IrishMusicInfo
The Sunday Tribune Weekly Traditional Music Column by Fintan Vallely
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Debate on modern trends in Traditional music today occupied the major talking space at this year's Willie Clancy school in Clare. Prof. M’che‡l O Sœilleabh‡in and RTƒ's Paddy Glackin gave somewhat complementary readings of the way things are. Glackin commented on the value of such major festivals as Lisdoonvarna and Ballyshannon, how they served to introduce performers such as Micho Russell to a wider audience who have stayed with the music ever since: "They put the music into a new context". This period is a forgotten wonder of 20th century Ireland, but its residue is the high commercial profile of the Traditional among the Popular. Both men noted the great scale of professional performance today - unimaginable in the 1960s. Quality of the music is what concerned Glackin, and though he noted scepticism about many modern-day bands and recordings, on balance felt that there was little wrong with the commercial, as long as younger players listened to what they were playing themselves as well as to what past exemplars could offer. Yet noted that because the commercial has been in charge since the 1990s, there is little opportunity for the soloist, a point supported by Dublin flute player Mick O'Connor. Referring to over-the-top PR promotion of weaker players which was unmatched by artistic or music talent, he strongly criticised "the people who write up and create the hype - the most awful nonsense being written in magazines and reviews. It annoys people when they feel that those who don't have a connection with the music are boosted, and yet great players can be ignored". Still, he believed that people see through it: "musicians will decide what's a good tune and a bad tune - they will decide whether to play it nor not". A public forum, many contributors to this discussion expressed grave concern about what would happen to the music with the passing away of the masters such as local fiddler Bobbie Casey. Glackin's response sensibly emphasised that "We have to get on with it". î Sœilleabh‡in had less of a sense of mission, more a pragmatic approach which placed faith in young musicians' sensibility about respecting traditions. His image was of the need for a 'spirit level'. He had weaned Traditional music from low, auxiliary status in UCC, to now fronting MA academic and performance programmes at UL. He believes that while "commodification happens of necessity" the players 'spirit level' guides them sympathetically. Alert to the danger that the Jazz maxim 'born in a brothel, died in a university' might become 'born in West Clare, died in the University of Limerick' he emphasised that while he saw university education as a challenge, and dangerous, it could not, and should not match or replace the music's proliferation and development among its present community in Clare and elsewhere. And while the forum concluded with awareness that the archived recordings of the masters are vital to sustenance, the school's shop concurred, selling 78rpm CD compilations at £8 more, and the Elizabeth Cronin CDs and book for £5 more than Dublin prices.
©Fintan Vallely, IrishMusicInfo.com