interest in the Europe of the Romantic era, and novels, paintings, stories and music were eagerly consumed. Beethoven, Hayden and other composers set arrangements of traditional Scottish tunes. In a similar way, Irish culture has been exalted in the past 20 years, and you now have a huge interest in Irish music: Irish bars all over the world, even Irish sandwich shops! Irish music was shaken up in the early 1960s when musician Sean O'Riada started arranging Irish tune sets in a new way, which wasn't traditional, but was judged by listeners as enhancing the music.
Out of his ventures came The Chieftains, a group of traditional musicians who continued presenting the music in this new way, with multi-instrumental arrangements. They, and even more so in the 1970s with Irish folk groups such as The Bothy Band and Planxty, ensured an enormous rise in the popularity of Irish music.
Another thing which has contributed to the rise of Celtic music is the pub session. In the 1940s and 50s large numbers of Irish people came to London for work, mostly in the building trade. They congregated in certain bars, and a few became known for having Irish music.
This was the beginning of a phenomenon which slowly but surely spread around the world. You can now find Irish pub sessions just about anywhere, and it has also inspired many people to explore their own heritages, so you have English sessions, Scottish sessions, Klezmer, Cape Breton, etc. One of the reasons why so many people are keen to learn a musical instrument now, I believe, is because they see people having a session in a pub, and they feel like they want to join in. For this reason, Celtic music is enjoying a rose period.
Celtic Music as a term may not mean much as an ethnic identifier, but as a catch-all label for certain genres of folk music it is a fact of life, and as such it more easily understood than explained.
(by permission of Nigel Gatherer)
Trebleclef528
www.mandolinscotland.org