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My repertoire includes a few traditional Irish songs, as well as original
compositions based on my Irish heritage and inspired by my travels in
Ireland. I had the great pleasure to tour Ireland for the United States
State Department presenting American music and culture. In the process
I was presented with an experience that will not soon be forgotten. A
few of these songs are presented on this special Irish Guitar Music feature
page.
Historically, the three instruments that come to mind when one thinks
of Irish music are the pipes, the penny whistle and the harp. I'll confine
this discussion to the harp because that is where a substantial amount
of the music comes from and also, this is the music that best transcribes
to the guitar. Musical "jobs" of yore in Ireland fell to the harpists.
They would travel from manor house to manor house, earn their keep for
a while, write a few ditties dedicated to the lord of the manor, and then,
before their welcome was used up, travel to the next manor house or village
faire. As it turns out many of them were blind. That probably had to do
with the fact that there were very few other jobs a blind person could
do in a basically agrarian and very poor society. Out of the harpist rich
tradition came a wealth of enduring music. Common dedications were to
those of the manor house born and of course, to whiskey!
The Irish folk song Danny Boy, also known as Londonderry Air,
has become an anthem of the overseas Irish for their homeland. It appears
there is some doubt about whether it is an Irish song at all. (It might
have migrated from America or much worse...might actually be English!)
But, most believe the melody to have first appeared in Bunting's book,
"A Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland". Danny Boy
is apparently one of 100 songs set to the same melody. I have no idea
if that is actually true, but it does seem to me that there might be a
wee bit of exaggeration.
In the early 80's I toured Ireland, where I found that the Irish, like
a Greek named Zorba, dance their troubles away. This was the inspiration
for Farrell's Jig, written in the grand tradition of the Emerald
Isle.
The Irish Lament, what can I say? The Irish part of me is as morose
as anybody from the Emerald Isle (especially after a couple of whiskeys
accompanied by that Irish food in a glass, Guinness). The Irish vacillate
between two basic moods. One, sad and self-absorbed, probably has to do
with the gray weather. The other is the twinkle in the eye and the gift
of the gab. The Irish must have invented the lament; it would be lamentable
if they didn't! And after a jig, a pint and another jig, one usually does
have something to lament.
Terrence Farrell
| TROUBADOUR |  |
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P.O. Box 6543, Carmel, CA 93921
tfarrell@terrencefarrell.com
www.terrencefarrell.com
Copyright © 2000-2024 Terrence Farrell. All rights reserved.