# Can You Introduce Me to Celtic Folk Music?



## Conrad2 (Jan 24, 2021)

I'm not exposed to Celtic music, but after listening to The Gloaming album the contemporary version of the genre, I found the language and the melody to be beautiful and it remind me of the fiddle in American folk music.






Given that I don't have a lot of knowledge regarding this genre, I am wondering if there are music lover of this genre willing to introduce to wonderful music tradition of the British Isles. If I used the wrong terms please excuse my transgressions.

I did some prior research about the genre. From my reading, the genre cover a diverse region in Europe from Galicia to Brittany to Ireland, where they are strong difference between the different region. To add to the confusion, within region there are also different style of music.

In Ireland, it's general agreed that is an oral music of the rural common folks for social gathering and its musical structure is symmetrical, while rhythm differs significantly among songs, where faster tempo tend to be for instrumental dance songs while slower tempo is for lullaby. String and wind instruments are the main component of the music. (Source)

In Brittany, the music differ by dioceses where there is a fusion of English and French music. Dancing seems to play an important role as unlike other regions, people are encouraged to sing ballads while dancing. Women are also encouraged to sing. There are different categories of song, such as Lan ha diskan which is sang by two people in a responsive fashion, Gwerz - songs about legends, and Son which are other songs such as drinking and love songs. There are also unique instruments such as the Biniou koz and Bombarde, Veuze, Vielle à roue, and the telemn. To me the Vielle à roue or hurdy-gurdy is the most interesting instrument out of the bunch. Also there are different categories of dancing such as line/circle dance, figure dances, and foreign intorduced dancing such as mazurka. The Breton music was in danger of dying out as it was viewed as backward but undergo a folk revival due to interest in native heritage. (Source)

For Welish music, couldn't find anything so have to rely on Wikipedia. It seems that music revolves around pagan season ceremonies. There is a strong presence of choir for religious purpose. However, the British suppress the music and much of the traditional roots has been lost as it converted for secular use. During the 1960/ there was a revial of traditional music as new artist added their own florishes. The most common Welsh songs are love songs then ballad. The harp is considered the cornerstone of Welsh music.

For Scottish music, there are Waulking songs which are nonsensical mixture of words and syllables traditionally song by women handling Tweed. There are also Gaelic psalm singing. The harp, the fiddle, and bagpipes are the main instruments of Scotland. (Source)

For Spanish music, cannot find anything so back to Wikipedia. Not a lot of info available due to the chaotic period and oral style. There was a revival of the music after the fall of Francisco Franco. Musician used bagpipes, Shawn, and the violin. Percussion, notably played a role here. The most common song is the muineria which is a form of dancing music that is played at a fast tempo. There is also alalá a form of chanting music.

So conclude a summary of what I have learned regarding Celtic music, and you may click on the source links or go to Wikipedia to learn more as I skip over some information.

For the purpose of this thread, *I'm primarily interested in the Celtic folk music of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales*, although I welcome the other region music.

So what *albums or artists* should I listen to? Any good online sources on this genre? Basic history, cultural, and music facts about this genre I should know?

Thanks for reading this. Look forward to discover new music.


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

I'm sorry I'm not an expert of celtic music. I listen to random playlists on youtube. But if you're interested, I know other types of northern european folk music which are very interesting even if a bit weird sometimes, as they are basically Viking Music.

Icelandic Folk Song:






Swedish folk ballad covered by the band Garmarna, the story is interesting since it is believed to show the conflicts between pagans (the troll lady) and christians (the knight), you can find better sound quality of these but I put you the video with lyrics:






Another swedish folk ballad by the same band:






And now a very special band who's trying to keep northern european folklore alive, since it has been destroyed by christianism:
Heilung is an experimental folk music band made up of members from Denmark, Norway, and Germany. Their music is based on texts and runic inscriptions from Germanic peoples of the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Viking Age. Heilung describe their music as "amplified history from early medieval northern Europe".






I know this is not what you were looking for, yet I think it might be interesting.


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## Conrad2 (Jan 24, 2021)

Amadea said:


> I'm sorry I'm not an expert of celtic music. I listen to random playlists on youtube. But if you're interested, I know other types of northern european folk music which are very interesting even if a bit weird sometimes, as they are basically Viking Music.
> 
> Icelandic Folk Song:
> 
> ...


Thank you! I was not expecting this, but I really appreciate your suggestions for northern European folk music. It's nice to discover other cultures music. I will listen to them.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

*Altan* are an Irish folk music band formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband Frankie Kennedy. The group were primarily influenced by traditional Irish language songs from Donegal and have sold over a million records.

The group were the first traditional Irish group to be signed to a major label when they signed with Virgin Records in 1994.











"Green Grow the Rushes" was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Listen to Altan's Island Angel album. It's fantastic!


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

*The Bothy Band* was an Irish traditional band active during the mid 1970s. It quickly gained a reputation as one of the most influential bands playing Irish traditional music. Their enthusiasm and musical virtuosity had a significant influence on the Irish traditional music movement that continued well after they disbanded in 1979.






The instrument that you see to the left at the :52 second mark is uilleann pipes being played by Paddy Keenan. Uilleann is pronounced "ill - in" or "Ill -lee-an" depending on where you're from. Uilleann pipes consist of a chanter, drones, and regulators. It has a range of two full octaves including sharps and flats. The tone of the uilleann pipes is unlike that of many other forms of bagpipes. They have a different harmonic structure, sounding sweeter and quieter than many other bagpipes, such as the Great Irish warpipes, Great Highland bagpipes or the Italian zampognas.






This is a Sean-nós song sung in Irish (Gaeilge) which is distinct from Puirt à beul which is sung in Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) - For the most part, Irish speakers cannot understand Scottish Gaelic.

The instrument that you see at the far left when in group shot is an Irish bouzouki which is an adaptation of the original Greek instrument designed and being played by Dónal Lunny who who replaced the octave strings on the two lower G and D courses with unison strings, thus reinforcing their lower frequencies.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

This is a clip of Blackie O'Connell on Irish pipes with Cyril O'Donoghue on bouzouki.

A Fleadh is an Irish festival - it's pronounced "flah".

In a pub, a gathering of musicians is a "trad session" or more commonly, just "session".

There's nearly always an unspoken hierarchy at play at sessions which generally takes the form of beginner or inexperienced musicians giving way to the more seasoned session players or musicians.

The Irish sense of ómós (oh-mohs, like the mos sound in most) or respect is a very strong element of trad sessions and is the underlying theme of nearly every session worth being at.

You'll see it very markedly if an older more venerable musician happens to be about. All other players defer to him or her regardless of their expertise and they will try to ensure that their playing be a sort of tribute to that musician.

A _Cèilidh_ is a traditional Irish or Scottish social gathering with dancing and playing - in any environment ranging from someone's living room to a parish hall or concert stage.


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