Ancestral Imprints - by Thérèse Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Publication of the International Council for Traditional Music, Ireland."

Book Synopsis

This book is about the history and practice of recording Irish traditional music and dance, and the variety of documents that exist as a result of the activities of collectors both in Ireland and in North America.



Essay topics range from analyses of nineteenth-century printed documents, to the earliest wax cylinder recordings, to famous, rather large collections, and small all but unknown ones. Authors examine the role of the fieldworker/collector, the impact of broadcasting on regional style, the idea of "Irish" versus "American" style in early uilleann pipe recordings, and the impact of the recording process and marketing on traditional song, among other topics. Approaches vary from the analytical--comparing and analyzing various settings of tunes and titles--to the personal--reflecting on the impact of one's own collecting and fieldwork on a regional tradition. From original manuscripts in the National Library, to printed documents, audio and video recordings and art work, this book examines the reception history of Irish traditional music and dance.

Review Quotes

"Smith (University College Dublin) brings together 13 scholars and scholar-practitioners of Irish culture to examine imprints of Irish music and dance, ranging from late 19th-century transcriptions to Eurovision broadcasts. The contributors' approaches vary widely. In "From Waterford to Berlin and Back to Ireland," Susanne Ziegler examines a collection of early-20th-century wax cylinder recordings of Irish music. She focuses on the physical objects themselves, including how they were produced, where they have been housed, and correspondence related to the recordings. Other chapters go beyond the physical object and explore the implications of the performance that has been preserved. Jimmy O'Brien Moran's "Capturing Diversity Whilst Creating Canon: The Advent of Sound Recording in Irish Traditional Music" provides an excellent examination of how early recordiings of uilleann piping reveal stylistic differences between piping in Ireland and the US. Moran also comments on the overall effect that recorded music has had on the evolution of piping. The essays are consistently well written and readable..."--B. A. Hunter, University of Idaho "Choice "