Celtic Music, A discussion about Celtic music

[SgKtty]

Hello,
I'm doing a HUGE music project for my English clas. And, my topic is on Celtic Music! (YAY) Unfortunatly, I'm not too informed on information about Celtic Music, so if anyone could let me know anything at all that they know about Celtic Music, I would be VERY thankful!!!

Thanks very much, and I hope to hear from someone soon!

~*SgKtty*~

[Avonlea22]

Well, let me be the first to welcome you here to the forum. I hope you stick around and enjoy the place, even after your paper is done.

What type of information are you looking for?

[SgKtty]

I'm looking for information on popular bands..., the history of it.... , what type of people listen to it and the culture of the Genre (Celtic Music)...So in other words I'm looking for any information on it

Anything you could tell me would be totally great.

~*SgKtty*~

PS: thanks for the welcome

[Avonlea22]

Well, I can tell you why I listen to it:

I just like the sound of Celtic music. I first "discovered" celtic music through the artist Enya, whom to many is considered New Age in some circles. This was over 10 years ago now. It wasn't until just about a year ago or so that I discovered more traditional music. My Grandfather was born in Ireland, and emmigrated to the U.S. I found out that because he was born there, I was eligible for Irish Citizenship. When I became interested in obtaining my Citizenship, I also started listening more to traditional celtic music. I guess I wanted to further enrich my roots, so to speak.

Last December, I got married. My wife also enjoyed celtic music. We both really liked a group called The Rankin Family from Canada. Thier music is labeled more often as "Cape Breton Celtic", because of their particular style. Cape Breton is in Nova Scotia (Literally translated it means New Scotland) ,Canada. Their music has a distinct sound to it, but remains true to the Celtic spirit. My wife and I started frequenting an Irish pub which had live celtic music 5 nights a week. We would go once, sometimes twice a week to listen to local artists, and their music was mostly traditional. We both enjoy it immensley.

In July I discovered this site while searching for other Celtic music to try. Since then, I've been exposed to so much wonderful music that I may not have had the opportunity to listen to anywhere else. I still lean towards the New Age celtic music a bit more, such as Enya, Moya Brenan, David Arkenstone and others, but I do enjoy the traditional music too. I've also come around to the sound of bagpipes. I used to loathe the sound, but it has grown on me since I've been here; enough that I've even purchased CD's that are mainly bagpipe music.

Celtic music moves me in a way that no other music does. I'm not sure if it's because I have roots in Ireland and Scotland, or if it's just the music. I listen to it all the time, and generally, it's the only music I listen to.

I hope this helps you out a bit. If I think of more, I'll post.

[Aaediwen]

Celtic music is music of stories, music of history. Not much is known of where the Celts came from, but at one time they covered much of Europe. This is in a time before written history, a time when much was not understood. Even later, when history started being recorded, most people were illiterrate. During this time, history was passed by storytellers. Either with or without musical accompanyment. From what I gather, people of this practice are the true bards. They passed the history in tales and song. Over time, these tales became embellished and ordinary people became great characters. These old stories survive in modern times, and many can be found here on Highlander, immortalised by the magic of recorded media.

Over time, people kept writing songs and telling tales of current events, as well as re-telling the tales of old, so the body of songs and tales grew. Indeed it continues to grow today. There are songs within the Celtic genre of music marking events and stories from every period of history. Both world Wars, 9/11, Civil wars on two continants, the potato famine, the plauge, 1960's life, feudal farm life, Australian exile... They're all here, recorded as people experienced it, not only as the press and politics would have you see it. And as people retell these stories, they put their own feelings into it. Listen to these songs, and you can feel the pain, the joy, the laughter, and the cries. You can hear how harsh immigrant life in the new world really was amidst the joys and promise of a new life for example.

But there is more to the story than that. So long as there is imagination. So long as people breathe, the story of music will be never-ending. So is the case with Celtic music. Although the genre is older than the written word, it's also younger than the couple courting in the field. Through history, everyone who has told a tale, adds their own style to what they tell. That is influenced by what they hear, and see, and in turn influences others. When the Celts came to America, they found themselves in an explosion of cultures. Styles of music an histories from all over the world mixed and mingled, and Celtic music was no exception. Elements from other parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Orient mixed with the Celtic style to give birth to such things as Blues, Jazz, Cajun, Bluegrass, and Rock and Roll. Many of these have since carried their Celtic roots and spawned even more genres as people spread, and interact more and more.

Now this is, to some extent, comming full circle. The modern bards and storytellers who are keeping the old destinctly Celtic style and stories alive, are hearing and influenced by all of these new styles. These styles of music, such as Rock for example, are being incorporated into these retellings and giving birth to such things as the Celtic Rock.

This is a summary of much of what I've learned. There is more I could say here as well. Hope it helps

[SgKtty]

Thank you SOOOOOO much, this information will really help me!!! And, I was just wondering if it would be alright if I used exactly what you said in my project? I won't say names or anything along those lines (and it's just a project for school), but in our project if we have an interview of some sort we can get extra marks...but, hey, if you don't want it on there, that's ok too!

So, can you tell me about some popular Celtic Musicians? ...like, I heard that Great Big Sea is a Celtic Music group, is this true?

thanks again!!!

~*SgKtty*~

[Avonlea22]

Feel free to quote me as needed.

Great Big Sea is considered Celtic in some realms, in my opinion. They, as you surely know, are Canadian, and have been influenced by the Maritime ways of life and music, like The Rankin Family I mentioned earlier.

There are not a lot of popular Celtic musicians out there, in my opinion. Gaelic Storm won popularity because they were the Celtic the group in the movie Titanic. As mentioned earlier too, Enya is Celtic, and quite popular. Loreena Mckennit is considered Celtic. If you look at pop music...The Corrs may be considerd Celtic. I think you'd get varying degrees of opinions on them. They are played here on CR, though. A couple other Canadian musicians you may be familar with are Natalie McMaster and Leahy. Again...Celtic, although Natalie falls into that Cape Breton style mentioned in my last post. Let me see...Those are the ones I can think of off hand.

Try doing a search on Amazon for "Celtic" music, and you'll come up with probably a couple thousand results.

[SgKtty]

Thanks very much!!! Seriously, you've made my project that much better!!!! It's actually pretty hard to search for Celtic music because it always comes up with Folk music, although I've heard that that is similar to Celtic music...

And I hope that I'm not seeming to ignorant, it's just, like I've said before (at least I think I've said before) it's really hard topic to reasearch.


Are there any artists that sing traditional Celtic music? Like, the older stuff that was passed down? because I've read that a lot of the older stuff is VERY different to what the newer stuff is.

Thanks very very much, I've been trying to get other peoples oppinions and such on this topic and so far you and this one other guy have been the only ones to actually answer anything at all!

~*SgKtty*~

[Avonlea22]

Well...I'll respond a bit more later...but much of the traditional Celtic music IS folk music.

[Aaediwen]

Feel free to quote me in your work if you find it fitting to use what I tell you directly.

If you're looking for more traditional artists, Altan has got to op the list. Some others who do a lot with traditional material are Capercaillie and the Chieftans. Most any one artist has probably recorded Traditional songs alongside of their own modern Celtic creations. There is a cantara I keep comming across that has a lot of traditional songs listed which you could then query against the CRN playlist for a better idea. Granted some are a more tradiional style, but when it comes to a traditional piece, you can probably find a rendition in the original style here somewhere as well. I'll see if I can dig that site up for you...

update: Can't seem to find it. Seems like I originally found it linked from thebards.net..

update2: ahh, I remember where I last saw it now...
here it is:

http://www.chivalry.com/cantaria/

[RovingWhistler]

To describe what Celtic music is would probably take quite a while, so luckily I found a website that might be able to help you out a bit.

Click me!


As for my own opinions, besides my love of Irish and Scottish Airs and laments I tend to listen to another genre that in my opnion falls within the bounds of celtic music, Irish Rebel and drinking songs. Irish rebel songs strike a chord within me due to their nature of keeping alive the struggles and hardships of my family, ancestors, and an entire race of people. The Irish have never tried to forget what has been done/happened to them as a whole, instead they have, through songs and stories, brought it to the forefront of their being as a way to inspire hope and celebrate the irish spirit. I believe this is one of the core aspects of traditional celtic music, to chronicle the spirit and existance of the past.

Some bands you might look into:

The Clancy Brothers
Thommy Maken
Paddy Reilly
WolfeTones
Chieftans
Pogues
Shaun Davey
Liam O'Flynn

there are too many artists to list, but a little searching wil bring you many more talented celtic musicians

[MacAibhistin]

SGKTTY,

[MacAibhistin]

Sorry about that . . . Darned flood control bumped me off for a second.

Anyway, I am glad to hear you are doing a project on Celtic music. I'd like to offer you a few thoughts.

Celtic music is, obviously, music which is stylistically based on something unique to the Celtic peoples. Celtic culture flourished in northwestern France, Galacia in Spain and the British Isles at varying times in history. Through a series of events and trends, Celtic culture has become somewhat eroded in most of its original domains, and has probably held on strongest in the Highlands of Scotland, northeastern Nova Scotia, Ireland, and in Wales. These are areas where the traditional Celtic languages are still spoken to varying degrees (Scots Gaelic (both in the Highlands and noreastern NS), Irish Gaelic, and Cymric respectively).

Celtic music traditionally consisted of three elements - dance music, slow airs, and the song tradition (which was almost always sung accapella). We often see the bagpipes used in martial music today, but that was not their original purpose. The harp and bagpipes were largely replaced by the fiddle in the early 1800s, but certainly the pipes and harp are still an important part of the modern renaissance of Celtic music. It is a style of folk music. It has come with immigrants to North America and Australia. It has adapted and molded into newer forms such as bluegrass and country.

Traditional Highland Scottish music is still played extensively in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and has been carried on by the greats such as:
John Morris Rankin of the Rankin Family
Natalie MacMaster
Ashley MacIsaac
The Barra MacNeils
Buddy MacMaster
Slainte Mhath
etc.


In Ireland, some of the great traditionalists are
Altan
Cheiftains
Dervish
Deanta
Bothy Band
Patrick Street
etc.

The traditional story song tradtion has been carried on by Irish and Scottish types like
The Clancy Brothers
Tommy Makem
John Alan Cameron
The Rankin Family
The Barra MacNeils
Capercaillie
Altan
Dervish
Mary Jane Lammond
Andy M. Stewart
Moya Brennan
etc.

There are a lot of Celtic fusion bands out there nowadays who combine traditional elements with newer instruments, song themes, and other world genres. You can here these types quite often on Celtic radio and on New Ages type stations. Such performers would include

Enya
Clannad
the Pogues
Capercaillie
Rawlins Cross
Enter the Haggis
and the list goes on for ever!

Anyway, it can be a bit hard to define Celtic when it it not obviously traditional. Some say it must include a Celtic language (e.g. Gaelic), or traditional Celtic tunes. Others say as long as a bodhran (hand held drum), or a fiddle or whistle is thrown in it is Celtic. That is when some contestable elements, such as Great Big Sea, enter the mix. I guess, you have to come to a decision for yourself what you would consider Celtic. Anyway, enjoy your research. Hope this is helpful.

Rory

[Avonlea22]

I couldn't have said it better myself. Nice job Rory!

[SgKtty]

OH THANK you guys for your information! You have nnnnnnnnnnnno idea how much you have helped me! And you know what, I've been listening to alot of Celtic music now, and I think I'll just continue listening to it after my project is done!!

But, yeah, this is my biggest project, and I need it in order to pass the class.... Again, thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOO very much... and if there's anything else you think that will be useful, that would be great! no one ever said there's such thing as too much of a good thing

~*SgKtty*~