Celtic Music: Traditional vs. New Age and Modern Jillian Cole Music 12 December 14 th 2009

Celtic Music Music of the Celts * Can be pronounced with a hard or soft “c” Solo performance is preferred but ensembles are common * Many different genres within “Celtic music”

Instruments * Harp Fiddle Flute and whistle Uilleann pipes Accordion Guitar Bodhran Vocals Occasionally Cello

But Is It Really Celtic? The actual Celts (diverse group of tribal societies around 1200 BC) all died out before we had any real way of knowing what their music sounded like. A more appropriate term would be traditional (depending on form). This lead some people to think that Celtic music is just another brand of folk music and should not be referred to as Celtic at all.

The Variety of Genres Within Celtic Music Celtic music has several different genres which is amusing considering it is a genre of music itself The main three in this presentation are Traditional, New Age and Modern.

Traditional

Celtic Woman Made up of four vocalist and one fiddle player * Have released four albums and have sold 50 million records worldwide Have toured with Riverdance and Lord of the Dance

The Chieftains Flute, tin whistle, bodhran, fiddle, vocals and uilleann pipes Formed in 1962 They are said to have brought Irish music to the world’s attention * 6 Grammys

Dance and Ceili Music Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes main dances * Used in competition or for Ceilis (usually group dances) Traditional dances (the music and steps are always the same)* Set dances (different steps and music) Competition instruments are usually accordion, fiddle, keyboard or flute

Pub Music Traditional Celtic music is often heard in pubs Many classic songs were written to be played in pubs such as the Blackbird This might be why there are so many reels titled “The Drunken ____”

New Age

Main Focus* Used to create inspiration, to focus and relax Most commonly used in meditation and yoga Stress management Hypnotic feeling Used for healing Many popular themes used

Enya Vocalist from Ireland Started by doing the soundtrack for the documentary “Celts” Was also featured in Lord of the Rings She is often described as New Age but her Irish roots give it an Irish feel (when she uses Gaelic)*

Modern

The Corrs Celtic rock group Add a celtic twist to their pop songs* Vocals, tin whistle, drums, percussion, bodhran, electric guitar, keyboards They were around before Riverdance so it was a new sound for many people

Riverdance The craze of Riverdance also brought attention to the amazing music featured inside. It used vocals, drums, fiddles, whistles and flutes.

Main Points to Remember TraditionalModern Traditional instruments Tunes that have been around for centuries More western style Pop songs with a Celtic vibe