Micheál Ó’Raghallaigh in concert last night!

[Ptarmigan]

I saw Micheál Ó’Raghallaigh in concert last night, in our local Town Hall, playing with Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh & Catherine McEvoy. It truly was a night of wonderful music & brilliant musicianship. As well as Catherine's two Flutes, we heard Caoimhín's three Fiddles, including his Hardanger & Micheál had D, C & Bb Concertinas with him!

 

Being in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim too, Micheál even brought a wee Orange Fifing tune home, one he'd heard Gary Hastings play: No 5.

 

They were playing acoustically, & the only slightly negative point I could make, is the fact that Micheál, being such a strong player, had a tendency to drown out the other players. This meant that only really heard the Fiddle & Flute clearly, when they did a few duets without the Concertina.

 

However, as well as Micheál being a very strong player, perhaps Caoimhín wouldn't be the most aggressive Fiddler I've ever heard, so unfortunately, much of the brilliance of his very subtle style, tended to be lost behind the Concertina.

 

Anyway, that said, they all played beautifully & there was a lot of gentle humour throughout the night & it certainly was a great nights music, with some cracking tunes & interesting versions of tunes too, so I would thoroughly recommend it, for anyone who is within striking distance of the other venues on this tour: Bangor, Newtownards, Belfast & Derry!

 

Moving on Music

 

Cheers

Dick

[David Levine]

Some of my favorite players. A shame they're only going to the north. I guess they feel that culture needs to spread north- that there is already too much of it in the south.

 

[Ptarmigan]

Some of my favorite players. A shame they're only going to the north. I guess they feel that culture needs to spread north- that there is already too much of it in the south.

 

Hey David, if you guys are desperate for more culture, just say the word & I'm sure I could arrange to bring down a bus load of Orange Fifers with a few Lambeg Drums thrown in for good measure!

 

 

Cheers

Dick

[David Levine]

No Dick, we have too much culture. That's why we're sending some to you guys.

Orange Fifers-- are those like Jaffa Cakes?

And yes, we do need some Lambeg Drums at our sessions. Those are like small bodhrans, right?

[Ptarmigan]

No Dick, we have too much culture. That's why we're sending some to you guys.

Orange Fifers-- are those like Jaffa Cakes?

And yes, we do need some Lambeg Drums at our sessions. Those are like small bodhrans, right?

Well now, you can't blame a fella for tryin'!

 

Are you sure though, you wouldn't want to just take them ALL ... even for a few days?

 

After all, I'm sure their style of music would blend in just beautifully, with that gentle & relaxed Clare style!

[michael sam wild]

They annexed them for RiverDance!

 

 

By the way , when Ireland is a united state within Europe, how will all the regional styles and schisms be integrated or should I go on Mudcat or The Session?

Edited March 26, 2010 by michael sam wild

[Ptarmigan]

Incidentally: "Micheál said he had D, C & Bb Concertinas with him!"

 

So, am I right in thinking that he was describing D/G, C/G & Bb/F instruments?

 

Cheers

Dick

[Ptarmigan]

They annexed them for RiverDance!

 

Couple of spare letters there Michael, which are surplus to requirements, namely the .... nne

 

By the way , when Ireland is a united state within Europe, how will all the regional styles and schisms be integrated or should I go on Mudcat or The Session?

 

I'm sure they'll all blend beautifully!

[Michael Reid]

Incidentally: "Micheál said he had D, C & Bb Concertinas with him!"

 

So, am I right in thinking that he was describing D/G, C/G & Bb/F instruments?

 

Cheers

Dick

Dick,

 

I would say that D, C, and Bb concertinas refer to instruments in C/G, Bb/F, and Ab/Eb, respectively. Counterintuitive, I know, but true. See this post and the earlier discussion linked from there.

[Ptarmigan]

I would say that D, C, and Bb concertinas refer to instruments in C/G, Bb/F, and Ab/Eb, respectively.

Counterintuitive, I know, but true.

See this post and the earlier discussion linked from there.

 

Hmm interesting Michael.

 

However, I saw a photo here recently, of a receipt for a Jeffries which had been sold in 1899, which said that the Concertina had 39 Keys & was in the Key of 'C'!

So, by your reckoning that instrument must have been a Bb/F ... right?

 

I must admit, I'm sorely tempted to try & catch another of the concerts on that tour ... the music was that good, but It'd maybe also give me a chance to quiz him about his Concertinas.

 

Cheers

Dick

[Michael Reid]

I would say that D, C, and Bb concertinas refer to instruments in C/G, Bb/F, and Ab/Eb, respectively.

Counterintuitive, I know, but true.

See this post and the earlier discussion linked from there.

 

Hmm interesting Michael.

 

However, I saw a photo here recently, of a receipt for a Jeffries which had been sold in 1899, which said that the Concertina had 39 Keys & was in the Key of 'C'!

So, by your reckoning that instrument must have been a Bb/F ... right?

 

I'm just sayin' that some Irish musicians designate instruments in this way.

 

For another example: On Edel Fox's CD, she plays an instrument that she refers to an 'Eb' concertina, which was borrowed from Tim Collins. I confirmed with Tim that the instrument in question was a C#/G#.

[Ptarmigan]

I would say that D, C, and Bb concertinas refer to instruments in C/G, Bb/F, and Ab/Eb, respectively.

Counterintuitive, I know, but true.

See this post and the earlier discussion linked from there.

 

Hmm interesting Michael.

 

However, I saw a photo here recently, of a receipt for a Jeffries which had been sold in 1899, which said that the Concertina had 39 Keys & was in the Key of 'C'!

So, by your reckoning that instrument must have been a Bb/F ... right?

 

I'm just sayin' that some Irish musicians designate instruments in this way.

 

For another example: On Edel Fox's CD, she plays an instrument that she refers to an 'Eb' concertina, which was borrowed from Tim Collins. I confirmed with Tim that the instrument in question was a C#/G#.

 

OK Michael, so perhaps this is only a convention in Ireland, where a C/G instrument is said to be in the key of D, while back in the early 1900s in England, if someone said a Concertina was in the key of C, they were actually talking about a C/G instrument?

 

Cheers

Dick

[David Levine]

I've never heard anybody refer to a C/G anglo as a D instrument. How would they then refer to a D/G concertina? When Michael O'R referred to a D concertina he meant a D/G. I've never heard anybody call a C/G concertina a D box. They (and I) always refer to my C/G as a C/G, or a C. I don't know anybody who calls their Bb/F concertina (and I do play with people in those keys - it's easier on the ears with three concertinas wailing away) anything other than a Bb/F.

The fact that Edel referred to Tim's C# instrument as an Eb box only meant that she used it to play in that key on that CD. She's never, so far as I know, referred to her C/G as a D instrument.

[michael sam wild]

It all gets confusing and people use their own terminology, that's why I like some standardisation in forums like this.

 

The very word 'Anglo' had me baffled for many years when concertina players were thin on the ground in my youth and prevented me getting an instrument I now know I would have played happily from the late 50s! I took up melodeon instead.

 

My Gran had an old German concertina but I never made the connection!

[Michael Reid]

I've never heard anybody refer to a C/G anglo as a D instrument. How would they then refer to a D/G concertina? When Michael O'R referred to a D concertina he meant a D/G. I've never heard anybody call a C/G concertina a D box. They (and I) always refer to my C/G as a C/G, or a C. I don't know anybody who calls their Bb/F concertina (and I do play with people in those keys - it's easier on the ears with three concertinas wailing away) anything other than a Bb/F.

The fact that Edel referred to Tim's C# instrument as an Eb box only meant that she used it to play in that key on that CD. She's never, so far as I know, referred to her C/G as a D instrument.

Edel's liner notes say, and these are the exact words, "Special thanks to Timmy Collins for providing the use of his Eb concertina for this recording." She used that concertina for the entire CD and played, of course, in keys other than Eb.

 

I asked Tim what Edel meant, and he replied, "My c#g# was used by Edel and this key is commonly referred to as E flat."

 

On the Mulcahy Family's "Notes from the Heart" CD, Michelle's instruments are listed as "Fiddle, Eb Concertina, Harp, Piano." Based on the sound of her playing, I'm confident that she's playing a C#/G# concertina.

 

In an earlier discussion, Steven Chambers wrote:

 

"In Irish music terms, a C/G Anglo is "concert pitch", i.e. it plays across the rows in D. If you play an Ab/Eb in that D fingering, it plays in Bb, hence "a Bb concertina".

 

I think these examples demonstrate that when an Irish player refers to a concertina by a single key, it would be dangerous to assume that it's the key of the middle row!

[michael sam wild]

That 'concert pitch' description seems also to relate to a 'concert' flute. I have an old wooden concert flute and its home key is D.

 

They must have got ino Ireland as they became cheaper and available when the Boehm system came into orchestras.. just as Wheatstoens and Jeffries became cheaper as they fell out of favour with the populace in England in the 1920s.. Sally Army and other concertinas woud have gone over and been described in local ways by tarditional musicians.

 

 

I used to play with a great box player John King in Clare who always described my Saltarelle 2 row melodeon as a 'Continental box' he played a big red Paolo Soprani button accordion from Italy! I wonder if it was a Paul O'Sopranaigh

 

I called mine a 'melodeon' his was an 'accordion' But I think it was my D/G style rater than the prevalent B/C sty;le that confirmed mine asa meodeon. In Ireland a melodeon is usually meant to mean a one row

Edited March 28, 2010 by michael sam wild

[Ptarmigan]

"....... in local ways by tarditional musicians."

 

Michael, is that your Yorkshire accent coming through there?

 

"In Ireland a melodeon is usually meant to mean a one row."

 

Quite so, but I also sometimes hear 2 Row boxes in, for example, C#/D being referred to as Melodeons, I think because players of those may play with more of a Melodeon than Accordion style.

 

Cheers

Dick

[TomB-R]

Incidentally: "Micheál said he had D, C & Bb Concertinas with him!"

 

So, am I right in thinking that he was describing D/G, C/G & Bb/F instruments?

 

Cheers

Dick

 

Interesting and ingenious discussion sparked by this, but this is the traditional music world after all, someone must know Micheál well enough to ask him!