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The Ceili: A New Musical Tradition
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Featured October 14 , 2006
The ceili or "session" is relatively new Irish tradition
Contrary to popular belief, the ceili or "session" is not an old Irish tradition. Up until around the middle of the last century, most musicians preferred to play solo, unaccompanied. The only time there was a band would be at a dance because there were no amps and the music needed to be heard over the sound of clattering feet. To play at the same time as another musician was considered rude!
There are a lot of different reasons given for the lack of group sessions. For one, the unique artistry of the individual musician is drowned out in a mass concert. Another reason is the jealous guarding of tunes hoarded by the old masters. They didn't want anyone copying their style, much less stealing the tunes from which they made their living. Public concerts were rare. A great deal of traditional Irish music was maintained within the old patronage system up until the mid 1800's or even later. Either the musician would be privately supported (more or less adopted) by a wealthy aristocrat with a taste for their tunes, or else would make a livelihood from tips earned from playing at fairs, races, or other festive public events. Only amateurs working their way up would play in bands because they lacked the skill, the collection of pieces and the reputation of the solo artists. Changes in social structure led to the development of the ceili. Some musical historians believe that the ceili was an Irish-American innovation, as musicians emigrated and cut themselves loose from the old traditions. On the other hand, there were "ceili houses" in Ireland where folks would gather for an evening of not only music but also singing and storytelling. This was more of a family or close community event, however, and the musicians still played solo. It was an entirely different atmosphere than you might expect from the idea of a session today, which is often just background music for an evening of drinking at the pub. If you've ever gone to a Chieftains concert, you will have noticed the merging of the old and new in their performances. While Paddy Maloney is noted (or notorious, depending on your point of view) for his eclectic embrace of so-called "world" music as well as contemporary, which often seems to blur the fine edges of the rich and rare Irish traditions that this group presents so well, every Chieftains concert ends with a long piece in which each musician is spotlighted, in addition to being featured in solo performance at some time during the concert. It shouldn't be surprising that the Chieftains (what are they now, over 40 years together?) should be one of the groups to span this transformation of the styles of traditional Irish music performances. NEXT: |
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