WORDS OF ADVICEBootleMerseyside.As a great admirer of the successfulhistory of <strong>Comhaltas</strong> Ceolt6iri Eireann,I felt I should write to your very interes·ting magazine, which displays perfectlythe world of Irish traditional music andthe workings of <strong>Comhaltas</strong>. Bu t I hopethat the reader will see this letter not asbeing negative, but truthful!Having attend the recent FleadhCheoil na Breataine, I witnessed, alongwith many other first-generation Irish,the remarkable achievements of first.second, third and fourth generatio~(and non·Irish) people playing, singingand dancing and proving that <strong>Comhaltas</strong>must be the most successful culturalorganisation in existence.But sadly from my experiences at therecent Fleadh and the ordinary businessof the <strong>Comhaltas</strong> branches, I realised avery sad reality - the attitude of manyof its members. To see the innocenceand beauty of the children who lovetheir music, but to see that scarred bysome parents (and others) interested intheir own glory and not the youngperson: it is very harmful both to theyoung musician as well as the organisation:might I add at this point, theencouragement that many parents givetheir children in promoting the cultureof their homeland we shouldcongratulate those parents.An organisation which is organisedon such a huge scale will have itspro blems - but jealously, argument,one-upmanshlip, are not part of ourculture but they should be left at homealong with the people who think likethat, and let the rest of us enjoy ourmusic, let us genuinely congratulate thewinners ~ but get on with the joy of playingand enjoying our music. Musicshould bring people together, but some(who think that there is nothing betterin the world than winning a medal orcup) seem to think that "competition"is a modern translation of "culture".When you see recently James Galwayand the Chieftains sharing theirdifferent musical traditions but unitingthrough the medium of Irish music andJames Last teaming up with <strong>Comhaltas</strong>to produce an unique recording, whydo our members here in England andelsewhere build barriers when others arerapidly knocking them down? We maybe only speaking of a minority - butthey certainly make their presence felt!And to see it rubbing off on the youthis unforgiveable.I hope that out of respect for ourgreat organisation, but especially theyoung people, that we can all keephealthy competition and the goodhumour which will preserve and promotethe aims of <strong>Comhaltas</strong> Ceolt6iriEireann and Irish culture generally andlet the disease of jealousy and backbitingfmd a home elsewhere.Congratulations on the magnificentwork being undertaken by <strong>Comhaltas</strong>which is unconditionally appreciated bythe dedicated members of <strong>Comhaltas</strong>,notwithstanding the writer of this letter., , ,SEAN 0 GRIOF ASCOIL EIGSE '87It's only those who own could shareIf treasures were to wealth confined,But there are riches far more fair -The treasures of the genial mind;And glad am lone hour to shareIn social riches such as this,To feel about me everywhereThe endless joy of friendship 's bliss.Here where all students strive to gainAnd teachers towards perfection strive;The soul soars to a higher plainAnd native culture stays alive.As down the corridors I strolled,Through mingled thrills of musics soundAs if from bird-throats sweetly rolled,Their varied songs and woodlands'round.And strangers too from foreign landsWere natives while our wealth theyshared;While youth and age in common bondsBy song and sweetness still ensnared.Let gratitude and memories liveIn feelings filled with tenderness,I'm privileged my days to giveAs guardian of such loveliness.CHAMPIONS ALL - The members of theCorey Senior Ceili Band who captured theLeinster title during Fleadh week-end inEnniscorthy, the band have now qualified forthe All-Ireland for the 11th year running, (l·r)EAMONN O'BRIEN, PAT BASS, PATKAVANAGH, PADRAIGSINNOTTand PATFLOOD. (Front I-r) JOHN BASS Snr.,NORA BYRNE, MICHAEL FITZPATRICK,ANN ETTE COLEMAN and JOHN FLOOD.-DAN KEANE41
SOUL SEARCHING MUSICIANSHIPRisteard Donal MacAodhaA compassionate argument can bepresented for the "beat of a differentdrummer" perspective, the view thatmusicians, like all artists, live in anintellectual reality quite diverse fromthe work-a-day world of the office,shop, homemaking situation whereinone must often surrender their soul forthe "objectives" of accumulation andaccomplishment. The fact that one'sinner spirit can be reflected in the externalappearance of an individual can bereadily seen in any culture when onelooks at the dramatist, artist, poet andmusician for their often bright and radicalcolours of dress would indicate thatsomething "different" is going on intheir skulls. The world of art is moreconcerned with the texture of the mistmassaging the granite face outcrop standingsentry over the slow shifting tide ofsheep in the mountains than the price ofthose sheep in the market report. Literally,the left brain of power andaccumulation is a long way from theright brain world of the abstract whereshape, texture and colour reign. Ourworld needs balance and beauty andsome tolerance is hoped for in thosevisionaries who can see and feel thebounce of a jig in a Connemara potholeor the flow of reel in the clift winds offSliabh Liag ..In a world threatened to extinctionwith industrial waste, a school yardmentality in arms proliferation and acallous indifference to world hunger,the fact that music has a universalappeal to reach into the hearts of allages and social classes presents us withan awareness that more, not less, cultureis required in advanced technologicalsocieties. Traditional origins in thecurrent spiralling vortex of alternatives.A society without roots is a ship withouta rudder.Anyone with a love and interest intraditional music should be able torecognize that today as in the past,there is more than an adequate supplyof musical genius who have chosen toenhance this particular form of music.I for one think that we are blessed tohave a musician with the ability,dedication and sensitivity to have ex-celled in any of the classic disciplines,say the concert piano or cello to be dedic.atingtheir lives to their performanceon the tin whistle or fiddle. One problemthat organizations and communitiesoften find with such gifted people isthat they seldom make good teachers,except at the master class level. Theirbrains are so quick that they can seldomcomprehend the average persons "slowness"at grasping the form or shape oftheir presentation. They usually providea far greater service in the form ofinspiration and example than explanation.Their inability to appreciate therelative slowness of a starting studentmight, in fact, discourage a potentiallygood player from continuing on withthe instrument for one of the tragic consequenceswith the gift of lightning fastcomprehension and execution that noamount of practice and dedication canbring about in the average or above averageperson is that the genius is often· intolerantof lesser ability performers.If one has not heard a musical geniuscastigating and belittling the performanceof lesser abiliities in the musicalarena, one has not had very much experiencewith such people. The real tragedyis that such bitterness and backbitinglessens the power of genius anddoes not enhance it for no one on thisuniverse can poison the air around themwithout poisoning themselves, but weshould try to empathize with the plightof the genius. It must be downrightpainful for them to endure the lessermUSICIan playing a semi-tone off,breaking rhythm or corrupting the liltof a piece. The word painful is the "operative"word in this context becauseharm can actually be inflicted by suchbreeches of unity. A master piano technicianwho only works on £20,000 concertinstruments for professional performersonce explained to me that he"cannot" tune uprights for friends orthe needy because it diminishes his standardwhen trying to service the verybest. This fact was confirmed when aclassically trained pianist once confidedshe used to have perfect pitch, but shehad played on so many bad instrumentsthat she lost it. The point here is thatgenius can be diminished and ability canbe lost. It is a gift and a treasure and uslisteners and followers should be protectiveof our best performers and insistthat they have good playing circumstancesand avoid structuring situationswhere they are obliged to play with learnersand aggressive players of varyingstandards and textures. The musicalgenius who belittles his contemporariesis revealing his own insecurity and perhapsa poor upbringing, but the patronwho insists on a performer playing inbad circumstances is equally injuriousand is possibly diminishing a nationaltreasure.This brings up the point of traditionitself for it can be amusing to see thehairs get up on one's back when the discussionof what is and what is not traditionalmusic comes up. Not only havevery strident judgements been made atone time or another against thebodhnins, the "ICB", the piano, theguitar and the post-Planxty generationof Balkan-Grecco fretted stringed instruments,but these same "wrong" instrumentshave also enjoyed their day in thelimelight and there have been genius exponentsof these same offending instrumentswho have raised the consciousnessand appreciation of this source andthereby created "instant" tradition.Even within the tradition of traditionalmaterial, the trend in ornamenting previouslypolished source material resultsin succeeding generations of the sametune being so removed from its originsin texture, speed and lilt that it is hardlyrecognizable to the source. There are alot of good honest players of the 20'sand 30's who, if alive, would hardlyrecognize their compositions played byyoungsters today, particularly if theircompositions happened to have had thesuccess of popUlarity with contemporaryrecording groups. Small's recentradio series, "The Dance Music of Ireland",graphically pointed out howsimple and straight and how beautifulthe original often slower form of thetunes we now consider popularstandards once were. Personally, I don'tthink that there is one "right" answer.Individuals must decjde for themselves43