The Music of Ireland

How the folk music of Ireland has influenced classical music

Lesson OverviewThe students will learn about the culture and music of Ireland and the influences of

Irish folk music on classical music.

General Music 9-12Targeted Standards:• National Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing

music• National Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history

and culture• Anchor Standard #7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.• Anchor Standard #8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic

work• Anchor Standard #9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

Materials:Students: Notebooks, research materials, computersTeacher: PowerPoint Presentation, computer, audio/visual equipment (projector, speakers, screen)

Instructional Objectives:• Students will learn about Irish culture, geography, history, and

music.• Students will learn about the use of uilleann bagpipes,

pennywhistle, bodhran, accordion, and guitar in Celtic music• Students will learn the common characteristics of Irish music.• Students will learn about the influences of Irish folk music on

classical music.

Mystery Videos

Watch these three video clips. Can you figure out what the common factor is?

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

They all come from Ireland.

Ireland is an island in Northern Europe, divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The land is made up of

low-lying mountains and lush vegetation. It is a mostly rural island with castles, monasteries, and great houses.

IrelandIreland is divided into two territories: Ireland and Northern Ireland

Uilleann bagpipes facts

• Bellows driven• Played indoors• Originated in mid-eighteenth century• There was much uilleann piping until the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s,

when many of the pipers perished from disease and starvation or emigrated.• In 1968, the Na Piobbaira Uilleann (The Uillienn Pipers”) was founded to

promote the instrument and music.

Dances of IrelandJig

Reel

Hornpipe

Polka

Fun Fact: How can you tell the difference between an Irish jig and an

Irish reel?

Watch and find out…Difference in Irish jig and Irish reel

Characteristics of Traditional Irish Music

• There are two broad categories: instrumental music comprised of mostly dance music (reels, jigs, hornpipes, and polkas) and song tradition, most commonly unaccompanied solo singing.

• Most common instruments are the uilleann bagpipes, fiddle, flute, tin whistle, button accordion, concertina, harp, and bodhran.

• Based on oral tradition (passed down or learned by example)• Irish music usually tells a story.• The musicians tend to add to or create variations of songs

frequently.• Simple harmonies• Use of Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, and Aeolian modes

Traditional Irish Instruments

Learn to sing a traditional Irish tune!

Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are callingFrom glen to glen, and down the mountain side,The summer's gone, and all the roses

falling,It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.

Listen

Classical and Popular Music with Irish

InfluencesPercy Grainger’s Irish Tune from County Derry (using the tune of

“Danny Boy”)Listen

Percy Grainger’s Molly on the Shore (based on two Irish cork reels)Listen

Belfast Hornpipe (played by flutist James Galway)Listen

Amy Beach’s Symphony in E minor (Gaelic)Listen

Assignment:Write a one page paper describing Irish music, culture,

and instruments using the information you have learned in this lesson and any additional information you find

through your own research. One paragraph must focus on the listening examples in the previous slide describing the sounds you heard that are influenced by Irish traditional

music. The links will be provided to you for further listening.

Rubric

SourcesBannerman, C. (2010, April 9) Irish uilleann pipes [Video file]. Retrieved from http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq3m_R3Lnu4 Brummydubliner. (2011, August 13) Paddy Callaghan- young trad 2010 [Video file. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMqAE2YVaqs Butlerronaynemusic. (2011, May 2) Shane Butler all Ireland under 18s bodhran champion ft. Fionn Morrison on tin whistle [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b4FRzftuZg Hanson, D. (2013, December 13) Difference between Irish reel and jig- Gothard sisters [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=eo_AJQBxZ3c Karyl, H. (2011, August 15) The Corrs- Toss the feathers unplugged hd [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4z7Y6sY6aM Kay, E. (2011, March 26) 6-hand reel [Video file]. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amt8Gf05cQY Miller, T., & Shahriari, A. (2012). Europe: Greece, Spain, Russia, Scotland, Ireland, Hungary, Bulgaria. In World music a global journey (pp 282-325). New York: Routledge.

Sources (continued)Myirishvideos. (2009, April 10) Owen condon-tipperary polkas [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuhQdUmlKFU NPKM11. (2012, November 7) UD Irish dance club-international festival- hornpipe.mpg [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=snAa6u3yReI Rath, D. (2008, May 14). Micheal Flately-Lord of the dance finale [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxTTjJtXDA Trinityirishdancers. (2013, March 13) Trinity irish dancers teach Conan the Irish jig [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=c6SNwjfDdac

Warner Bros. Records (2009, October 25). Enya- Only time [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfYIMyS_dI Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10, 2014 from

www.wikipedia.com