The Sound of Old Ireland - Take A Musical Trip

Introduction

I spent most of my childhood on a little island called Prince of Wales, and every month, one of the neighboring towns would host what was called the “Island Grind.” Musicians from across the island would sign up to play all kinds of music–unless, of course, the month was March. During the third month of the year, the Grind was solely dedicated to one specific genre. In honor of March and the island I miss dearly, I would like to tell you about the history of Celtic music, with an emphasis on Irish traditional folk music. 

Origins

The Celts were a large group of tribes that lived in Europe, from countries such as Britain to Spain. They inhabited most of Western Europe until the Roman Empire took over the people and their culture; however, this did not stop many Celtic traditions from living on in today’s world. 

While Celtic music has influenced many newer styles of music that we listen to today, and is also present in regions such as Wales and Brittany, it is most familiar in Scotland and Ireland. You may recognize Scottish Celtic music by the distinct sound of bagpipes, or Irish Celtic music by jigs and reels. 

Music is extremely important to Irish culture because, for a long time, it was the only way stories were passed down from generation to generation. There was little to no writing, only songs that told tales both real and imaginary. 

Style

Celtic music uniquely puts aside the otherwise traditional idea of harmonizing in a song. Though musicians are encouraged to play by ear, the goal is to play in unison with other instruments. Harmony does exist in Celtic music, but it is more common for every instrument and voice to be performing the same melody. 

Much of Celtic music is instrumental, common to be used for jigs and reels, which are specifically designed for dancing. A single jig is played in 12/8 time, a double jig is played in 6/8 time, and a reel is played in 4/4 time. The Gothard Sisters give a helpful analysis of the difference between the two meters. “The Fastest Reel In the West” shows a nice representation of what a traditional Irish dance looks like. 

Of course, there is also plenty of vocalizing in Celtic music as well, whether it is along with an upbeat jig or presented with a style of singing called Sean-nós. This is the sad, ethereal side of Irish and Celtic music, typically sung in a solo a capella ballad. 

Instruments

Old Celtic instruments include the fiddle, the Irish harp, the bodhrán, the wooden flute, the tin whistle (or penny whistle), and the Uilleann pipes. Over the last century, Irish music has also adopted the concertina or accordion, guitar, banjo, and bouzouki. All of these instruments are meant to contribute to the togetherness of a Celtic tune. Tin and penny whistles provide the sweet, melodic high pitches, and Uilleann pipes are the familiar droning that bring some of us to the rolling, green hills of Ireland. The bodhrán keeps a steady beat and acts somewhat like a base underneath the melody.

Songs

Here I have chosen three songs that differ greatly from one another, yet still individually represent Celtic culture well. The first song is an instrumental jig called “The Kesh.” It is not clear when exactly this tune came to be, but it is a well-known melody and is great for dancing. Though the fiddle sounds to me like the leading instrument of the song, you may notice that each instrument has a somewhat of a “turn” to shine. You may also notice that the instruments are mostly playing the same melody together, rather than attempting to harmonize with each other, as was mentioned earlier. The overall timbre of the song is bright, with loud dynamics and a cheerful demeanor. Dancing is an extremely significant activity in Celtic culture, and I can only imagine the thousands of nights that men and women danced to “The Kesh” on wooden floors. 

Another type of music mentioned above is Sean-nós singing: a single voice, typically telling an old tale. Stories are surely the most important aspect to preserving Celtic culture, as they were passed down orally for centuries. Here is a video of Irish singer Liam Ó Maonlaí giving a quiet performance of “Sadhbh Ní Bhruinneallaigh,” a song that tells of a sea captain attempting to woo a woman. This song is much softer than the previous song I showed you, and you might even say that they are two completely different styles of music. The dynamics are quiet and gentle; his voice is clean and smooth. This is my favorite part of Irish and Celtic music–an ethereal voice singing in a language I do not know. 

The third and final song is called “Song for Ireland,” performed by the Dubliners, who were an influential band in popularizing modern Irish music. The song is about a man who has left Ireland to travel the world, but remains loyal to his love for the Irish country. The singer’s voice is a bit more grungy, and the volume of the song changes between soft and loud throughout, but it is still emotive in expressing the longing for one’s homeland. I also love the contrast between the singer’s gristly voice and the tin whistle that opens and plays throughout the song. 

Conclusion

Ireland and its people have suffered through many centuries of difficult times, yet in spite of that, or perhaps even because of that, they have managed to keep hold of their precious stories through song and dance. 

Sources

Alysia Shinaberry. “What Is Celtic Music?” study.com, 2022. https://study.com/learn/lesson/celtic-music-history-style-instruments.html. 

Anraí, Róisín. “Uilleann Pipes - Traditional Irish Instruments - About Irish Music.” Your Irish Culture, 2 Mar. 2020, www.yourirish.com/culture/music/uilleann-pipes.

Bouzouki. hobgoblin.com/instruments/instrument/bouzouki.

Claddagh Design. “Traditional Irish Music: What’s It All About?” Claddagh Design, 3 Nov. 2017, www.claddaghdesign.com/blogs/irish-interest/traditional-irish-music-whats-it-all-about#:~:text=Although%20there%20are%20many%20aspects,of%20the%20population%20were%20literate.

Craig Duncan - Topic. “The Kesh Jig/the Monaghan/Morrison’s Jig (Medley).” YouTube, 9 Feb. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDBUhEfWUbU.

Croft, Celtic. “What Makes Celtic Music Unique?” Kilts-n-Stuff.com, 23 Feb. 2021, kilts-n-stuff.com/what-makes-celtic-music-unique.

CR’s Video Vaults. “The Fastest Reel in the West, Ireland 1972.” YouTube, 7 May 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BesFBLsmwns.

Dan Hanson. “Difference Between Irish Reel and Jig - Gothard Sisters.” YouTube, 13 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo_AJQBxZ3c.

Ireland Scenery, Irish HD Wallpaper | Pxfuel. www.pxfuel.com/en/desktop-wallpaper-qkgig.

IrishCentral Staff. “History of the Beloved &Quot;Song for Ireland&Quot;” IrishCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2023, www.irishcentral.com/culture/song-for-ireland.

O’Connor, William. “The Ancient Art of the Celtic People (PHOTOS).” The Daily Beast, 12 July 2017, www.thedailybeast.com/the-ancient-art-of-the-celtic-people-photos.

Old claddagh films page - We’ve moved! “Liam Ó’Maonlaí Sings Sean Nós in Galway.” YouTube, 30 Nov. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Tt9HgPXDo.

Romer, Megan. “Irish Music 101.” LiveAbout, 25 Feb. 2019, www.liveabout.com/irish-music-basics-3552968#:~:text=Instrumentation,bouzouki%20(a%20large%20mandolin).

Shane Mallon. “The Dubliners-Song for Ireland (Lyrics).” YouTube, 30 June 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_K1fMelHq8.

“Traditional Musical Instruments, in Old Art Print by the Irish Image Collection.” Fine Art America, 23 Mar. 2023, fineartamerica.com/featured/traditional-musical-instruments-in-old-the-irish-image-collection-.html?product=art-print.

The History of the Banjo - Innovations and Evolutions

Introduction

When you think of the banjo, what comes to mind? Perhaps you imagine it playing to the tune of an upbeat bluegrass song, along with fiddles, guitars, upright basses, and loud harmonies. It has a distinct, rich sound, and the song is hardly a bluegrass song without its lovely banjo contributing to the compilation of musical instruments. 

Even if a different image came to your mind--an Indie folk song, a solo player--it's likely that you didn't think of the banjo as an ancient African instrument. Its popularity as a bluegrass and folk instrument has diminished our knowledge of its origin in West Africa. That said, let us delve deeper into the peculiar history of the banjo. 

The Evolution of the Banjo

Now, I did say that the banjo originated in West Africa, but that's not entirely true. It is difficult to name an exact location in which the banjo was first made, because there are many varieties of the instrument all over Africa. Possibly the most direct ancestor is the akonting, still played today in Gambia, West Africa. It has a gourd covered in tight animal skin, a bridge with three strings, and players strum the banjo's top string with their thumb--much like they do with the modern American banjo. 

Still, the akonting is not the only variation of the banjo, as they all had at least one thing in common: animal skin. Typically, a stringed instrument would be made of something hard, like wood or steel, but the banjo is uniquely made of flexible material. 

When people from West and Central Africa were taken from their homes and forced to become the slaves of American landowners far across the other end of the sea, they had to leave their instruments behind with everything else. I can only imagine how desperately they longed for something that sounded like home, yet there was no familiar handcrafted instrument in sight. 

It wasn't long before the itch to pluck strings resulted in a new creation--their old instruments were left behind, but perhaps they could make something similar. The gourds became calabashes, the elephant and camel hair became horse hair and vines, and the akonting became what the Americans called a "banjo." Soon enough, every plantation was filled with the soft echo of banjo strings. 

It doesn't stop there. The banjo became so popular and familiar that even white Americans grew curious and started attending concerts to see the black people play. In fact, some of them began to dress up as slaves, painting their faces black and playing their own banjo to gain attention. One of these men, Joel Walker Sweeney, made a living out of playing the banjo, eventually adding a famous fifth string to his own. In fact, because of this, many people were led to believe that Sweeney invented the banjo, robbing its history as an African instrument. 

As the white Americans became more interested, so evolved the African banjo. In 1837, the metal drumhead tensioning rod improved the usability of the banjo and made it much easier to tune. Banjos were being crafted in batches rather than one at a time, and makers started to paint them white--perhaps a crude metaphor as it changed from an African instrument to a white American instrument. 

The banjo continued to evolve through 1840 to 1880, becoming close to what it is today. The little handmade instruments that were played by slaves in plantations lost their connection to the white version of the banjo, and the rest of America lost interest in hearing the slaves play. Eventually, in the mid 1900s, bluegrass music erupted and became one of the most popular styles of music starring the banjo. 

It is a sad, angering story, but hopefully with a redemptive ending. The more people who know about the true history of the banjo, perhaps starting with this blog, the more credit is given where credit is due. The banjo may be a folk instrument, but it still carries the history of old Africa, and we must never forget that.

 

Musical Elements 

Rather than discussing the changes in musical elements regarding the evolution of the banjo, I would like to note the similarities. I found a video of Ekona Diatta playing a beautiful song called "Gambia" on his akonting, and it is the best representation I can find of what an old, pre-America akonting would have sounded like. And, in case you need a reminder of what the modern banjo sounds like, "Laundry Room" by the Avett brothers highlights many of the wonderful things that a banjo can do. 

Timbre - Between the akonting and the banjo, the instrument never lots its metallic, bubbly sound. I believe it's the softer, stretched material that makes its sound so unique from other stringed instruments. There could be a room packed full of all sorts of loud instruments, with only one banjo being played, and I can always hear the popping of its strings over everything else. 

Articulation - While the notes of a banjo are loud and distinct, they still connect with each other well. The transition from one note to another is not necessarily smooth like a violin, but it still seems to blend nicely in both of the example videos I provided. The banjo has a bit of an echo after the initial note is played, drawing all the notes together in a pleasant harmony. 

Conclusion

The history of the banjo is devastating to learn about. Black slaves recreated their instruments as a way to relieve their suffering through the process of dehumanization and tragedy, only to have that taken by the white people along with everything else. The least we can do today is give a tiny portion of it back and relearn the history of the ever-loved banjo. 

Sources

“Banjo Images – Browse 9,904 Stock Photos, Vectors, and Video.” Adobe Stock, stock.adobe.com/search?k=banjo.

CardinalSessions. “The Avett Brothers - Laundry Room - CARDINAL SESSIONS.” YouTube, 8 Apr. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCozYHhlme8.

Chuck Levy. “Ekona Diatta Plays ‘Gambia’  on the Akonting (Ekonting) June 2007.” YouTube, 25 Mar. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCpjVrGDNk. 

Green-Townsend, Donna. “Akonting Archives - Donna Green-Townsend.” Donna Green-Townsend, 27 Mar. 2008, donnagreentownsend.com/tag/akonting/#.ZAKg3ezMKrc.

Marks, Ben. “Strummin’ on the Old Banjo: How an African Instrument Got a Racist Reinvention.” Collectors Weekly, www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/how-the-african-banjo-got-a-racist-reinvention.

Storyteller. “Was the Banjo Created by Slaves Based on Instruments From Africa? - Black Then.” Black Then, 26 Mar. 2020, blackthen.com/was-the-banjo-created-by-slaves-based-on-instruments-from-africa.

tyler@betterbythought.com. “The History of the Banjo: The Evolution of the 5 String Twang - StringVibe.” StringVibe, 16 Sept. 2021, www.stringvibe.com/history-of-the-banjo/#:~:text=The%20Banjo%20was%20inspired%20by,resemblance%20to%20the%20modern%20banjo.