Concertinists – Next Generation.

[PeterT]

Add Ernestine Healy as well by the way. And Rory McMahon, Caitlin Mac Gabhann, Martha Clancy and Eoin Begley, the latter did a programme on the 'Full Set' with his da, Seamus. That may still be here

Thanks!

[Henrik Müller]

Some list! For Ireland, I think there are a few more names to pick from this:

 

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8596

 

May especially I point out Audrey Wardrick, 13...

 

Mary Ellen doesn't really cut it for "up to 30" - but she was grand to watch!

 

/Henrik

[Anglo-Irishman]

I remember reading and perhaps on Melodeon.net that someone's child had mentioned a melodeon at school in England and the music teacher had asked what on earth that was. To which the kid replied, 'That's the instrument English music is played on'.

 

It is disgraceful that such a teacher does not know of the melodeon but there you have it.

 

Ian

Herward,

This is indeed a deplorable state of affairs!

While one cannot blame an orchestra violinist for being somewhat vague about the differnt kinds of bagpipes or accordions (not to mention concertinas) that exist within the confines of the British Isles, one would expect a person who is qualified to teach Music (as opposed to a specific instrument) to have a somewhat wider knowledge of organology. At least of the instruments used in the traditional music of his or her country.

 

But there's a sort of pale running through music. "Beyond the pale" is folk or traditional music, even some kinds of pop. What is within the pale is often termed "classical", but I prefer the term "academic". Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Britten (the 4 Bs) composed highly complex music that takes earnest study to fully comprehend and perform, let alone compose. To be able to talk about it, you need the whole vocabulary of music theory - and, of course, an idea of the concepts behind this vocabulary.

 

Folk or traditional music, on the other hand, though based on the same mathematics and physics as academic music, is simpler, and uses only a small subset of the academic composition techniques. So someone who has learnt the whole academic theory can apply his or her knowledge to folk-songs or dances.

 

This, I think, is the rationale behind dealing mostly with academic music in schools (with some mention of older pop music as a sop to the kids). If you should later stoop to playing for Morris dancers, well, you know what a key is, and how many sharps or flats it has, and what 3/4 and 4/4 time is. You can even spell your way through sheet music. What more do you want?

 

So we mustn't be too hard on the schools. I don't know the situation in the UK, but here in Germany there's more and more to teach in less and less time with too few teachers. Music as a school subject is, in essence, I suppose, intended as an opportunity to learn the internals of music making and appreciation, and it's probably more efficient to learn the internals of academic music, and then apply a subset of them to one's own folk or pop music, than vice versa, given that you haven't the time to deal with both.

 

But I would expect a teacher - of any subject - to know more about that subject than the school syllabus contains!

 

Cheers,

John

[LDT]

So we mustn't be too hard on the schools. I don't know the situation in the UK, but here in Germany there's more and more to teach in less and less time with too few teachers. Music as a school subject is, in essence, I suppose, intended as an opportunity to learn the internals of music making and appreciation, and it's probably more efficient to learn the internals of academic music, and then apply a subset of them to one's own folk or pop music, than vice versa, given that you haven't the time to deal with both.

 

But I would expect a teacher - of any subject - to know more about that subject than the school syllabus contains!

Let me tell you a tale of how my music lessons at senior school were like. The lesson consisted of the first 10mins being spent trying to find the books (which always seemed to go missing) then we'd be constantly told not to touch the keyboards. While the rest of the lesson was spent making up mnumonics for 'FACE' etc.

The rest of the time the two music teachers would have 'pen fights' and once even had a chair race down the corridor. The nearest we got to any music was listening to a peice of music and writing an essay about it.

 

And you wonder why I'm not musical....

[tombilly]

Seriously, though, the ratio of young ladies to young gentlemen in the posted photos would indicate that the Anglo really is, or is becoming, a women's instrument.

 

Eh!? Hasn't it always been thus, Irishman. At least in Ireland, surely the concertina has long been identified with women? You'll have the likes of Noel Hill organising concertina classes at Willie Week but many of the tutors are ladies and the classes would be at least 70/30 female to male at a guess.

 

Which just goes to show that LDT's poll indicates that the vast majority of Anglo players in Ireland don't engage here or at least didn't vote in her poll, if they did..

Edited December 4, 2008 by tombilly

[Guest Peter Laban]

Eh!? Hasn't it always been thus, Irishman. At least in Ireland, surely the concertina has long been identified with women?

 

It wasn't called the Bhean Cairdin for no reason.

 

 

I will, by the way, probably think up another batch of names when they come to me.

[Chris Drinkwater]

Other younger concertina players thought not to be currently performing as professionals, but well worth listening to:

 

Germany

 

* Juliette Daum

 

England

 

* Danny Chapman

 

Note:

 

Players of Anglo concertina unless marked as:

* = plays English system

# = plays Duet system

 

 

Peter, I thought that Juliette lives in France and is French, or has she relocated?

 

Chris

[Daniel Hersh]

See http://www.juliettedaum.com/bio.html. She's in Germany now. I had thought she was French too, but she's actually American.

 

Germany

* Juliette Daum

Peter, I thought that Juliette lives in France and is French, or has she relocated?

 

Chris

[PeterT]

Some list! For Ireland, I think there are a few more names to pick from this:

 

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8596

Thanks, Henrik.

[Guest Peter Laban]

I am not sure you should be entering Henrik's thirteen year old in the 'professional' list. As I said there are dozens, probably hundreds in that age group playing at that level. I have been holding back naming those young ones, it's arguably better to let them find a form first.

 

There was a bit of a discussion a while ago on thesession.org when a local girl, Sorcha Curtin, played a few tunes on Clare FM. She's a lovely player, just off to university but I don't think it's fair to single players like her out just because they happen to play on a video or on radio, the same locality holds at least half a dozen young players equally skilled.

Edited December 5, 2008 by Peter Laban

[ceemonster]

yes, and i almost think even the focus on "professional" (which seems to be more of a preoccupation outside of ireland--who are the "new stars," blah, blah, blah), is kind of an artificial construct, particularly in the context of ireland----the simple fact is that just in county clare alone there are scores of younger players of an absolutely gorgeous standard, regardless of whether or not they've ever recorded or been paid to play or give two whits about recording or being paid to play. it is also true that of the list offered (a nice list with several of my favorites on it), i know for a fact that the great majority of the folks on that list are going to or have gone to, university to prepare themselves for non-musical occupations, with music being done on the side either for fun or for very trifling fees. there is a "stardom" paradigm that americans in particular have borrowed from the rock/pop context that in many ways does not apply to this tradition.....

[michael sam wild]

That was a lovely snip of the little Rowsome girl. Just proves that ITM is kid's stuff. Just wish I could regress far enough! Makes nonsense of the Gladwell 10,000 hours rule. Start with a nice jig and work on. There's hope for us all yet.

[David Levine]

tombilly said: ...the vast majority of Anglo players in Ireland don't engage here...

 

Perhaps because they're playing or listening to music rather than idling on the net....

[David Levine]

MSW: That was a lovely snip of the little Rowsome girl. ... Makes nonsense of the Gladwell 10,000 hours rule. Start with a nice jig and work on. There's hope for us all yet.

 

Why would you say that? How many hours do you suppose she's put into playing that one tune?

Many young players have spent a lot of time working on perfecting a small number of tunes.

In this case maybe only one. What they play they play very well indeed, but their repertoire is limited.

To assume, however (if in fact you did), that because she is young she hasn't put in her time -

and that this fact might give you encouragement - is delusional.

I happen to know that in this case she played whilst still in utero. The Rowsomes start all their babies that way.

In fact, some Rowsomes are born with six fingers on either hand. If you look closely at the video you can count them.

Edited December 6, 2008 by David Levine

[hjcjones]

yes, and i almost think even the focus on "professional" (which seems to be more of a preoccupation outside of ireland) is kind of an artificial construct ... there is a "stardom" paradigm that americans in particular have borrowed from the rock/pop context that in many ways does not apply to this tradition.....

Nevertheless, it is the professionals who inspire the rest of us. There are undoubtedly many excellent amateur players in all traditions, but their influence is inevitably limited. It is the professionals who by their live performances, recordings and workshops drive up standards and increase the repertoires of the ordinary players.

 

I think that was the point of the OP, not simply spotting the next "star".

[Guest Peter Laban]

Nevertheless, it is the professionals who inspire the rest of us. There are undoubtedly many excellent amateur players in all traditions, but their influence is inevitably limited. It is the professionals who by their live performances, recordings and workshops drive up standards and increase the repertoires of the ordinary players.

 

I don't think that is true at all for the Irish Tradition. Certainly in my own case the musicians who influenced me most were certainly not the professional players but people who played in their own communities as part of traditional music making. Some, but not all, were drawn out and appeared on television or the odd concert, certainly that didn't make them 'professional' musicians. They were carpenters, farmers, electricians, builders and house wives first. They are the bearers of the tradition. They were and are the people the 'professionals' draw their material and influences from.

Edited December 7, 2008 by Peter Laban

[hjcjones]

Peter, they may have influenced you but their sphere of influence was largely limited to those communities they played in and those who were able to seek them out within those communities.

 

You are also fortunate in living in a culture where the tradition continues. For most of us that is not the case.

 

The professionals (among whom I include part-timers who also have "real jobs") both draw on tradition and add to it, and are able to reach out further as they travel around, and also through their recordings. For those of us who don't have an active tradition around us, they tend to be the biggest influences.

[Guest Peter Laban]

I still wouldn't agree with that notion. The likes of Noel Hill didn't exactly pick it up off the ditches. I said above the 'professionals' seek out people to learn from, they don't exist in a vacuum, quite the contrary.