Traditional Irish Music: Form, Style and Development

Overview

This course is about the formal and stylistic characteristics of Irish traditional music and song. It explores the styles which have evolved on various instruments, the regional variations in styles, and some of the main aesthetic developments within the tradition since the early twentieth century. The styles of pipes, fiddle players, and singers are examined in detail in successive lectures. The course then examines the major aesthetic changes that have taken place over that last century: the introduction of new instruments, the increasing sophistication of ensemble performance and harmonic texture, and the resurgence in composition in the second half of the twentieth century.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course you should understand the formal and stylistic limitations that characterize traditional Irish music and the variety of approaches that have been successfully incorporated into the tradition. You will have a detailed understanding of the stylistic techniques developed in particular regions of Ireland and on specific instruments, especially the pipes, fiddle, and voice. You will also have developed an understanding of the compositional process in Irish traditional music, and the characteristic styles of arrangement that have developed in the twentieth century.

Skills

SUBJECT SPECIFIC SKILLS

Students will develop:
(i) Critical tools for structural listening.
(ii) Stylistic appreciation of a particular genre of music.

KEY SKILLS

Students will:
(i) Identify, analyse and solve problems by prioritising tasks, coping with complexity, setting achievable goals and taking action.
(ii) Work with information and handle a mass of diverse data, assess risk and draw conclusions (analysis, attention to detail, judgement).
(iii) Apply subject knowledge and understanding from the degree pathway.
(iv) Possess high level transferable key skills such as the ability to work with others in a team, to communicate (both orally and in writing), influence, negotiate and resolve conflict.
(v) Display interpersonal sensitivity, global and cultural awareness, and being able to adjust behaviour accordingly.
(vi) Have the ability and desire to learn for oneself and improve one's self-awareness and performance, to demonstrate emotional intelligence.
(vii) Demonstrate confidence and motivation, creativity, initiative, and the ability to cope with stress.
(viii) Apply and exploit information technology.
(ix) Be aware of organisational culture, policies and processes.
(x) Understand basic financial and commercial principles.
(xi) Demonstrate critical evaluation of the outcomes of professional practice.
(xii) Reflect on and evaluate their own practice.

Assessment

None