Traditional Irish Music
Uilleann Pipes
The uilleann pipes are distinguished from many other forms of bagpipes by their sweet tone and wide range of notes together with the unique blend of chanter, drones, and regulators.
The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a small set of bellows strapped around the waist and the right arm.
The bellows not only relieve the player from the effort needed to blow into a bag to maintain pressure, they also allow relatively dry air to power the reeds, reducing the adverse effects of moisture on tuning and longevity.
The chanter is the part of the instrument that plays the melody. It's somewhat like a low whistle except it is not placed in the mouth. Air is pumped through the bellows which is attached to the player's right elbow, hence the name, Uilleann meaning elbow.
The regulators are equipped with closed keys which can be opened by the piper's wrist action enabling the piper to play simple chords, giving a rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment as needed.
The drones give a long sustained note (usually "doh"), very much a feature of pipes.
Pipers include Davey Spillane of Moving Hearts who has also recorded solo albums, Liam Óg Ó Floinn of Planxty has also featured as soloist with Shaun Davey in The Brendan Voyage and with RTE orchestras and Paddy Maloney of The Chieftains. Others from past and present include Seamus Ennis, Paddy Glackin and Paddy Keenan.
The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a small set of bellows strapped around the waist and the right arm.
The bellows not only relieve the player from the effort needed to blow into a bag to maintain pressure, they also allow relatively dry air to power the reeds, reducing the adverse effects of moisture on tuning and longevity.
The chanter is the part of the instrument that plays the melody. It's somewhat like a low whistle except it is not placed in the mouth. Air is pumped through the bellows which is attached to the player's right elbow, hence the name, Uilleann meaning elbow.
The regulators are equipped with closed keys which can be opened by the piper's wrist action enabling the piper to play simple chords, giving a rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment as needed.
The drones give a long sustained note (usually "doh"), very much a feature of pipes.
Pipers include Davey Spillane of Moving Hearts who has also recorded solo albums, Liam Óg Ó Floinn of Planxty has also featured as soloist with Shaun Davey in The Brendan Voyage and with RTE orchestras and Paddy Maloney of The Chieftains. Others from past and present include Seamus Ennis, Paddy Glackin and Paddy Keenan.
Riverdance
Riverdance has its roots in a three-part suite of baroque-influenced traditional music called "Timedance" composed, recorded and performed for the 1981 Eurovision which was hosted by Ireland. At the time members of Irish folk band Planxty, Bill Whelan and Donal Lunny composed the music, augmenting the band with a rock rhythm section of electric bass and drums and a four-piece horn section. In a book about Planxty ("The Humours of Planxty", by Leagues O'Toole), Whelan says "It was no mistake of mine to call it Riverdance because it connected absolutely to Timedance.".
Riverdance was first performed during the 7-minute interval of the Eurovision at the Point Theatre, Dublin,on 30 April 1994. It received a standing ovation. This performance featured Irish Dancing Champions Jean Butler and Michael Flatley, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Celtic choral group Anuna with a score written by Bill Whelan.The music, which eventually became a full length show mixes many different styles of music together with traditional dance music and song. It uses Classical, Pop/Rock, Eastern Europen folk, Spanish folk and so on.
Riverdance was first performed during the 7-minute interval of the Eurovision at the Point Theatre, Dublin,on 30 April 1994. It received a standing ovation. This performance featured Irish Dancing Champions Jean Butler and Michael Flatley, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Celtic choral group Anuna with a score written by Bill Whelan.The music, which eventually became a full length show mixes many different styles of music together with traditional dance music and song. It uses Classical, Pop/Rock, Eastern Europen folk, Spanish folk and so on.