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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Miami in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
A doctoral essay submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts
Approved: ________________ Donald Oglesby, D.M. Professor Vocal Performance ________________ Joshua Habermann, D.M.A. Associate Professor Vocal Performance _________________ Terri A. Scandura, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School
ROSSOW, STACIE LEE The Choral Music of Irish Composer Michael McGlynn. Abstract of a doctoral essay at the University of Miami. Doctoral essay supervised by Professor Donald Oglesby. No. of pages in text (271)
Michael McGlynn is predominantly known around the world for his choral music that reflects the traditional sounds of Ireland. The greater body of his compositions, however, fit into the contemporary choral genre and represent a sizable contribution to the choral music repertoire of Ireland. This essay begins with a discussion of McGlynns life and work. Extensive interviews and rehearsal comments with the composer regarding compositional process and performance practice were conducted and are included. The musical history of Ireland and details regarding the harmonic and rhythmic language specific to the vocal music of the country are included to provide background information for the reader. Song comparisons from various sources detail the living nature of Irelands traditional music. The Appendices contain a complete list of McGlynns works, a discography, IPA pronunciation guides for McGlynns Irish language compositions, reference scores for all compositions discussed, and programming details about Michael McGlynns most frequently performed choral compositions.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sincere gratitude to Michael McGlynn for his cooperation and invaluable assistance throughout this process. Thank you to the staff of the Irish Traditional Music Archive for their patience and guidance in securing research sources. Thank you to my mother, Kris Niehaus, and my grandmother, Mary Arline Hohlt, to Sue, Dave, and Pamela Rossow, and to Patricia Fleitas for their support and dedication to my education. Lastly, thank you to my husband, David, and my children, David and Emma, for their love, patience, and encouragement throughout my doctoral education.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ............................................................................ LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ......................................................................... Chapter 1 MICHAEL MCGLYNN ................................................................................. Introduction .................................................................................................... Personal History ............................................................................................ Anna ............................................................................................................. Compositional Output and Style .................................................................... CULTURE AND MUSIC HISTORY OF IRELAND .................................. Irish Historical Overview .............................................................................. Music in Ireland ............................................................................................. IRISH VOCAL MUSIC ................................................................................. Language ......................................................................................................... Sean-ns........................................................................................................... Choral Music in Ireland ................................................................................... TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSICAL ELEMENTS ......................................... Harmonic Devices .......................................................................................... Rhythmic Devices............................................................................................ Instruments and Accompaniment ................................................................... TRADITIONAL SONGS OF IRELAND ....................................................... Collectors of Irish Music ................................................................................ Song Comparisons .......................................................................................... S do Mhaimeo ....................................................................................... Ardaigh Cuan ............................................................................................ Silent, OMoyle ......................................................................................... Siil, a Rin ............................................................................................... SELECTED CHORAL ARRANGEMENTS OF MICHAEL MCGLYNN ... Traditional Repertoire ..................................................................................... iv 1 1 3 6 10 12 12 15 20 21 25 29 32 33 42 43 49 49 52 53 58 60 63 66 67 vii xi
S do Mhaimeo ....................................................................................... Siil, a Rin ............................................................................................... Medieval Chant Source .................................................................................. Cormacus Scripsit...................................................................................... 7
67 74 75 75
SELECTED ORIGINAL CHORAL WORKS OF MICHAEL MCGLYNN . 81 Traditional Works ........................................................................................... 82 Dlamn .................................................................................................... 82 Natural Works ................................................................................................. 86 Wind on Sea............................................................................................... 87 Island ......... ............................................................................................... 92 Spiritual Works ............................................................................................... 95 Sanctus ....................................................................................................... 96 Incantations................................................................................................ 99 Agnus Dei (2008)....................................................................................... 105
GLOSSARY................................................................................................................. 116 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... APPENDIX A: Works List ........................................................................................ Alphabetical Listing by Title ........................................................................... Chronological Listing of Works ...................................................................... List of Works by Commission......................................................................... Works by Voicing............................................................................................ Arrangements................................................................................................... Original Compositions..................................................................................... 118 125 125 129 132 133 136 137
APPENDIX B: Discography ...................................................................................... 140 APPENDIX C: IPA Transcriptions ............................................................................. Agnus Dei (2008)............................................................................................. An Oche .......................................................................................................... Cnnla ............................................................................................................ Dlamn .......................................................................................................... Incantations .................................................................................................... Salve Rex ........................................................................................................ S do Mhaimeo ............................................................................................. APPENDIX D: Complete Musical Examples ............................................................. S do Mhaimeo ............................................................................................. Ardaigh Cuan .................................................................................................. Silent, OMoyle ............................................................................................... Siil, a Rin ..................................................................................................... 145 146 146 147 148 149 150 150 152 152 158 160 163
APPENDIX E: Michael McGlynn Selected Scores .................................................... Agnus Dei ........................................................................................................ Cormacus Scripsit............................................................................................ Dlamn .......................................................................................................... Incantations...................................................................................................... Invocation ........................................................................................................ Island ............................................................................................................. Sanctus ............................................................................................................. S do Mhaimeo ............................................................................................. Siil, a Rin ..................................................................................................... Wind on Sea.....................................................................................................
167 169 177 181 185 190 194 203 209 218 224
vi
Example 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 Amhrnaocht meter in 9/8 ................................................................. Amhrnaocht meter in 3/4 .................................................................. Doh mode (F Doh) ............................................................................... Doh Mode, Cailleacha Chige Uladh ................................................. Re Mode (C Doh) ................................................................................ Re Mode, Tiagharna Mhaighe-eo ....................................................... Mi mode (F Doh) ................................................................................. Mi Mode, The Campbells are Coming ............................................ Fa Mode (C Doh) ................................................................................. Fa Mode, The Last Time I Came Thro the Muire .......................... Sol Mode (G Doh) ................................................................................ Sol Mode, Bn-Chnoic ireann ...................................................... La Mode (G Doh) ................................................................................ La Mode, Ardaidh Cuain .................................................................... Pentatonic Scale .................................................................................. Hexatonic Scale................................................................................... Uilleann Pipes, chanter range ............................................................. Uilleann pipes, Drones ....................................................................... vii 22 23 36 36 36 37 37 38 38 39 39 39 40 40 41 41 47 47
4.17 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 6.1 6.2 6.3
Uilleann Pipes, regulator chords ......................................................... Cailleach an Airgid, Canainn, mm. 1-2 ......................................... Cailleacha Chige Uladh, Petrie, mm. 1-2 ....................................... Cailleacha Chige Uladh, Petrie .......................................................... Cailleach an Airgid, Canainn ........................................................... Cailleach an Airgid, Heaney, mm. 1-4 ................................................ 'S Do Mhaimeo , hEidhin, mm. 1-4 .............................................. 'S do Mhaimeo , McGlynn, mm. 1-4 ................................................. S Do Mham , McLaughlin, mm. 1-5 ................................................. 'S Do Mhaimeo , hEidhin, mm. 9-12 ............................................. 'S do Mhaimeo - McGlynn, mm. 10-13 ..............................................
48 55 55 56 56 56 57 57 58 58 58
Airdi Cuan, Baoill, mm. 16-22 .......................................................... 59 Airde Cuan, MacEoin, mm. 16-22 ........................................................ 59
Ardaigh Cuan, McGlynn, mm. 1-4 ....................................................... 60 The Song of Fionnuala- Moore, m. 1-2 ................................................. 61 Arah My Dear Ev'Leen- Fleischmann (4521), m. 1-2 ............................ 61 Silent O Moyle, be the Roar of the Water, Page, mm. 1-2 ...................... 62 Silent, O Moyle- McGlynn, m. 13-16 ..................................................... 62 Song of Fionnaula- Moore, mm. 13-16 .................................................. 62 Alone in Crowds: Shule Aroon, Moore, mm. 9-13 ................................. 64 Cailleach an Airgid, Heaney .................................................................. 68 S do Mhaimeo , McGlynn ................................................................... 69 S do Mhaimeo , McGlynn, mm. 1-5 .................................................... 70
viii
6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 6.12 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14
!S do Mhaimeo , McGlynn, mm.11-12 .................................................. 71 !S do Mhaimeo , McGlynn, mm. 16-19 ................................................. 72 S do Mhaimeo , McGlynn, mm. 9-12 .................................................. 74 Cormacus Scripsit, mm. 2-5, Theme A ................................................... 78 Cormacus Scripsit, mm. 10-13, Theme B ............................................... 78 Cormacus Scripsit, m. 18, Theme C ....................................................... 78 Cormacus Scripsit, mm. 23, Theme A doubled ..................................... 79 Cormacus Scripsit, mm. 28-30, Themes B and C variations ................... 79 Cormacus Scripsit, mm. 28-30, Sliding between notes ........................... 80 Dlamn, Amhrin Chige Uladh, traditional tune ................................ 83 Dlamn, mm. 1-5, solo ......................................................................... 83 Dlamn, mm. 6-9, refrain .................................................................... 84 Dlamn, mm. 26-27, chorus ................................................................. 86 Wind on Sea, mm. 9-12, choral passage ................................................. 89 Wind on Sea, mm. 17-20, violin and solo .............................................. 90 Wind on Sea, mm. 17-20, part b ............................................................. 91 Island, mm. 1-4, chorus and harp contrast ............................................. 92 Island, mm. 29-32, choral stasis ............................................................. 93 Sanctus, mm. 2-5, Theme A .................................................................. 98
Sanctus, mm. 9-12, Theme B ................................................................. 98 Sanctus, mm. 51- 57, final section ......................................................... 99 Incantations, mm. 1-4, ostinato ............................................................ 101 Incantations, mm. 8-11, Theme A ......................................................... 102
ix
7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 7.27 7.28 7.29 7.30 7.31
Incantations, mm. 20-25, Theme B ....................................................... 102 Incantations, mm. 33-36, Theme C ....................................................... 103 Incantations, mm. 37-40, Theme C ....................................................... 103 Incantations, mm. 50-54, ostinato and hemiola ..................................... 103 Incantations, mm. 13-16, ostinato ......................................................... 104 Incantations, mm. 33-36, parallel motion .............................................. 105 Incantations, mm. 43-48, chromatic alternation .................................... 105 Agnus Dei, McGlynn, mm.1-5, solo ...................................................... 107 Agnus Dei, Riada, mm. 1-6, solo ....................................................... 108 Agnus Dei, McGlynn, m. 6, choral harmony ......................................... 109 Agnus Dei, mm. 15-19, tenor entry Theme A ........................................ 110 Agnus Dei, mm. 19-23, baritone entry Theme A .................................. 110 Agnus Dei, mm. 23-24, parallel and inverted statements ..................... 111 Agnus Dei, mm. 28-31, solo................................................................... 112 Agnus Dei, mm. 28-31, harmonic superimposition .............................. 112 Agnus Dei, mm. 42-44, Themes A and B ............................................. 113 Agnus Dei, m. 79, final chords ............................................................. 114
Figure 3.1 3. 2. 4.1 4.2 4.3 6.1 Map of Gaeltacht areas of Ireland ........................................................ Cross of Muireadach, Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland ............ Drawing of Brian Boru Harp ................................................................ Maedoc book cover from Ireland (circa 1000 A.D.) ............................ 26 30 34 45
Table 3.1 4.1 4.2 6. 1 6. 2 6. 3 6. 4 7. 1 7. 2 7. 3 7. 4 7. 5 7. 6 Siil, a Rin, mixed English and Irish text and translation .................. Modes found in Irish Traditional Music ............................................... Dance Forms and Structure .................................................................. S do Mhaimeo , Text and Translation ............................................... Siil a Rin, form .................................................................................. Cormacus Scripsit, Text and Translation ............................................. Cormacus Scripsit, form ....................................................................... Dlamn, text and translation .............................................................. Wind on Sea, form ............................................................................... Wind on Sea, translation ...................................................................... Island, text and translation ................................................................... 24 35 43 73 75 77 78 85 88 91 94
7. 7 7. 8 7. 9 7.10
Incantations, text and translation .......................................................... 100 Incantations, form ................................................................................. 101 Agnus Dei, text and translation ........................................................... 105 Agnus Dei, form .................................................................................. 106
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Introduction Since 1987, Michael McGlynn has been trying to create a choral sound native to his country. Ireland was long controlled by Great Britain and was only released from British domination in the last century. A Dublin-born composer, Michael McGlynn has fought to capture in his compositions something that is uniquely Irish. Through this process McGlynn has become a highly successful composer and choral director in Ireland. Through the recordings, performances, and arrangements for Anna, a professional ensemble directed by the composer, his music has reached millions of people and has been performed by hundreds of choruses worldwide. It is important to understand the context in which McGlynns music was written. The traditional music of Ireland has a long history influenced by the cultural and social heritage of its people, the language of the songs, and the instruments used for accompaniments and companion music. Although he does not claim these musical elements as primary influences, there are commonalities between his choral compositions and Irish traditional music. These are his use of modal harmonies, drones, and texts from the traditional Irish repertoire. McGlynn cannot separate his music from his cultural heritage; it is part of the world in which his music exists. 1
2 In addition to traditional Irish music, McGlynn is also influenced by Western European Medieval styles, reflected in his use of parallel motion and chant. It was during the Medieval period that the music of Ireland was last free from foreign influence. Therefore it is logical that McGlynn would turn to this music to discover a compositional voice that is truly Irish. Because of foreign domination after the eleventh century, choral music with an Irish identity was not permitted to develop. All aspects of cultural life came under control of England, and native musical ideas were stifled. The only forms of Irish music that survived this oppression were solo songs and a limited selection of instrumental music. Since these forms did not require large numbers of performers and could exist within individual homes, they succeeded in evading the ruling entities. McGlynns compositional style combines the sounds and forms of Irish traditional and Medieval music. Craig Harris writes that McGlynns music ...combines songs in middle English, Scots Gaelic, Irish, Breton, Medieval Irish, Latin, and Greek in [the] examination of ancient and contemporary Irish music.1 He has gone beyond the mere creation of choral arrangements from existing solo songs; he has combined the musical elements of his country to create a choral compositional voice that has assimilated past traditions into a new style worthy of Irelands musical heritage. It is for these reasons that Michael McGlynns music is deserving of study as representing the choral music of Ireland.
Craig Harris, All-Music Guide, Craig Harris, All-Music Guide: Anna, 1995, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll (accessed November 28, 2009).
3 A Personal History Michael McGlynn was born in Dublin, Ireland, in May 1964. His mother, Clare, and father, Andrew, worked in the hotel industry, though his father later turned to photography. Michael has two brothers: Tom, the youngest, and a twin, John. All three boys were musically inclined. When they were young they enjoyed singing in three-part harmonies. Clare and Andrew, while not classically trained musicians themselves, saw the value of music in their familys life. McGlynns first musical training was through piano lessons, but much of his early musical influence was from rock musicians such as the Beatles and David Bowie. He was introduced to large-scale orchestral and choral classical music in secondary school and was particularly attracted to the works of Debussy and Britten. During his teen years, Ligetis contribution to the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey made a significant impression on him.2 Clare and Andrew sought to instill within their children a sense of pride in their heritage. Though the family were not native Irish speakers, at the age of nine and ten John, Tom, and Michael lived as boarders for a year at the Irish-speaking college of Coliste na Rinne in Dn Garbhn (Dungarvan), County Waterford. This Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking community) is where McGlynn gained fluency in the Irish language. More importantly, it provided his first exposure to traditional Irish song.3 When the time came to enter college in 1982, McGlynn elected to study music and English literature at University College, Dublin (UCD). It was at UCD that he first
2 3
Michael McGlynn, interview by author, Dublin, Ireland, October 2009. Michael McGlynn, interview by author, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 2010
4 received an introduction to early Western Medieval music. He began studies in both English and music, and after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in English (1985) he continued and completed his Bachelor of Music degree (1986). Musical forms and the structure of music were most intriguing him. During his time at UCD, at age nineteen, he first sang in a choir. He entered the field of music from a non-classical perspective, and this choral ensemble introduced him to the choral music of the great master composers. McGlynn stated in a 2010 interview: One of the things that has put me in a unique position among professional choral directors is that I took up choral music quite late. I had never sung in a choir before the age of nineteen. I first sang in college in a chamber choir, the UCD Chamber Choir, which I went on to conduct. I later went on to conduct the Trinity College Singers as well. This has allowed me to look at choral music as a completely fresh and new form.4 Soon after graduation from UCD he composed his earliest formal work, a setting of four Rimbaud poems for soprano and piano. After completing this composition he felt compelled to make his living as a composer.5 By the completion of his collegiate choral experiences, he was completely captured with the choral medium. In 1987 McGlynn founded the small Irish choral ensemble An Uaithne, renamed Anna in 1991. In the twenty-two years that McGlynn has been the director of Anna, he has become an advocate for change within the choral infrastructure of Ireland. In 2006, McGlynn wrote for The Irish Times: On the surface choral music in Ireland appears to be healthy, but the reality is very different. I dread auditioning new singers for Anna. Virtually none of them can read music adequately, or have more than the basic musical skills or even general [musical] knowledge. Even those that do have vocal training have come
4 5
Michael McGlynn, interview by author, Ft. Lauderdale, February 2010 Michael McGlynn, interview by author, Dublin, Ireland, October 2009.
5 through music schools and colleges that appear to believe that there is only one form of classical singing, and that is opera. Choral music transmits the poetry and the language of a nation through song in a unique manner, something that should be of particular interest and importance in a country that prides itself in its literary heroes.6 He further explains that promoting a unique identity for Irish choral music is difficult, as much of the repertoire performed is related to schools and traditions of other nations, in particular the United Kingdom. While McGlynn has gained prominence in the choral community as the director of Anna, he has also become an internationally recognized composer. His compositions have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by some of the worlds best choral ensembles including The Dale Warland Singers, Rajaton, The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Singers, The National Youth Choir of Great Britain, Conspirare, the Phoenix Chorale, and Chanticleer. In 2007, the RT (Radio Telefs ireann) Concert Orchestra, one of the national orchestras of Ireland, commissioned a large-scale work for SSAA chorus and symphony orchestra, which resulted in the four-movement cantata St. Francis. Also in 2007, the award-winning choral ensemble Chanticleer commissioned McGlynn to compose the Agnus Dei for the multi-composer work And On Earth Peace: A Chanticleer Mass. In July 2009, the RT National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland programmed a retrospective of McGlynns compositions for a major concert in Dublins National Concert Hall that also featured Anna.7 This program resulted in a large number of new adaptations and original works scored for symphony orchestra and chorus.
Michael McGlynn, A Way to Find Different Voices in this Multi-Ethnic Age, The Irish Times. June 5, 2006, http://www.anuna.ie/IT2006.htm (accessed 10 October 2009).
7
2009).
6 McGlynn uses a unique and highly successful method of publication and distribution of his compositions which has contributed to his success. While mechanical and performance rights are held by Warner Chappell, he self-publishes his sheet music through his website, www.michaelmcglynn.com. This method of distribution makes his music both accessible and affordable for choral directors worldwide. When directors purchase a composition to perform they are also sent an audio recording of the text, a translation, and in some cases, a sound approximation pronunciation guide. Unlike standard means of music distribution, the music is received normally within forty-eight hours via email with a certificate for the number of copies purchased. Nearly all of his choral compositions have been recorded by Anna, which also gives directors an audio reference. A complete list of his works is found in Appendix A of this document. The list has been cross-referenced by title, date of composition, commission, and voicing. Appendix B is a discography to assist in locating recordings of specific compositions.
Anna Anna, the current name of the group that McGlynn formed in 1987, has become one of the leading professional choral ensembles in the world. The ensemble is known for its interpretations of traditional Irish songs, reconstructions of medieval Irish music, McGlynns own original music, and for its unique staging. As McGlynns music and compositional output is directly related to Anna, it is essential to view it as an aspect of his work as a composer, as well as a tool he uses in the compositional process. The original name of the ensemble, An Uaithne, is the collective term that describes the three ancient kinds of Irish music, Suantra (lullaby), Geantra (happy
7 song), and Goltra (lament). An Uaithne was shortened to Anna, a name that has no meaning but uses portions of the original words; it was simply easier for non-Irish speakers to pronounce and recognize. When asked about the reason for creating an ensemble of this kind McGlynn stated, Anna developed from that idea [of bringing choral music to more people]. It developed from the need to reinterpret the choral canvas.8 Under McGlynns direction the ensemble has released fourteen albums which feature primarily his own compositions and arrangements. Three of the albums have placed in the United States Billboard charts, and Deep Dead Blue reached the top five in the United Kingdom Classical Chart and was nominated for a Classical Brit Award in 2000.9 When McGlynn was asked why he chose to form a new ensemble instead of work within the framework of the existing choral infrastructure in Ireland he stated that he created Anna because he felt that there was a need to find a choral voice that was distinctly Irish.10 All of the ensembles that were in existence were founded from nonIrish sources and rarely performed music influenced by their country. As he perceived it, there was no indigenous form of choral singing in Ireland. McGlynn felt a ...need to define Ireland in a choral fashion in some way.11 He also wanted to make certain that choral music was accessible to the people, not just to the lucky few who could understand
Michael McGlynn, interview with Contemporary Music Center, Dublin, Ireland, July 2009 www.anuna.ie/JML (accessed 16 August 2009). Craig Harris, Anna, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wxfwxqlgldte~T1 (accessed 28 November 2010).
10 11
Michael McGlynn, interview with author, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 2010. Ibid.
8 it. In his opinion, much of classical music in Ireland, has only been accessible to a minority of people.12 He has succeeded with Anna in bringing choral music, and specifically that which he feels expressed a sound native to Ireland to a large number of people. In a 2009 interview McGlynn discussed the fragility of the human voice that first intrigued him. McGlynn uses this term to describe the natural and beautiful flaws heard in untrained singers. The fragility of Annas sound, in his opinion, is one of the primary reasons it is successful. Listen to the Sixteen or the Tallis Scholars [singing chorally] and it will sound beautiful, but it doesnt allow the human element to come out. These people are brilliant singers, with fantastic technique. All of us in Anna are flawed. And thats conscious. What I have done is to try to always create an accessibility using the concept of fragility in the voice to allow the audience to access music that otherwise they might find overtly and harmonically complex or technically demanding to listen to. In a recent recording of the Allegri Misereri Mei Deus the first soprano soloist, unusually for us, was a trained English singer. She had the ability to sing all of the lines in one breath, but she was instructed to sound more fragile.13 With Anna McGlynn serves as composer, artistic director, vocal coach, conductor, singer, producer, and business manager. In his desire to produce a better sounding ensemble with a group of non-trained singers he has developed an approach to producing better singers. He has found over his twenty years as a choral director that awareness of singers posture, technique, and attitude during the rehearsal process contributes to the overall success or failure of an ensemble. If an individual singer is not standing with the correct posture or appears to have brought the stress of daily life into
12
Ibid. Ibid.
13
9 the rehearsal, he will address that singer and insist on an immediate change of demeanor or posture. His manner of rehearsing is focused on empowering and requiring each individual to concentrate on his or her own performance within the choral ensemble. In a February 2010 interview with this author, McGlynn spoke about his rehearsal and audition process: I can spend hours over six months on only a few notes if I am not happy with the sound they are making. I try to bring musical persons into the ensemble, but quite often that is not possible. Many people I bring in I bring in based on personality; they need to be able to take criticism.14 While an awareness of singers physical well-being and attitude is not new to choral conductors, his instence and attention to detail has proven to make a distinct difference in the sound quality of Anna. Instead of conducting in front of the ensemble, which McGlynn chose to forego after only a few seasons, he leads from within the tenor section. He believes that the essential connection that should occur between performer and audience is often impeded rather than helped by the presence of a conductor. His rehearsal and performance techniques have been developed to aid in the elimination of the physical obstruction of a body between the chorus members and the audience. While he does believe that a conductor can be an asset to an ensemble, in his opinion optimal music making is only possible when the ensemble members have the responsibility of creating the musical impulse of a performance.15 To him, the role of the conductor is to shape and form the music during the rehearsal process, not in the moment of performance. Although his
14 15
Ibid. Ibid.
10 standard expectation for Anna is high, and perhaps challenging for the mostly nonprofessional singers he encounters, he considers the ensembles amateur nature among its greatest attributes and one of its sustaining factors. Through his role as a member of the ensemble he is able to aid in tuning, energize, and focus the performance.16
Compositional Output and Style McGlynns compositional output is indelibly linked with Anna. Fundamentally, the ensemble is a compositional tool for him; he uses Anna as many composers would use a piano in the creation of new works. He generally will make changes or adjustments to a new work only after hearing it in a performance. Prior to publication, new compositions will sometimes go through several revisions before he feels the singers and the audience gauge the piece in the way he intended. The complexity of McGlynns compositions is limited by what Anna is able to achieve vocally and musically without a conductor. Contrary to what many believe, the vast majority of the singers in Anna are not trained musicians. Few of them have had any formal theory or musicianship classes, and even fewer have had traditional vocal training. Occasionally one or two classically trained singers will audition, but most often the core of the ensemble is simply people who love to sing and share the same passion and desire to communicate through music that McGlynn has. For this reason he has created a unique manner of quickly training his members to sing as part of the chorus. It is also why he leads the ensemble from within.
16
Ibid.
11 As a choir that is known the world over as an Irish choral ensemble, Anna must maintain several traditional or traditional sounding compositions in its repertoire at any given time. Instead of solely producing arrangements of traditional songs for the ensemble, McGlynn also composes completely original songs that use many of the elements found in the traditional song repertoire. His use of familiar texts and original melodies that incorporate elements of traditional music leads the listener to identify these choral compositions as part of the ever-changing corpus of Irish music. The use of compositional elements that have existed in the Irish music tradition has closely identified McGlynns compositions with Ireland. It is also for this reason that an understanding of the history, culture, and music of Ireland is important to the study of his music. This understanding allows the choral conductor to identify those aspects in his compositions that are traditional. While McGlynns music draws influence from various idioms, it is considered by many to be the genuine sound of Irish choral music.
In ancient times Ireland was renowned for skilled musicians, many of whose tales are recounted in mythology and lore. It was the turbulent history of conquest and rule from around AD 1100 that both stifled the performance and transmission of this music and kept Ireland from following the same path of musical creation that other European countries enjoyed. The void was created by an absence of native composers and music indigenous to Ireland. The only choral music found on the island was that of the church, which originated in other areas of Europe. The study of Michael McGlynns musical influences must begin with an understanding of both Irish culture and the music history of Ireland, as it is from this tradition and culture that his music is created.
Irish Historical Overview The people who began settling Ireland as long ago as 500 BC belonged to a now extinct race of people called the Celts. The Celts settled in clan groups in areas throughout much of Europe, including parts of modern-day Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, and Cornwall. Celtic influence can also be found in the regions of Galicia and Asturias, in Spain, and in areas of Portugal.17 In Ireland these clans or tribes were well
Dorthea E Hast and Stanley Scott, Music in Ireland: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (Oxford: Oxford University Pres, 2004), 20.
17
12
13 established by 100 BC. The descendents of these groups, the Gaelic chieftains, are those commonly associated with the creation and proliferation of the Gaelic-Irish language and culture. Legends of the kings and chieftains who ruled the four provinces (Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connaught) evolved into sagas and have since been passed down through story and song. First conquered in the fifth century AD by the Norse (Vikings), Irelands first peaceful visitors came from its nearest neighbor, Britain. These missionaries began the rapid spread of Christianity through the pagan Celtic land. This influx of people from England also began almost 1500 years of British involvement in Ireland. When the British first occupied Ireland they were fascinated by the cultural differences they found on an island so close to their own. However, as time passed the British governing body became less and less tolerant of Irish culture. The Irish people came to be considered degenerate and barbaric, and the British government, through a series of laws and acts beginning around 1350, outlawed the language, music, religion, and culture of the Irish people. Subsequent to the original missionary settlements, Ireland had become a strong Catholic region, wholly embracing the religion the British had spread only years earlier. King Henry VIII, through his disaffiliation with the Catholic Church in 1532, further complicated Irish life. Following the English Reformation, a series of laws prohibited Catholics from participation in public life, voting, and ownership of land.18
18
Ibid., 27.
14 During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries under Queen Elizabeth, life for the Irish became worse. The Queen felt that the wandering bards and harpers, who had enjoyed a high status in earlier years, were political spies and that their music and lyrics stirred up political unrest. By 1571 the Earl of Kildare was commissioned to punish all harpers, poets, and bards by death. A 1603 proclamation, to hang the harpers wherever found and destroy their instruments, effectively halted the public playing of Irish music.19 While records do not indicate a mass extermination of harpers and bards, the threat served to seriously diminish the tradition and its oral transmission to subsequent generations. The Act of Settlement in 1652 allowed Cromwell to confiscate property from Irish-Catholic landowners, thereby displacing seventy-five percent of the population, all Catholic, to less than fifteen percent of land. The land to which they were displaced was an area in the province of Connaught deemed quite infertile.20 Although it appeared the heritage and livelihood of the Irish people had been broken, many families continued to pass on the language and music of their ancestors in the privacy of their homes. In 1695 the British Parliament, after a few small uprisings, removed the authority of the Irish Parliament to create laws for itself. There were many attempts to remove the British government from power in Ireland. After the American and French Revolutions, the people of Ireland felt that they would be able to retake their parliament. In 1782 an effective campaign for legislative independence was initiated with the Constitution of 1782. This document did acknowledge the sole right of the Irish Parliament to create laws for Ireland, but it was a
19 20
San O'Boyle, The Irish Song Tradition (Toronto: Macmilian of Canada, 1976), 10.
J.C. Beckett, Introduction: Eighteenth Century Ireland, Vol. IV, in A New History of Ireland, ed. T.W. Moody and W.E Vaughan, xliii (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986), xliii.
15 Parliament still under the authority of the British government. Many who led the movement were not satisfied. The outbreak of the French Revolution rekindled their desire to unite Irishmen of all denominations in an attempt to break connection [with Great Britain] and establish in Ireland a republic on the French model.21 It was this disagreement between countrymen that led to civil unrest and instability and kept the people from regaining governance over their country. This internal conflict continued until the Irish Potato Famine in the mid-1800s. During the twenty years beginning in 1845 with the first of many years of crop failures, the population of the country was depleted by nearly two-thirds either from death or emigration. Those who remained and survived were in no way able to remove Englands control. It was not until 1922, when the Irish Free State was established and the British government no longer ruled Ireland, that the native culture and language of the people experienced a renaissance. In the 1922 Constitution English and Irish were established as co-national languages, demonstrating the new governments commitment to the heritage of the people.
Music in Ireland Brian Boydell writes that ...Ireland has a reputation for inheriting a great musical tradition extending back to the earliest of times.22 When British rulers outlawed the Irish language, culture, and tradition that existed for at least a millennium prior to their arrival, this musical heritage was almost lost.
J.C. Beckett, Eighteenth Century Ireland, 1691-1800, Vol. 4, in A New History of Ireland, ed. T.W. Moody and W.E. Vaughan (Oxford: Claredon Press, 1986), xil-xli. Brian Boydell, Music Before 1700, Vol. IV, in A New History of Ireland, ed. T.W. Moody and W.E. Vaughan, 544 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986), 544.
22
21
16 The origin of the musical heritage of Ireland is still disputed, even though much research on the topic exists. Very few sources have been found, and records of musical events are scarce. As is often the case with traditional music, there was no one readily available to transcribe it for posterity. It was not until the eighteenth century that musicians trained in the Western classical style of music began to collect the traditional music of Ireland. The earliest complete transcriptions of this traditional music were made and published in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Composers and musicologists Charles Villiers Stanford, Edward Bunting, George Petrie, and P.W. Joyce collected, transcribed, and described the music that had been a vital component of the cultural identity of Ireland since early recorded times. There were a few writings and single songs published in English volumes before these Irish collections, but much of what is known about music before 1600 is based only upon anecdotal reference. There are letters and other writings that confirm the existence of music schools within monasteries and that the harp was considered the only instrument suitable to accompany voices. Various writers, artists, and poets mention instruments and musical gatherings, though very little writing about the style of the music exists. Within courts and villages, bards and harpers held places of honor. The bards were the oral keepers of the laws; they recounted stories of war and genealogy. Perhaps most importantly for their social status, they praised their patrons. Most often a harper would accompany the bard as the stories were recounted; thus the development of a solo musical tradition began. This led to a multi-century comingling of ideas, mythology, Gaelic traditions, and the old style (sean-ns) singing that makes Irelands musical heritage unique.
17 The vocal music of Ireland includes a long mythological tradition that contributed to its complicated history. Irish folklore tells of four races that existed in Ireland before the Gaels arrived in the fourth century BC. According to the mythology as described by Cowdery, these races began with the Fomorians, or sinister giants, who were defeated by the Firbologs. The Firbologs, a small but cunning race, eventually disappeared, giving way to the Danaans. The Danaans were seen as the embodiment of all that was good. The Milesians eventually overtook them, but due to their close connection with nature, they were able to turn into the invisible little peopleleprechauns and fairies. The Danaans were admired for their music, especially that of the fairies, whose tunes were said to be the sweetest music ever heard and which possessed magic powers. Many tunes that exist in the modern repertoire are said to have come from the fairies.23 The musical tradition of the early Gaelic court musicians is, of course, not known in concrete terms. There are sources that give terminology to various kinds of songs, though those are without examples. These musical categories include goltra (music for sorrow), geantra (music for happiness), and suantra (music for sleep). Terms found in later sources cited by Harry Flood, goltraighe (music of valor), geantraight (music for love), and suantraighe (music for rest), are each related to a particular mode or traighe. The modal associations are the Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian modes accordingly.24 Sean-ns, which translates to old-style, is a form of solo singing considered the oldest in Ireland and is generally believed to date from at least the fifteenth century AD,
23
James Cowdery, The Melodic Tradition of Ireland (Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, Ibid., 6.
1990), 5.
24
18 and possibly earlier. This style of music is usually modal, highly ornamented, either a cappella or with very little accompaniment, and above all else, highly personalized by the singer. While a great majority of these songs is in the Irish language, due to the dual use of English and Irish for a long period of time, many tunes were adapted to English texts. One of the best examples of this is found in the Irish Melodies of Thomas Moore in which the author creates new English language texts to fit the existing ancient Irish tunes.25 Harmonically, the use of modal structures does predominate in the genre, but some songs in the Irish repertoire also use hexatonic and pentatonic scales.26 Most songs in the Irish song repertoire are binary (in two large sections) and most sections can be divided into four near-equal phrases. The use of the binary form also demonstrates the close relation of the song tradition to dance, which by its nature requires regular sections that are commonly repeated. Several styles of dance, including the jig, reel, hornpipe, and slide are commonly used as the rhythmic and structural basis of solo songs.27 Although Irish music was long a solo art, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries there began a movement towards group performances and the arrangement and adaptation of many traditional songs for choral ensembles. Several ensembles and composers (Altan, Anna, Clannad, David Mooney, and Michael McGlynn among them)
Thomas Moore, Moore's Irish Melodies With Symphonies and Accompaniments (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1893). Breandn Breathnach, Folk Music and Dances of Ireland: A Comprehensice Study examining the Basic Elements of Irish Folk Music and Dance (Cork: Mercier Press, 1996), 12. James Cowdery, The Melodic Tradition of Ireland (Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1990), 16-18.
27 26
25
19 specialize in choral settings and work diligently to adhere to the artistic ideals of that solo art form in the ensemble medium.
The vocal music of Ireland has been influenced by many changes in the culture of the country. The song tradition was first influenced by the structure of the Irish language and then by the increased, and eventually mandated, use of English. The song styles that flourished in earlier times, especially the sean-ns, were limited to specific areas and were kept alive by a few communities throughout times of occupation and oppression. Because of Britains rules and restrictions in the use of the Irish language and the domination of the Anglican Church through musics developmental periods, the choral music of Ireland remained in an infantile state. The only choral music that existed was in the church, and that was British. When the Irish language was outlawed and the majority of the ruling class for whom the songs were performed spoke only English, musicians were forced to either forego their native language or combine it in moderation with English. When Englands rulers outlawed Irish music, any development in group singing of traditional repertoire was cut short. Music that began as a solo art style remained as such outside of the choral development within the Anglican Church. It has only been in the last century that choral music began to take a foothold in the world of Irish music, but that is not to say that choral music did not exist in Ireland.
20
21 During the years of occupation it was difficult for musicians to perform any music that was not sanctioned by Great Britain. There were, however, great choral societies. Musical events based on the English model, like the premiere of Handels Messiah in Dublin, were permitted and encouraged. Michael McGlynn has been trying to create a distinct Irish choral tradition, which due to the strong foreign influence did not develop. His music is a window into all that has come before him and synthesizes the language influences, song traditions, and early choral forms that were in place prior to Irelands subjugation.
Language The language that is today known as Irish or Irish-Gaelic belongs to the Celtic group of languages. While similar to other Celtic languages including Welsh, Manx, Breton, and Scots Gaelic, Irish also assimilated components from languages outside the immediate family group. Borrowed words in the Irish language came primarily from Latin, Norse, and English. These additions came through missionaries, early settlements of the Viking peoples on the east coast, and the use of a language that was required by the British rule.28 The Irish Gaelic literary tradition had great influence on the songs of Ireland. Bards used very complex forms of poetic meter, which in turn defined the musical structure of the songs and airs. George Petrie first stated the importance of the
28
James Cowdery, The Melodic Tradition of Ireland (Kent, OH: Kent State University Press,
1990), 7.
22 interrelationship of the two structures in his Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland in 1855: For those airs are not, like so many modern melodies, mere ad libitum arrangements of a pleasing succession of tones unshackled by a rigid obedience of the sentiments of the songs for which they were composed, but always strictly coincident with, and subservient to, the laws of rhythm and metre which govern the construction of those songs, and to which they consequently owe their peculiarities of structure. And hence it obviously follows that entire body of our vocal melodies may be easily divided into, and arranged under, as many classes as there are metrical forms of construction in our native lyrics but no further; and that any melody that will not naturally fall into some one or other of those classes must either be corrupt or altogether fictitious.29 Of the six meters used in Irish-language poetry, amhrnaocht is one of the most common. The meter, which forms the basis for some of the most characteristic melodies, consists of a stanza with five stressed syllables in each line. Each stanza fits easily into two bars of 9/8 or six bars of 3/4. OBoyle gives as an example of this metric similarity as the first line of An Bata Dubh Droighin. The five stressed syllables per line of this meter fit into two measures of 9/8 (Example 3.1) or five measures of 3/4 (Example 3.2).30
9 & 8 .
4
j 3 & 4 . & t
29
j t
gag
de'n
. t . t
. t
. . t !
! !
3 4
slai - tn bhog
bhocht
gag
11
George Petrie, The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, ed. David Cooper (Cork: Cork University Press, 2005), 36.
30
de'n
chuar
San O'Boyle, The Irish Song Tradition (Toronto: Macmilian of Canada, 1976), 21.
9 & 8 .
4
j 3 & 4 . & t
j t
gag
de'n
. t . t
. t
. . t
23
! ! !
3 4
slai - tn bhog
bhocht
gag
11
When the English language is used with Irish melody the construction is changed
de'n
chuar
slightly. As OBoyle noted: William Carleton, the Tyrone novelist, records that his mother, when asked to sing the English version of Bean an Fhir Rua, said: Ill sing it for you, but the English words and the air are like a quarrelling man and wife the Irish melts into the tune but the English doesnt.31 Many nineteenth century Irish speakers shared this sentiment, and when writing in English, poets who were familiar with Irish poetry attempted to place assonances and stressed syllables in a location that was suited to the amhrnaocht meter. However, that was not always possible. Those that did not fit the traditional structure fell into a verse form known as Ochtfhoclach, or tail-rhyme. Consisting of four large parts, each containing three lines of five syllables and one line of four syllables, the five-syllable lines rhyme, as do the lines of four. Ochfhoclach Mr is another verse form that contains odd syllabification. In this structure there are two large groups. The first has three lines of six syllables, each rhyming with the other, and a line of five syllables. The second contains three lines of five syllables, all of which rhyme with the six-syllable lines of the first part, and a line of four syllables that rhymes with the last line of the first section.
31
Ibid., 25.
24 The outlawing of the Irish language brought about changes in the repertoire of Irish music. Many songs became bi-lingual, that is, the traditional tune was sometimes translated into what became a well-known English version. Other tunes were sung partially in each language, typically with verses in English and a refrain in Irish. One example of this kind of modification is seen in Siil a Rin (Table 3.1). A detailed description of this familiar song is included in Chapter Five.
Table 3. 1. Siil, a Rin, mixed English text and translation32 Verse Chorus (crfa) I wish I were on yonder hill Siil, siil, siil a rin 'Tis there I'd sit and cry my fill And every tear would turn a mill I wish I sat on my true love's knee Many a fond story he told to me He told me things that ne'er shall be Siil go sochair agus siil go ciin Siil go doras agus alaigh liom (Translation: Go, go, go my love Go quietly and go peacefully Go to the door and fly with me)
By the nineteenth century Hiberno-English, a dialect of English, was the primary language spoken in Ireland. However in the last decade of the same century a movement began to reinstate Irish and its historical literary style. The movement to reestablish Irish to the prominence it once held fed into the struggle for national independence, which was eventually won in 1922. Today, although English continues to be the primary language throughout Ireland, basic Irish language skills are taught in schools and certain communities exist where Irish is the sole language. In supporting this initiative, the
Celtic Lyrics Corner, November 27, 2008, http://www.celticlyricscorner.net/anuna/siuil.htm (accessed October 29, 2009).
32
25 government has kept Irish from becoming a dead language and has made it one whose future is yet to be determined.
Sean-ns Sean-ns refers to both the repertoire and style of singing generally considered to be the oldest in Ireland, dating from at least the fifteenth century, if not earlier.33 While found most frequently in the southwestern area of the country, sean-ns has spread to all parts of Ireland. It is an unaccompanied musical style that is typically characterized by a highly ornamented melodic line, though the means and degree of ornamentation change from region to region. Although an original source for this music is unknown, it is generally assumed that it is derived from the medieval bardic tradition. Many sean-ns singers in recent history have come from Gaeltacht areas (Figure 3.1), and most consider Irish their first language. These are regional areas in Ireland where Irish is the primary language and where the culture of passing this body of songs through generations is still part of daily life. At the very least the singers have a considerable facility and competency in it.
33
26
The performer of sean-ns takes considerable liberties with the original tune or framework of the song through knowledge of a commonly understood rules. These stylistic constraints permit him to adhere to tradition while allowing enough freedom to place his own unique mark and interpretation on the song. The singer is not constrained by meter or tempo, but moves through the song according to both his interpretation of the
Irish Gaelic Translator, http://www.irishgaelictranslator.com/translation/topic66267.html (accessed June 21, 2010). Map alterd by author to illustrate regions.
34
27 text and through his use of sometimes very elaborate ornamentation. This process is called humoring or gracing the tune.35 Harmonically, sean-ns is similar to much of what will be seen in the greater body of Irish song; modalities and alternate scale structures (pentatonic and hexatonic scales) are often employed. To the listener accustomed to European art music, especially that of the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, it may sound foreign. Irish composer Sen Riada has said: In approaching that style of singing which is called in Irish, the Sean-Ns the old styleit is best to listen as if we were listening to music for the first time, with a childs new mind; or to think of Indian music rather than European.36 Within the corpus of the sean-ns repertoire there exist several subgenres according to the subject matter. These include love songs, lullabies, vision or dream songs, laments, hymns, drinking songs, and humorous songs. Many of these songs were composed for a local audience who would have known either the story upon which the song was based or who had a personal connection with the place or event described. The songs therefore do not relay the events in a journalistic manner, but are a part of the long storytelling tradition that stems from the bardic era. The bards of medieval Ireland held highly honored places in the court. Their manner of reciting poetry and stories, often of epic length, was long revered by their patrons. Though the use of the harp to accompany the recitation was lost, two features of
Dorthea E Hast and Stanley Scott, Music in Ireland: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (Oxford: Oxford University Pres, 2004), 103. Sean Riada, Thomas Kinsella and Toms Canainn, Our Musical Heritage (Mountrth: Fundireacht an Riadaigh/ Dolmen Press, 1982), 23.
36
35
28 early Irish poetry did have significant effects on sean-ns singing. First, the length of the poetic line was far greater than many of its counterparts in English or other languages. This meant that there would be more stresses or accented beats in a musical line. It also made the overall poem or song longer than those in other languages. Second, there was a prevalence of internal rhyming and assonance.37 The internal rhyming did transfer into English language poetry and song in Ireland, but caused problems for those poets and musicians who tried to maintain both the rhyme scheme and the original musical line. While it may not be overly difficult to create an adequate translation in English that uses a final syllable rhyme scheme, internal rhyming does pose a considerable challenge.38 There are many accounts of the vocal tone used in the singing of this old style. Many modern day recordings demonstrate a rather nasal sound while others employ a vocal tone reminiscent of Italian bel canto technique. What might this style have sounded like before the modern influence and training of various styles? An account from John Dutton near the end of the seventeenth century states that he ...was entertained by the landlady, who was brought in to sing an Irish cronaan, which is so odd a thing that I cannot express it, being mostly performed in the throat, only now and then some miserable sounds are sent through the nose.39 It is not known if the performer described was suitably versed in the form and performance of the style.
Dorthea E Hast and Stanley Scott, Music in Ireland: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (Oxford: Oxford University Pres, 2004), 99.
38
37
A detailed description of the common features of Irish poetic meter found on page 20.
Brian Boydell, Music Before 1700, Vol. IV, in A New History of Ireland, ed. T.W. Moody and W.E. Vaughan, 544 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986), 565.
39
29 Ornamention in sean-ns varies greatly from area to area. Singers from Connacht, the western portion of Ireland, normally have very florid musical lines in contrast with Ulster (northern Ireland), which customarily has a simple presentation.40 The singer strives to reflect the stresses of the poetic meter above all, moving from stress to stress at his own pace. Sean-ns began as a solo-unaccompanied style much like ballad singing across Europe, but unlike other areas of Europe, it never developed to incorporate harmony, group singing, or accompaniment.41 During the Elizabethan age there was a necessity for anonymity, lest one be put to death. Only recently has this repertoire been developed to incorporate group singing.
Choral Music in Ireland The concept of choral singing in Ireland has long been an imported art form. But what might have been in place before the Norman invasion (1169-1171)? Are we to believe that throughout fifteen centuries no singing was done in groups? There are forms of work songs that survive from c. AD 600. It would not be unusual for these to have been sung by all of those contributing to the days chores. Was this done as a form of call and response or in rudimentary harmony? Unfortunately there is no definitive answer. The Cross of Muireadach (Figure 3.2), a Celtic high cross dating from the tenth century, depicts a choir of monks among other musicians, with one of the figures holding a book. If the era from which this cross dates is compared to the rest of Europe, one
40 41
Toms Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (London: Routledge & Kegan, 1978), 49.
Nuala O'Conor, Bringing it All Back Home: The Influence of Irish Music (Dublin: Merlin Publishing, 2001), 9.
30 might assume that this could be a depiction of early organum singing. Many sources have references to singing in churches dating from the seventh century, but the earliest Irish music manuscripts that have polyphonic notation date from between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries.42 These date from after the Norman invasion and thus demonstrate more of the outside influence on the people and practices of Ireland than on the indigenous culture. A polyphonic choir was established at St. Patricks Cathedral in Dublin established in 1431. Its music followed the developing continental polyphonic style and composition, particularly that of the Burgundian School.43
42
43
Ibid., 782.
Brian Boydell, Music Before 1700, Vol. IV, in A New History of Ireland, ed. T.W. Moody and W.E. Vaughan, 544 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986), 543. Monasterboice, Ireland, http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/muiredach/muiredach.html (accessed June 21, 2010).
44
31 From the inception of polyphony at St. Patricks Cathedral, choral church music in Ireland developed similarily to that of northern continental Europe and Britain. The influence the British exerted was great, and, for a country that would be under foreign rule for over a millennea, it was insurmountable. Any secular choral singing would have been done in the home, away from the ears of the ruling class, and without notation. We know that the oral tradition continued in the Gaeltacht areas. Modern ensembles, such as the Bothy Band, Clannad, and Altan, demonstrate the kind of ensemble singing that might have occurred.45 These groups sing in simple harmonies, usually at the third or the fifth, and are accompanied by the pipes, fiddle, and bodhrn (traditional drum). They often use drone voices at intervals of a fifth to accompany a solo line and join either in unison or harmony during the curf (refrain). Scholars agree that this kind of group singing might have been very typical in family and social gatherings throughout Ireland for centuries.
These ensembles are popular Celtic/ Irish vocal and instrumental groups who have recorded extensively from the 1990s on.
45
Even in their liveliest strains we find some melancholy note intrude some minor third or flat seventh which throws its shade as it passes, and makes even mirth interesting. Thomas Moore, The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore
The traditional music of Ireland has long been isolated from the musical developments of continental Europe and the rest of the world. The traditional music as described in this chapter belonged to the Irish peasantry, not the English elite. The native musicians were not exposed to the music that was fashionable in England, France, and Germany. Traditional Irish musicians were still using modal systems and non-tempered instruments when trained musicians such as George Petrie and Edward Bunting began fieldwork collecting and notating tunes in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The harmonic systems, rhythmic theories, and traditional instruments in use throughout the various regions of Ireland combined to give traditional Irish music the old, essentially medieval sound it retains today. Many of the musical elements described in this chapter are visible in McGlynns compositions.
32
33
Harmonic Devices The specific scales found in traditional Irish music derive from the stringing of the cruit (Irish Harp). A general understanding of the harp as it existed when many of the traditional tunes first came into being is therefore essential. A favored instrument among the upper classes in Ireland, once strung these harps were fixed in pitch. Strings were made of thick brass anchored at one end by metal pins, with the other end wound around wooden pegs housed in the hollowed-out soundboard. An example of this, the Brian Boru harp (Figure 4.1), is housed at Trinity College Dublin. Flood indicates that this specific harp dates from around AD 1220, but Breanthnach lists the date for its construction at about one hundred years later. Traditional Irish harps had between twenty-one and sixty strings (the Boru harp had twenty-nine strings).46 This surviving specimen of the traditional instrument was restrung in the mid-1900s with metal strings. When played it was said to have an extraordinarily sweet and clear [tone] with a quality which was somewhat bell-like.47
William H. Grattan Flood, "A History of Irish Music," Library Ireland, 1905, http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/boruharp.jpg&imgrefurl =http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/III.php&h=257&w=150&sz=40&tbnid=rYQj36spHkU6NM:& tbnh=112&tbnw=65&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrian%2Bboru%2Bharp&usg=__Nd0cAlg9CSnB8mEeNM qc9RR5c84=&ei=P1-S6fiDIKdlgf25bneBg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=9&ct=image&ved=0CBYQ9QEwCA (accessed March 28, 2010).
47
46
Brendn Breathnach, Folk Music and Dances of Ireland. (Cork: Mercier Press, 1996), 66.
34
When Edward Bunting transcribed songs of the harpers at the Belfast Harp Festival in July of 1792, he noted: It would appear that the old Musicians, in transmitting Music to us through so many centuries, treated it with the utmost reverence, as they seem to never have ventured to make the slightest innovation in it during its descent. He further states It is remarkable that the performers all tuned their instruments on the same principle, totally ignorant of the principle itself, and without being able to assign any reason for their mode of tuning, or their playing of the bass.49
48
2010). Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland: The Bunting Collections (a facsimile edition of Edward Bunting's songs and airs in piano arrangements), ed. Harry Long (Dublin: Walton Manufacturing Ltd., 2002), preface.
49
35 While musicologists now consider Buntings concept that there was no innovation as generally false, the observation is significant in its reference to the tuning systems employed. Since the tuning system of the harp was fixed it is widely agreed that the scales employed were of a modal origin. From various writings and from later transcriptions of tunes, it is likely that the harp had one of its G strings tuned down to F# in order to facilitate a greater variety of modal scales. Thus the Do, Re, and Mi modes were played through the C Do using the F natural while the Fa, Sol, and La modes were played through the G Do with the F#.50 The division and distribution of notes within each scale and their relation to the traditional church modes, as seein in table 4.1, is easily viewed in two sets of three modes.
Table 4.1. Modes found in Irish Traditional Music51 First scale degree Scale Do C D E F G A B C Re D E F G A B C D Mi E F G A B C D E Fa C D E F# G A B C Sol D E F# G A B C D La E F# G A B C D E
The final note defines the mode of each song. In order to facilitate the recognition of modes in a variety of songs, it is helpful to see examples of tunes in each of the six possibilities:
San O'Boyle, The Irish Song Tradition (Toronto: Macmilian of Canada, 1976), 30-31. In order to facilitate discussion of the harmonic structures, solfege syllables will be used.
51
50
Ibid., 30.
36
Scales
Lyrics by: [Lyricist]
Do Mode
Mu Arra
Voice
! !
& 9 . &8 J j .
qd = 118
Re Mode
! ! ! !
& &
3
! !
!
12
#&b n &
5
14
George Petrie, The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, ed. David Cooper (Cork: Cork University Press, 2005). George Petrie, The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, ed. 10 David Cooper (Cork: Cork University Press, 2005), 152.
52
&
#&
8
! !
# & #
12
37
Tiagharna Mhaighe-eo
Fleischmann 2212
& . .
&C
11
. . 3
&
Mi mode
&
Example 4.5. Mi mode (F Doh)
. .
! !
! ! ! !
10
12
53
Aloys Fleischmann, Sources of Irish Traditional Music c. 1600-1855: An Annotated Catalogue of Prints and Manuscripts, 1583-1855, ed. Aloys Fleischmann, Vol. 1, 2 vols. (New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1998), 429.
14
38
j j j 6 j j & b 8 Scales
6
& b .
11
. j . . J J J
Lyrics by: [Lyricist]
Mus Arran
! ! ! ! ! !
16
21
Fa Mode
j 3
&
Example 4.7. Fa mode (C Doh)
10
12
14
Aloys Fleischmann, Sources of Irish Traditional Music c. 1600-1855: An Annotated Catalogue of Prints and Manuscripts, 1583-1855, ed. Aloys Fleischmann, Vol. 1, 2 vols. (New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1998), 448.
54
Scales
Lyrics by: [Lyricist]
39
Music b Arranged
Example 4.8. Fa mode, The Last Time I Came the Muire55 Thro
Voice
& &
. .& b J
3
Fleischmann 445
. J
5
&
j .
. j
! !
14
. &
b & J
. J
Sol Mode
Score
&
[Title]
!
[Composer]
Beir
& # & j j
12
10 Example
# # #
!
hi
# 2 4
! !
Bn chnoic
# &
55
i reann
i -
&
m'
chroi go
tir
na
Chun a
mair -eann
j
-
j
de
reann
shol - ra
bhir ar
bhn
a - gus
chnoic
reann
Aloys Fleischmann, Sources of Irish Traditional Music c. 1600-1855: An Annotated Catalogue of Prints and Manuscripts, 1583-1855, ed. Aloys Fleischmann, Vol. 1, 2 vols. (New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1998), 86.
56
San O'Boyle, The Irish Song Tradition (Toronto: Macmilian of Canada, 1976), 36.
10
La Mode
# & # &
Example 4.11. La mode (G Doh)
40
! !
12
#from O hEidin Cas Amhran ! & Example 4.12. La mode, Ardaidh Cuain57 # 6 j . . & 8 J . J
14
5
Ardaidh Cuain
&
# 9 6 . j & 8 . 8 . J
9 j . . . 8 J J
Two other scales, the pentatonic and hexatonic (Examples 4.13 and 4.14), also hold important places in Irish music. Both of these scales correspond to the Do scale, or Ionian mode. The pentatonic scale most often used normally lack the fourth and seventh scale degrees, while the hexatonic scale lacks only the seventh. These scales are only employed in a small number of the tunes in the traditional Irish music repertoire. However, many tunes have components or phrases that are set completely in one of these two scales. Often times, it is only a secondary phrase or the refrain that completes the normal eight-tone scale by adding the one or two missing scale degrees from the pentatonic or hexatonic phrase.
57
Score
Score
[Title] [Title]
Example 4.13. Pentatonic scale
41
&
Of particular interest to the collector of Irish music are the chromaticallyinflected scale degrees, particularly those notes that appear in both raised and lowered forms within a tune. For many years, collectors and musicians have argued as to the purpose of these inflected notes. Some have said that the presence of these altered versions serve to change the modal scale in mid-tune. Others believe that they are merely a decoration or passing tone.58 Canainn writes of the rules governing inflection: 1. The seventh is by far the most commonly inflected note, but the third and occasionally the fourth degree of the scale may be inflected. 2. If the inflectible note proceeds upwards by step, it is sharpened. 3. If the inflectible note is the highest note of a group, it is generally flattened. 4. In the pattern 8-7-5 the seventh may be either flattened or sharpened, but it is more usually sharpened.59
58 59
Toms Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (London: Routledge & Kegan, 1978), 30. Ibid., 33-34.
42
Rhythmic Devices It is quite strange that in a country such as Ireland, which had an early affinity for music, there was not a word that corresponds to the Latin word for dance until the mid 1500s. Early Irish translations of the Bible use words that mean jump, hop, and leap where a word for dance would have been found. It is this verbiage that has lead many to believe that the early dances of Ireland were much like the step-dances of today, highly energetic acrobatic dances that involved leaping and jumping about. In modern Irish two words are used for dance: damhsa and rince, both of which came into use between 1530 and 1650 from France and England respectively.60 Dances are the most common and abundant tunes found in the traditional Irish music repertoire. The most popular dance forms are jigs, reels, and hornpipes. Several other dance styles, including mazurkas, polkas, slides, highlands, and barn dances are also found in the song literature, though not frequently. Most of the dance tunes are in a standard repeated form (AA BB). Though many of the dance forms originated in other countries, they have been assimilated into the Irish musical tradition. In fact, the most common form of dance in the Irish repertoire, the reel, originated in Scotland. Many of the rhythms found in the dances serve as the basis for tunes in the traditional song catalog. Tunes frequently began as dances and later had words added to create a song that often became more popular than the original dance. The dance forms are identified by several variables of which the most easily identifiable are tempo, time
Breandn Breathnach, Folk Music and Dances of Ireland: A Comprehensice Study examining the Basic Elements of Irish Folk Music and Dance (Cork: Mercier Press, 1996), 35.
60
43 signature, and rhythmic pattern (Table 4.2). As much of the vocal music repertoire came from instrumental tunes, many songs can also be placed into these categories.
Table 4.2. Dance Forms and Structure61 Dance Type Tempo Single Jig (also known as slide) Double Jig Hop or Slip Jig Reel Hornpipe Fast Moderately fast Fast Fast, with a 2 feel Steady, 4 feel
Time Signature 6/8 (or 12/8) 6/8 9/8 2/4 or 4/4 4/4
Characteristic Rhythm
Instruments and Accompaniment In order to better understand the elements and performance of the vocal music in a musical society known for its instrumental contributions to folk music, it is essential to understand the instruments that had the greatest impact in the genre. Much of what exists today in the corpus of known tunes has variations and derivations stemming from various means of performance and ornamentation. Different instruments require
Andrew Purcell, "Irish Traditional Music," in Music: Revision for Leaving Certification (Dublin: Gill & Macmillan, 2006), 13.
61
44 different methods of performance that are easily identifiable. Today these instruments are known both for their solo styles and for their interaction with the vocal traditions. Harp Throughout Irish history there have been three distinct versions of the Irish harp: the fourteenth and fifteenth century small low-headed harp, the large low-headed harp of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the straighter, taller high-headed harp of the eighteenth century.62 Scholars believe that the harp existed as early as the beginning of the third century, when in the reign of Cormac Ulfada a law required every regional chieftan to have a musician in his court, widely believed to be a harper.63 It was common for bards or court poets to recite stories to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument, most likely an early harp or version of the lyre. The first known depiction of the fully framed triangular harp appears in Psalters of the ninth century (Figure 4.2) .64
62 63
Detailed description of the harp included in discussion about harmonic elements on page 34.
Anniina Jokinen, Cormac mac Art, May 20, 2007, http://luminarium.org/mythology/ireland/cormac.htm (accessed December 12, 2009). Cormac Mac Art, also known as Cormac Ulfada (Cormac Long beard), became king of Ireland in 218 AD and reigned until 254. He is said to have turned to Christianity near the end of his life. He is remembered as a noble and celebrated king and Ireland was said to be full of goodness in his time Thomas F. Johnston, "The Social Context of Irish Folk Instruments," International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music (Croatian Musicological Society) 26, no. 1 (June 1995): 35-59, 42.
64
45
Figure 4.2. Maedoc book cover from Ireland (circa 1000 A.D.), framed triangular harp depicted65 Uilleann Pipes Also closely associated with the traditional music of Ireland is the Uilleann or Union pipes, which is closely related to the bagpipes of Scotland and possibly derived from similar instruments used in ancient Greece and Rome. Instruments known as ppa were noted in writings from as early as the eleventh century in pre-Norman Ireland.66 These earliest notations were references to a very simple instrument similar to pipes of the ancient Greeks and Romans.67 A set of pipes is constructed of five basic parts (Figure 4.3): the bag, bellow, chanter, drone, and pipes. The primary difference between the various pipes of different geographic regions is the manner in which the bag is filled with air. While the Scottish version uses a mouthpiece to inflate the bag through blowing, the Irish pipes uses a bellow strapped to the arm. In order to fill the bag the elbow is raised, extending the
65 66
Breandn Breathnach, Folk Music and Dances of Ireland: A Comprehensice Study examining the Basic Elements of Irish Folk Music and Dance (Cork: Mercier Press, 1996), 69. Toms Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (London: Routledge & Kegan, 1978), 81. Ancient historians reference Neros ability to play the pipes.
67
46 bellow. While innovative, this change made the Uilleann pipes less portable than its counterparts, as modern pipes are played in the seated position.
The Uilleann pipes chanter has a range and tone similar to that of a modern oboe (Example 4.15). This part of the instrument allows the piper to play a single melodic line. Though old pipes were transposing instruments, modern versions are double-reed instruments and are set in concert pitch. The lowest note of the chanter is the D above middle C; the range extends upwards two octaves. The prevalence of drones in the performance of traditional music most likely began with the harp and was continued in the pipes. The use of instrumental drones began sometime in the thirteenth century and was first used as a very simple continuous accompaniment to the melody played on the
68
47 chanter. It has also been suggested that the drones may have originated in sean-ns singing. Joe Heaney (one of the most famous sean ns singers in modern times) talked to James Crowdery about the nea, a vocal drone accompaniment sung through the nose.69 Heaney explained to Cowdrey how while not audible to the listener except at the beginnings and ends of phrases, the single pitch is always present to the performer. It is his way of accompanying himself and an example of how vocal music and instrumental music in this tradition influence each other.
Early Uilleann pipes (union pipes) consisted of two drones, with a third added in the mid-eighteenth century. The drones allow the pipes to serve as both a melodic and harmonic instrument and provide a constant harmonic support while the melodic line is played on the chanter. Each of the three drones is tuned to D, spaced an octave apart. The highest of the three matches the lowest pitch of the chanter (Example 4.16).
James Cowdery, The Melodic Tradition of Ireland (Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1990), 36-37.
69
48
Also in the mid-1900s, regulators were added allowing additional accompaniment to be played. The regulator allows the piper to play one of four predertmined three-note chords (Example 4.17). 70
70
Toms Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (London: Routledge & Kegan, 1978), 81-82.
CHAPTER 5 TRADITIONAL SONGS OF IRELAND Perhaps we may look no further than the last disgraceful century for the origin of most of those wild and melancholy strains, which were at once the offspring and solace of grief. Thomas Moore, The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore
Craig Harris writes: Twelve centuries of Irelands vocal tradition are explored by the choral ensemble, Anna.71 Musicians in this tradition have both knowingly and unknowingly made changes to the repertoire. The ability to see some of these changes and to recognize what has not changedcan be beneficial to the performer of McGlynns choral music. This chapter examines variations found in the collections of the traditional repertoire in specific songs that McGlynn has arranged.
Collectors of Irish Music Late in the sixteenth century a few Irish songs became popular in England. These appeared as early transcriptions found in books that contained a variety of songs from different geographic areas including England, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Italy. Among the earliest written Irish tune was Caliln chois tSiire m (The Croppy Boy), a rebel tune that was found in both William Ballets Lute Book (1590) and in the
Craig Harris, All Music Guide- Anna, 1995, http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wxfwxqlgldte~T1 (accessed March 2, 2010).
71
49
50 Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (1609-19).72 Later in the same century, several other Irish tunes appeared in London publications of Playfords The Dancing Master (1695).73 These tunes were altered, often changing words, language, or modal inflections from their original forms in order to be more suitable for the English gentry for whom these books were compiled.74 The first collection that contained exclusively Irish tunes, Neals A Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish Tunes, was published in Dublin in 1726.75 As many of the melodies that appeared in this collection are still in the common repertoire today, this publication should be viewed as an important milestone in the history of Irish music. It was in 1792 at the Belfast Harp Festival that the serious and scholarly collection of Irish tunes began. From that event Edward Bunting produced his first volume of collected music, Ancient Irish Music (1796). In attendance at that festival were ten harpers who were considered the last generation in a line that extended back several hundred years. Bunting was also the first collector to note the importance of the Irish texts that accompanied the tunes. He employed Patrick Lynch to collect the texts separately. Bunting and Lynch encountered problems because often they were dealing with different
William H. Grattan Flood, "A History of Irish Music," Library Ireland, 1905, http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/boruharp.jpg&imgrefurl =http://www.libraryireland.com/IrishMusic/III.php&h=257&w=150&sz=40&tbnid=rYQj36spHkU6NM:& tbnh=112&tbnw=65&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrian%2Bboru%2Bharp&usg=__Nd0cAlg9CSnB8mEeNM qc9RR5c84=&ei=P1-S6fiDIKdlgf25bneBg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=9&ct=image&ved=0CBYQ9QEwCA (accessed April 8, 2010). Margaret Dean-Smith, "Hornpipe (ii)," Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/1336 (accessed April 9, 2010).
74 75 73
72
Toms Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (London: Routledge & Kegan, 1978), 10. Ibid.
51 versions of the same song. Bunting continued to collect over two hundred fifty songs, many of them in various versions. These songs were collected from the 1792 festival and from his travels throughout the country. In the preface of his third volume Bunting states:
Whatever differences of opinion may exist as to the high degree of early civilization and national glory laid claim to by the Irish people, it has never been questioned that, in the most remote times, they had at least a national music peculiar to themselves, and that their bards and harpers were eminently skilful in its performance.76
Bunting also attempts in his collection to give an approximate time frame for the composition of most tunes. He places them into three categories: the very ancient, the ancient, and those composed from around the time of Carolan the harper.77 Bunting adds that while the words associated with each tune may change slightly, the tune remains the same if studied within the region of origin.
A strain of music, once impressed on the popular ear, never varies. It may be made the vehicle of many different sets of words, but they are adapted to it, not it to them, and it will no more alter its character on their account than a ship will change the number of its masts on account of an alternation in the nature of its lading. For the taste of music is so universal, especially among country people, and in a pastoral age, and airs are so easily, indeed, in many instances, so intuitively acquired, that when a melody has once been divulged in any district, a criterion is immediately established in almost every ear... It is thus that changes in the actual frame and structure of our melodies have never been attempted, unless on the introduction of the altered tunes for the first time amongst those who have never heard them in their original state.78
The assertion that the tunes, once composed, never changed is of debate. As will be seen with several tunes, there is in fact, great variation.
Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland: The Bunting Collections (a facsimile edition of Edward Bunting's songs and airs in piano arrangements), ed. Harry Long (Dublin: Walton Manufacturing Ltd., 2002), 1. Ibid., 6. Turlough OCarolan (Toirdhealbhach Cearbhallin) was an Irish harper who lived near County Meath from 1670 to 1738. He is noted as both an eminently skilled harper and the composer of many of the tunes that exist in the modern repertoire.
78 77
76
Ibid., 1-2.
52 After the Bunting collections, several antiquarians began their own compilations. Many of the collectors, noteworthy musicians in their own right, made great contributions to Irish musicology, and several of them used a similar methodology for acquiring the tunes. They traveled the countryside and asked traditional musicians to perform given pieces that they then transcribed into modern musical notation. Herein lies a distinct problem: all of the collectors listened to the tunes through the prism of their modern musical ears relative to their knowledge of western musical traditions. Many of them failed to realize that the tunes did not fit exactly into the modern tuning and harmonic systems in which they were transcribing. The ancient Irish harp was a diatonic instrument without accidentals and thus the tunes were in modal scales. Unfortunately, many of the transcriptions forced the melodies into a contemporary key signature or scale, removing the ancient sound of the tune. In an effort to give metric value to notes, the free-flowing nature of the tunes was constrained to a determined note value. Thus, despite their efforts to preserve the ancient music, they changed it forever.
Song Comparisons In beginning the study of Michael McGlynns settings of traditional tunes, it is quickly noticeable to anyone familiar with Irish traditional music that some of the tunes are different from those of other modern Irish traditional performers and composers. Portions of songs discussed in this chapter are annotated here; complete melodies are in Appendix D. Many of the songs discussed below show only minor variances in the tunes and can reflect the living nature of traditional music as in any culture. However, some of them are quite different, so much so that they can be considered different tunes with the
53 same text. This section will demonstrate the differences and similarities, harmonic and rhythmic, between variations of four songs (S do Mhaimeo , Ardaigh Cuan, Silent, OMoyle, and Siil, a Rin) that have been set by McGlynn. As this primary objective of this study is the examination McGlynns compositions and arrangements, this chapter is intended to demonstrate how and where he deviates from or aligns with tradition in his arrangements. In order to accurately establish the origin and transmission of the songs, this author compiled sources used by many traditional musicians in Ireland. The variations are referenced according to the author and title of the collection. It should be noted that in creating some of his arrangements, McGlynn intentionally used a tune that he knew without refering to any particular source. McGlynn does not always rely on scholarly sources for his melodies, turning instead to personal recollection. In a few instances he intentionally changed or omitted portions, as will be seen in Si do Mhaimeo and Siil, a Run. Si do Mhaimeo S do Mhaimeo is also known by the title Caileach an Airgid or Cailleacha Chige Uladh, and by the English titles The Hags with the Money or The Hags from Ulster. This tune dates from 1839, attributed by both Petrie and Fleischmann (who notate identical tunes) to Patrick Coneely, a piper from the Connaught region. While there are only slight variations between the four recent versions as performed by Joe Heaney from his CD From My Tradition,79 by OhEidhin in Cas Amhrn, by McLaughlin in Singing in Irish, and the choral arrangement by Michael McGlynn, the modern
Joe Heaney, "Cailleach an Airgid," From My Tradition: The Best of Joe Heaney, 2005. Transcribed by the author.
79
54 examples differ from the tune earlier attributed to Coneely. Canainn notates yet another version, and though he does not attribute the tune to any particular time, person, or place, his 1978 version has similarities with both the tune found in the Petrie collection and the modern versions. It could be considered as a link beteen the earlier and later versions. Fleischmanns Sources of Irish Traditional Music also contains two additional versions, listed by English language titles, which bear only faint resemblance to the others. For this study, these two versions of the melody shall be considered enough of a deviation from the original to be separate songs. This metamorphosis, or possible use of similar names for different tunes, occurrs frequently as the tunes were passed down through generations. It is evidence of the living nature of the traditional music of Ireland. The translation and transcription difficulties of the Irish language by non-Irish speakers combined with the natural and subtle changes of a tune as it traveled from performer to performer, often gave rise to entirely new songs. Let us first consider the differences between what is considered the earliest source material (the melody found in Petrie) and that notated by Canainn in 1970. The more modern versions by OhEidhin, McLaughlin, and McGlynn will then be compared to the Canainn as they are very similar and demonstrate possible performance and regional differences. Most striking between the versions are the variant time signatures. While most of the tune variations as demonstrated by Canainn use a 6/8 meter, which place them in the jig or double jig category, the Petrie version is written as a slip jig in 9/8. It is also evident that the melodies are quite different, even though they are both supposedly from the same piper. The second half of the tune contains similarities between Petrie (Example
55 5.1) and Canainn (Example 5.2). Though there are differences, the basic shape of the tune is the same. The beginning note of each compound beat is the same The boxes denote analogous places in the tune. As the Petrie has added beats, the melody is slightly displaced, but the examples give the idea of the same tune ornamented in a different manner.
It is also interesting to compare four relatively contemporary versions of S do Mhaimeo . The examples shown are the curf (chorus) from four sources: a transcription of a 2005 performance by Joe Heaney on his From My Tradition: The Best of Joe Heaney album (Example 5.3), the reference version in Cas Amhrn as compiled by hEidhin (Example 5.4), the solo line of Michael McGlynns choral arrangement from 1993 (Example 5.5), and a 2002 arrangement for solo voice and accompaniment by Mary
80 81
Toms Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (London: Routledge & Kegan, 1978), 29.
George Petrie, The Petrie Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland, ed. David Cooper (Cork: Cork University Press, 2005),152.
56 McLaughlin found in Singing in Irish Gaelic (Example 5.6). Immediately it is clear that these are versions of the same tune. All begin with the same ascent of a fourth with a return to the note of origin followed by a melodic descent; however, they all use different tonal or modal centers. It should be noted that, unlike the older versions that were intended for a solo instrument, these arrangements are for three different mediums: solo unaccompanied singing, solo singing with accompaniment, and chorus. The differences that exist appear to be from interpretative and ornamental decisions or in how the performer or arranger recalled the tune.
Cailleach an Airgid
as performed by Joe Heaney
6 V8
6
j .
Curf
'S Do
# Mhaimeo j
Cas Amhrn
11
16
j j 6 &8 j j j V # J . # . # 'S do Mhaimeo Arranged by Michael McGlynn 5 q = 108 b b j & j j Mhaimeo - McGlynn, mm. 1-484 do V Example J 5.5. 'S . 6 &8 9 & J J
11
155.
10
14
Tradition: & Joe Heaney, My TheBest of Joe Heaney, 2005. ! From an Airgid," "Cailleach hEidhin, J & Mchel (Conmara: Cl Iar-Chonnachta, J S Do Mhaimeo , Cas Amhrn 1975),
82 83
14
j S do Mhaimeo (Dublin: j McGlynn & Warner j Michael & Michael Chappell, 1993). McGlynn, j b & J
84
&
S Do Mham
Singing in Irish Gaelic
57
Arranged by Mary McLaughlin
6 & 8 j b
6
j j j .
melodic differences in where the whole and half steps of the melody are found. While all versions j notes, the & have an interval of a perfect fourthbetween the first and fourth eighth
10
& At the beginning but also j b oftheverse b there are not only rhythmic variations,
. motion taken to get there is different. The placement of whole and half steps varies & . j . j
11 between the Cas Amhrn (Example 5.7) and the others (Examples 5.8-10). Another
comparison is how the end of versions . . thephrase varies among the four interesting
16
(indicated by the second box). In the tune this phrase is repeated. How each enters that repeat, use varied & from . orbelow, allows the performer to j The ornamentations. above
rhythmic durations of the phrases are also notable. Several versions have a pause at the end of the primary phrase. It should be noted that McGlynn opted to remove this pause in some verses and to elongate it in other verses. Many traditional musicians view this change as a deviation from the accepted version of the song.86
b .
Mary McLaughlin, "S do Mhaim ," in Singing in Irish Gaelic: A Phonetic Approach to Singing in the Irish Language Suitable for Non-Irish Speakers (Pacific, MO, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2002), 36-37.
86
85
McGlynns arrangement, this rhythmic change, and his reasoning will be further discussed in
Chapter 6.
58
Ardaigh Cuan Composed by Sen MacAmbrois in the middle of the nineteenth century, Ardaigh Cuan is a haunting song about the cliffs of Northern Ireland. Legend recounts that MacAmbrois, one of the last poets of the Glens of Antrim, composed this tune while gazing back at his homeland cliffs while on the shores of Scotland, unable to return. It
87 88
Michael McGlynn, S do Mhaimeo (Dublin: Michael McGlynn & Warner Chappell, 1993).
Joe Heaney, Cailleach an Airgid, From My Tradition: The Best of Joe Heaney, 2005. Transcribed by author. Mary McLaughlin, S do Mhaim , in Singing in Irish Gaelic: A Phonetic Approach to Singing in the Irish Language Suitable for Non-Irish Speakers (Pacific, MO, MO: Mel Bay Publications, 2002).
89
59 became one of the most recognized emigrant tunes in the modern repertoire. Versions of this tune exist under the titles Ardaidh Cuain, Airde Cuan, Airdi Cuan, and Ardaigh Cuan. They are printed in several collections and arranged settings dating from 1975 to 1995. Unlike other songs and airs, all available versions of this tune are remarkably similar, the greatest variant being the use of the 6/8 or 2/4 time signatures. Of the four compared notations, all are in a pentatonic minor with the fourth and seventh eliminated. The two versions in the simple meter, by Baoill and MacEoinare nearly identical, the only differnces are one note and one rhythm in measures sixteen and seventeen (Examples 5.11 and 5.12).
Sen g Baoill and Mnus Baoill, "Airdi Cuan," in Celota Gael (Corcaigh: Cl Mercier, 1975), 10.
91
90
Michel Mac Eoin, Ardi Cuan, in An Cr Gaelach (Corcaigh: An Chad Chl, 1985), 9.
60 Similarly, the two versions in compound meter are nearly identical to each other. When compared to the hEidhin and McGlynn (Example 5.13) arrangements, it is evident that the tunes are the same as examples 5.11 and 5.12. The rhythmic change to the complex meter allows for additional ornamentation and greater variation in the manner in which the song progresses. The lack of variation between versions may be due to the nature and recent origin of the tune. As only about a century divides the original composition from the current versions, it was most likely in written notation since its creation.
q = 60
Ardaigh Cuan
Arranged by Michael McGlynn
6 & 8 .
5
. .
j .
Silent OMoyle
9
& J
. j . & . 8 . 8 J Dear Eveleen, and Arah My Dear EvLeen, Fionnuala, Tell me during the first
decade of the nineteenth century. Moore composed the text and fit it to the ancient air with which he was famliar. While other airs notated only a few decades earlier exist in different versions, this tune is nearly identical in all published records and arrangements. The material has existed in printed sources since Moore set it. In writing about his love of music and why he, a celebrated poet and writer, was publishing a volume of Irish Melodies, Moore states:
. .
. . J
92
Michael McGlynn, Ardaigh Cuan (Dublin: Michael McGlynn/ Warner Chappell, 1995).
61
Dryden has happily described music as being inarticulate poetry; and I have always felt, in adapting words to an expressive air, that I was bestowing upon it the gift of articulation, and thus enabled it to speak to others all that was conveyed in its wordless eloquence to myself.93
The only non-ornamental variation that is found among the six versions compared (Moore, three in Fleischman, Page, and McGlynn) is a deviation in the minor mode. While Moores version is written in harmonic minor (Example 5.14), one of the three listings in Fleischmanns Sources of Irish Traditional Music has the tune in melodic minor (Example 5.15). An arrangement by N. Clifford Page in Irish Songs: Collection of Airs Old and New is the natural minor version (Example 5.16).
Thomas Moore, Moore's Irish Melodies With Symphonies and Accompaniments (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1893), v. Thomas Moore, Silent, OMoyle, Be The Roar of Thy Water: The Song of Fionnuala, Moore's Irish Melodies With Symphonies and Accompaniments (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1893), 105-106. Aloys Fleischmann, Sources of Irish Traditional Music c. 1600-1855: An Annotated Catalogue of Prints and Manuscripts, 1583-1855, ed. Aloys Fleischmann, Vol. 2, 2 vols. (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1998), 824.
95 94
93
62 Example 5.16. Silent O Moyle, be the Roar of the Water- Page, mm. 1-296
In creating a choral arrangement of this tune, Michael McGlynn uses a combination of both the natural and harmonic minor (Example 5.17), adding the raised leading tone only in the final cadence (a derivation from the Moore original shown in Example 5.18). The examples demonstrate the similarity of the two versions of the melody.
Clifford Page, Silent O Moyle, be the Roar of the Water, Irish Songs: Collections of Airs Old and New, ed. Clifford Page (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1935), 60-61.
97
96
Michael McGlynn, Silent, O Moyle (Dublin: Michael McGlynn & Warner Chappell, 1993).
63
Siil, a Rin Both Joyce98 and N Uallachin99 give the origins of this tune as from the time of the Wild Geese or Irish Brigade (between 1691 and 1745), when thousands of young Irishmen enlisted with the armies of France and other areas of the continent, in hopes of overthrowing the British rule of Ireland. Nearly a century later in his Irish Melodies (Example 5.19), Thomas Moore quotes the air for his Alone in Crowds to Wander On. This air, unlike others included in this study, emigrated to America. Though the words have changed, the songs known as Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier or Come, My Love bear a striking resemblance to the published Irish tunes notated by Joyce, Fleischmann,100 and as arranged by McGlynn.101
P.W. Joyce, Old Irish Folk Music and Songs: A Collection of 842 Irish Airs and Songs Hitherto Unpublished (Dublin: Hodger Figgis & Co, Ltd., 1909), 236-237. Pdragn N Uallachin, A Hidden Ulster: People, Songs, and Traditions of Oriel (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1893), 303-05. Aloys Fleischmann, Shule Arun (6339), Sources of Irish Traditional Music c. 1600-1855: An Annotated Catalogue of Prints and Manuscripts, 1583-1855, ed. Aloys Fleischmann, Vol. 2, 2 vols. (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1998), 1159.
101 100 99
98
Michael McGlynn, Siil, a Rin (Dublin: Michael McGlynn & Warner Chappell, 1994).
Most of the versions of this tune are notated in a dorian mode with the fourth scale degree omitted, making this a hexatonic minor mode. A few versions do include the fourth, but it is used more in the manner of a passing tone or ornamentation. Joyce indicates that the transcription is from a combination of personal memory and several known versions, possibly alluding to the source of variations found in other known versions. This is also the case with McGlynn, though he intentionally omitted a line of the chorus (as will be discussed further in Chapter 6). The traditional music of Ireland carries with it a rich history. It is a living corpus of musical material that changes daily. The manner in which the music has changed over time and is affected by performers serves as a guide for those to come. Whether they choose to adhere to the tune with minimal embellishment or use only the text as their inspiration, the musicians who passed these songs through generations left a world of possibilities for subsequent performers. Many of the tunes found in the genre have been changed a multitude of times, and it is in this light that McGlynn approaches traditional music. He is not a purist and is not concerned with retaining the exact material as the
102
Thomas Moore, Alone in Crowds to Wander On, Moore's Irish Melodies With Symphonies and Accompaniments (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1893), 54-55.
65 collectors have recorded it. He often uses impressions or recollections of a tune and creates something different but recognizable. Through those changes, McGlynn has added to the traditional repertoire in a choral voice.
Michael McGlynn is known worldwide both for his arrangements of traditional Irish tunes and his original choral compositions. These arrangements have been a staple of the performance repertoire of Anna, and all levels of ensembles from amateur to professional and middle school to college perform them. His arrangements can be placed into two categories: arrangements of songs from the traditional Irish repertoire, and arrangements or reinterpretations of songs or chants from the Medieval period. In creating a traditional song arrangement, McGlynn admittedly does not attempt to preserve the original melody of the song. Rather, he strives to reinterpret the impression of the song by retaining something familiar. Many of his Irish traditional song settings come from his memory during his time at the Gaeltacht rather than from a specific source. One of the misapprehensions about my music is that I am not actually concerned with saving Irish traditional music; I am not a traditionalist. The only exposure I had [to traditional Irish song] was during my year at Coliste na Rinne in Dn Garbhn. The songs that I set are not from a specific collection; they are more impressions of the songs I remembered.103 His reinterpretations or arrangements of chant or medieval material all retain the original melody in some manner, and can be considerd arrangements. This chapter
103
Michael McGlynn, interview with author, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 2010.
66
67 includes discussions of !S do Mhaimeo and Siil, a Rin, from the traditional repertoire, and Cormacus Scripsit, from chant sources.
Traditional Repertoire !S do Mhaimeo Originating in 1839 !S do Mhaimeo (also known in traditional Irish music as Cailleach an Airgid or The Hag with the Money) is a spirited jig (a piping tune) that tells a tale of a young man in the village willing to do anything for money. McGlynn has set this tune for SATB chorus and a featured female solo. The solo is set in a manner that exaggerates the rhythmic vitality naturally found in the melodic line. When he first arranged this tune he was highly criticized for it: S do Mhaimeo is probably the most interesting example [of my arrangements] for which I was criticized. The original tune places large gaps in the middle of the phrase. When I thought about it in a choral setting I knew I could not do that. I would have had to place little vocal gymnastics in the breaks as to not stop the rhythm. So, what I did was, I took out the gaps. The result is something that is impossible to sing in one breath, but a choir can do it since they stagger the breaths. So therefore the piece works wonderfully as a choral piece, but it is not the piece it began as.104 The difference in rhythmic momentum is visible in the examples of the Joe Heaney performance (Example 6.1) and solo line from McGlynns choral arrangement (Example 6.2).
104
Joe Heaney, "Cailleach an Airgid," From My Tradition: The Best of Joe Heaney, 2005. Transcribed by author.
105
Throughout much of the arrangement, the chorus serves as both a harmonic foundation and a driving rhythmic force in its repetition of the text !S do Mhaimeo . The repeated articulation of the initial consonant (the ["] sound at the beginning of the phrase) during each repeat of the curf (chorus) is emphasized by offset rhythms within the parts (Example 6.3). McGlynns use of a dotted eighth note rhythm in the same sections serves as a variation from the melody line and assists in creating the forward motion of the tune.
106
Michael McGlynn, S do Mhaimeo (Dublin: Michael McGlynn & Warner Chappell, 1993).
While the harmonic support is unusual for what one might expect to hear in a traditional song arrangement, it is important to remember that this would have traditionally been performed unaccompanied. It is interesting that McGlynns use of parallel movement, often found in his original compositions, also characterizes the accompaniment now being added by traditional groups who are recording this music (Example 6.4). With the parallel motion, as well as the drone-like repetition of the bass line, McGlynn creates a modern arrangement using traditional ideas superimposed on ideas found both in traditional music and early art music. Both the parallel movement and the use of the drone would have also been found in piping tunes in Ireland.
Si do Mhaimeo - 6.2
Example 6.4. !S do Mhaimeo - McGlynn, parallel movement that concludes each verse, mm.11-12
Alto
71
b 6 &b 8
Tenor
b 6 V b 8 . ? bb 6 8 .
Ah
. .
Ah
. . .
Ah
. .
Ah
Bass
Ah
Ah
bb & Although McGlynn was not inclined to retain the original song, the choruss
4
of the solo tradition while still meeting his desire to create a choral arrangement. The choral parts are able to ?move with the soloist without disrupting the solos rhythmic
B
b Vb bb
motion (Example 6.5). The soloist is thus able to more freely negotiate the language and interpret the song. The chorus needs to be aware of where the language and harmonic stresses fall in the solo in order to align changes in the underlying chords.
Si do mahimeo
b &b 6 8 J b &b 6 8 .. b &b 6 8 b .
oo
Soprano 1
. . . .
J J . . . . . . . .
Soprano 2
Alto
Tenor
b Vb 6 8 . . ? bb 6 8
oo oo
oo
Bass
Through the use of the featured soloist, the intent and tradition of the song heritage has been maintained while being reinterpreted. The song reflects life in 1839 Ireland where the ladies would sit and gossip while working (See Table 6.1 for the translation).107 The chorus plays the role of townspeople reacting to a story they are being told.
Michael McGlynn, S do Mhaimeo (Dublin: Michael McGlynn & Warner Chappell, 1993). Translation is supplied with the score purchase
107
While the conductor and choir need not be fluent in Irish to perform Si do Mhaimeo , they must have a certain level of understanding of the flow of the language (an IPA transliteration can be found in Appendix C). If this is to be performed without a conductor (a viable option especially when performed with a smaller ensemble), the soloist needs to be able to lead the ensemble to the changes in harmony; the ensemble must listen intensely to the solo line, much in the same manner as a soloist leading to
74 harmonic changes during a recitative. When performed with a conductor, the conductor should follow the soloist and strive to join the two entities so they work as one unit. This arrangement is accessible to all levels of choirs and is intended to be fun. If a soloist is not able to sing the duration of the lines without taking a breath, she should take a breath that is percussive in nature and omit a syllable (marked syllable Example 6.6) in order to make the breath part of the phrase. In performance the chorus should be acutely aware of the places in the line where it is difficult for the soloist to project.
Example 6.6. S do Mhaimeo - McGlynn, example of syllable omission to facilitate breath, mm. 9-12
Siil, a Rin As was discussed in Chapter Five, Siil, a Rin dates from around 1700 and is seen as a remorseful song of farewell. The structure is a simple strophic verse with a refrain (Table 6.2). The difference here is that the verse is in English and the refrain is in Irish. Each statement of the verse has slight variations of rhythm and ornamentation which are dependent on the text. The chorus serves as accompaniment throughout the verses, creating the harmonic foundation for the soloist. In the refrain the chorus sings the text while maintaining a more or less homophonic structure. McGlynn purposefully deviated from the original tune by omitting the final line of the curf, Is go dte t mo mhuirnon slan (for you my darling will be).
Siil, a Rin is a moderately easy arrangement that can serve as an introduction to singing in the Irish language. The solo, while marked for mezzo-soprano, could also be sung by a soprano, as it is in a moderate tessitura. The chordal movements of the ensemble move logically and are in a moderate range.
Medieval Chant Source Cormacus Scripsit Cormacus Scripsit is an arrangement of a chant melody and text from notations on an Irish psalter. Completed around the twelfth century, the Psalter was probably in a library on the continent for much of the Middle Ages and rebound in the sixteenth century.108 The British Library acquired it in 1904.109 The source of the text (Table 6.3) and chant for McGlynns arrangement are from the final page of the manuscript (Figure 6.1). On this page Cormac, the scribe, writes to ask for prayers from those who read it.
William O'Sullivan, Manuscripts and palaeography, Vol. 1, in A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, ed. Dibhi Crinn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 533. Sarah Biggs (Catalog of Illuminated Manuscripts, British Library), email communication regarding the manuscript, March 17, 2010.
109
108
76
The source document is held in the British Library. The title appears as Psalter in all reference books and catalogs. Reference Add 36929 British Library Catalog. O Sullivan refers to it as the Cormac Psalter. An illuminated manuscript, the braid-like lines appear in red as do parts of the large first letters.
110
In McGlynns arrangement of this medieval chant he demonstrates his affinity for ancient musical forms and structures. Cormacus Scripsit is in a ternary form in which each large section is comprised of several smaller subsections (Table 6.4). The end of the first section is delineated by a tonal shift, and the final section is set off from the previous by a caesura. In this way his intent of framing the original chant (Theme B) is realised.111 McGlynn composed two parts of the thematic material, Themes A and C, which are related to the original melody, Theme B, through the use of similar tonal centers and melodic motion. McGlynn states that in placing his own arrangement around the original it causes people to look at the image in the middle. The basis for this arrangement is the medieval lyric idea of taking a Christian image and hiding it within the context of a natural environment... This constant taking of nature and using it to amplify the message of the central Christian conceit is the basis of the form.112
111 112
Michael McGlynn, interview with author, Dublin, Ireland, November 2009. Ibid.
78 Table 6.4. Cormacus Scripsit, form m. 1 Theme A, McGlynn Opening statement A m. 9 Theme A doubled at the fifth m. 14 Theme A altered ending m. 17 Theme B, Chant motive B m. 23 Theme C, McGlynn Chant motive m. 28 Tutti entrance Theme B variation Theme C, augmented C m. 38 Theme A, as in opening statement m. 42 Theme A, doubled at the fifth
Lyrics by: [Lyricist]
Over drone Drone doubled at octave Aleatoric figure Drones and fifths return
Cormacus examples
Cormacus examples
3
b 4 & b b 4 .
Cor
Example 6.7. Cormacus Scripsit, Theme A, mm. 2-5 3 Lyrics by: [Lyricist]
Music by: [Composer 3 3 b 4 Arranged by [Arranger ! . U U & b b 4 . ! ! & Cor - ma - cus Scrip - sit hoc psal - ter - i - um Example 6.8. Cormacus Scripsit , 3 Theme B, mm. 18 3 n Corb - ma4 - cus Scrip - sit hoc Psal - ter - i - um o - ra pro e - o b ! n n . & b 4 . U U 3 ! -, - cusScrip - sit hoc & - ter - i - um ! psal Cor ma ! & Cor - ma - cus Scrip - sit hoc Psal - ter - i - um o - ra pro e - o 3 UiU Cor - ma - cus Scrip - sit hoc Psal ter um ! ! & 3 , 2 ! e- & Cor - ma - cus Scrip - sit hoc Psal - ter - i - um o - ra pro o ! & 3 6.9. Cormacus Scripsit, Theme C, mm. 23 Example Cor - ma - cus Scrip - sit hoc Psal i um 3 ter , ! & 2 & Cor - ma 3 - cus Scrip - sit hoc Psal ! - ter i um Lyrics by: [Lyricist]
2
.
-
nnn
Theme A (seen in Example 6.7) is in G Phrygian. The addition of the doubled theme a
! The use of thematic material is quite unique throughout Cormacus Scripsit. &
79 fifth above and the drone an octave below serve to further reinforce the tonal center, one of the compositional aspects that allows this melody to appear original (Example 6.10).
Cormacus 6.5
Lyrics by: [Lyricist] Music by: [Composer]
Tenor
b . V b b c . ? b c w bb w
5
Arranged by [Arranger] Example 6.10. Cormacus Scripsit, Theme A doubled, mm. 10-13
Cor
.. w w
Bass
Cor
ma cus Scrip
sit
hoc
ma cus Scrip
sit
w w
psal
ter
um
Theme B, found in the alto (Example 6.8), and Theme C, the soprano solo (Example ? 6.9), both carry into the final section where they develop and sound
B
b Vb b bbb
simultaneously. Theme B is used as a cantus firmus in the alto, where it is doubled in duration and then varied at the fifth in the soprano. Theme C then moves into the mezzosoprano voice and is used in an augmented form (Example 6.11). The use of Theme A at the beginning and the end creates an arch form.
Cormacus 6.8
Lyrics by: [Lyricist]
Example 6.11. Cormacus Scripsit, Themes B and C in variation, mm. 28-30 Arranged by [Arranger]
Soprano
& &
. . . . !
MzS.
Alto
& V
Theme B derived
Tenor
80
S.
F ensure that intervals are well tuned. notes may take the open . Sliding between and perfect MzS. . &
28
metrical manner.- In preparing Cormacus for performance, special care must be taken to Cor ma cus Scrip sit hoc psal - ter - i - um
&
28
tutti The
greatest difficulty lies in conducting the chant in a non for the conductor
o - ra
time to Cor perfect, so move precisely 6.12). - that the mamen cus Scrip - (Example sit
A.
F &
Cor -
hoc
psal - ter
um
o - ra
T.
i -
um
o - ra
B.
f ? W W f
Oh* Oh* 32
. .
W W
S.
ra pro - ce se
MzS.
Through these melodies, his& repertoire. he has taken a body ofmusic not known to the
vast majority of the public and created arrangements that are to the public through the
pro e o qui le gis hec o
32
. .
. .
o
ra pro - ce -
se
A.
.
o
ra pro - ce -
se
qui
le
gis
hec
T.
V W ? W W
W W W
. ..
w w w
B.
Michael McGlynns original choral output can be divided into three categories of composition, each with a different genesis of inspiration: traditional, natural, and spiritual. All three categories are influenced by Irish culture in different ways. The traditional music is drawn from the ancient song and poetic traditions of his country. The natural compositions are an attempt to audibly depict the physical beauty of Ireland. With the spiritual compositions McGlynn creates music that draws upon Irelands ancient culture; he creates the sensation of his connection to something far greater than himself. Of the three categories of music, McGlynn considers the natural and spiritual compositions linked together: The spiritual music, not sacred, is usually informed by using some kind of religious text, but the text is something that is not necessarily set in a manner that is religious; it is set in a contemplative way. We look at the ideas behind the text, and through those we find hopefully a greater truth. That is exactly the way that I set the secular texts.... Secular [music] uses tonal language to produce the thought of something existing beyond this world, a secular text with almost no spiritual input to show an almost pantheistic place where God exists in everything. I respond to the text, and that is the key.113 McGlynns original compositions consist of psalm settings, mass movements, settings of other sacred texts, works with his own texts, and settings of texts by famous Irish philosophers and poets. He has set texts in Irish, Early Irish, Middle Irish, Latin, Spanish,
113
Michael McGlynn, Interview with author, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, February 2010.
81
82 French, Auvergnat, Greek, Italian, Swedish, Breton, Scots Gaelic, Middle English, and English.
Traditional Works McGlynn chooses on occasion to create new compositions that could be perceived as arrangements of Irish songs. These works are not arrangements, but are complete reinterpretations of a song or, in the case of Dlamn, entirely original using only a traditional text. The melodies in this kind of McGlynns compositions are often confused with existing traditional songs, maybe with a few deviations. In fact they are not traditional songshe is not a traditionalist and is not concerned with maintaining the song tradition. His intent is to create new choral music that fits into the overall vocal tradition of Ireland. People just assume that I have just found a living version. In fact I have done what has made solo traditional music so viable: I have created a new version. I take the songs and reinterpret them in a new way. My priority is always to create a choral version that works.114 Dlamn Dlamn is a well-known song in the traditional Irish repertoire. However, McGlynns setting bears no resemblance to the original tune. The Amhrain Chuige Uladh, as compiled by Mith,115 includes a version of the tune (Example 7.1) that has been recorded by several contemporary traditional Irish music groups, including Altan,
114
Michael McGlynn, Interview with author, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, February 2010. Muireadhach Mith compiled traditional Irish songs in the 1970s and 1980s.
115
83 Clannad, and the Kingston Cil Band. In these versions the tune is a reel in a moderate lilting tempo, a far cry from McGlynns setting of this same text.
. . . . 2 . &4 . # . .
A n ghin mh n ! Sin a nall na fir shu r ghe A mha thair mh n
6
McGlynn firstroith drawn the ! was Cuir mo lean to go this dt text me. because D laof m the n nainflection binn e bu of dhe d Irish la m
& . . .
. .
. .
n a
Gaodh lach,
. . j & . . . The Irish is intricately placed in thefast-changing the language that most intrigued him.
13 language. When he set this text in 1995 for a male ensemble, it was in fact the rhythm of
la m n
na
binn
e buidhe,
du
la man
Goadh
lach.
meter to accentuate the natural syllabic stresses (Example 7.2). In his version the tenor solo sings the bulk of the text, while the chorus refrain is rhythmically energized with a limited amount of Irish (Example 7.3).
116
Muireadhach Mith, Dlamn, Amhrin Chige Uladh (Baile tha Cliath: Gilbert Dalton, Michael McGlynn, Dlamn (Dublin: Michael McGlynn and Warner Chappell, 1995).
1977).
117
84