Sean nós

Sean Nós, in Irish means "old style" and refers to a style of traditional singing or dancing. There are regularly references in the English language to "the sean nós style". However, sean nós literally translates as 'old style', so some see this as inaccurate though people that do not speak Irish often need to institute "sean nós" as a style.

ean Nós Singing

Sean nós singing is a highly-ornamented style of solo singing defined by one source as:

...a rather complex way of singing in Gaelic, confined mainly to some areas in the west and south of the country. It is unaccompanied and has a highly ornamented melodic line....Not all areas have the same type of ornamentation--one finds a very florid line in Connacht, contrasting with a somewhat less decorated one in the south, and, by comparison, a stark simplicity in the northern songs... [Tomás Ó Canainn, Traditional Music in Ireland (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1978), p. 49, p. 71]

The same authors says '...no aspect of Irish music can be fully understood without a deep appreciation of Sean-nós singing. It is the key which opens every lock'. cite book | title = Traditional Music in Ireland | last = Ó Canainn | first = Tomas | year = 1993 | publisher = Ossian Publications Ltd | location = Cork, Ireland | id = ISBN 0-946005-73-7 ]

Traditional Irish sean nós songs can be relatively simple. However many are long, extremely stylized and melodically complex. A good performance classically involves substantial ornament and rhythmic variations from verse to verse.

Ó Canainn characterizes most ornamentation into "melismatic" ornamentation. This is when a note is replaced or emphized by a group of adjoining notes. Unlike "intervallic" ornamentation, in which additional notes are used to fill up an interval between two notes.

Decorative elements common in sean nós singing include
* Highly ornamented where the voice is placed near the top of the range.
* Nasalization (especially in Ulster);
* a second form of nasalization ,used in the south, produces an "m", "n" or "ng" sound at the end of a phrase.
* Brief pauses initiated by glottal stops, "slides" or glissandi (predominantly when sung by women).
* Very long extended phrases achieved through highly developed breathing control.
* A tendency to draw breath after a conjunction or linking words rather than at the end of a line.
* The ending of some songs by speaking the finishing line instead of singing it.
* Varying of the melody of every verse which is challenging.

All these strategies serve an assortment of purposes, such as;
* Enhancing a sense of continuity such as by filling the gap between phrases with a nasalized drone.
* Drawing attention to significant words, which is often the purpose of a glottal stop.
* Expressing a transition from the experience of music to the unkind facts of everyday life, through the speaking of the final line at the end of particular songs.

A number of songs, especially older ones, are musical mode or modal rather than diatonic in melody. This can present problems for singers who are unfamiliar to the 'layout' of modal scales. Some melodies properly incorporate slightly larger or smaller music intervals than the western standard, but it is rare to hear them performed authentically in the 21st century

Distinguishing Social Features

The interaction between the performer and audience is a crucial aspect of the sean nós tradition.
* The singer may require cajoling which this may be considered as part of the recital.
* The singer may occasionally adopt a position facing the corner of the room and away from the audience, and position that has acoustic benefits and perhaps as some ancient significance.
* The audience is not expected to be silent throughout, and may participate in the performance through words of encouragement and commentary. Sometimes a member of the audience will even come and hold the performer's hand in empathy with the song. Such interaction does not disturb the flow of music, and the performer will often respond to it musically.

Most songs are not gender specific, although the lyrics may imply it is being sang from a woman's or man's point of view. On the other hand there are a few songs that men have a tendency not to sing. Women however do not seem to have the same hesitation.

Modern performance, often places songs out of context, and is a new departure for sean nós singing

Content of lyrics

Many of the songs typically sung sean nos could be viewed as forms of love poetry, laments, or references to historical events such as political rebellions or times of famine, lullabies, nature poetry, devotional songs, or combinations of these.

Comic songs are also part of the tradition (e.g., An Spailpin Fanach, Cunnla, Bean Phaidin), as are references to drink (An Bonnan Bui, Preab san Ol, Olaim Puins is Olaim Te).

Language and Regional Variation

To the first-time listener, accustomed to pop and classical singers, seannós often sounds more "Arabic" or "Indian" than "Western". There is no evidence however of any non-Western influences.

Sean nós styles vary around Ireland, though with the influence of recording media and ease of travel these distinctions are becoming less definite and singers sometimes adopt different styles from various parts of the country. Differences in style generally correspond geographically to the various dialects of Irish, whether from the relatively unadorned and nasal style of the north to the more decorated styles of the south and west. The Waterford Gaeltacht of An Rinn also has a distinct style, despite its small size, which can be heard in the singing of Nioclas Toibin.

The term 'sean nós' is popularly applied to songs in English and Irish. A large number of sean nós songs are macaronic, by which they combine two or more languages. Normally they usually combine Irish and English but occasionally Irish and French or other European languages, including Latin.

Many would agree that it is more the method of singing that is distinctive, and not the lyrics or the language. In spite of this some traditionalist insist that songs exclusively in the English language cannot be regarded as belonging to the tradition.

History or Sean Nos and Modern Developments

The tradition of sean nós was exclusively oral, and remains customarily so. However a few songs were known to have been conveyed to script as early as the 16th century. A song-book for Elizabeth I contained English interpretations of sean nós songs. Songs started to be more extensively written down in the eighteenth century, and distributed in print from then on. New composition is a controversial issue within sean nós singing. Some singers insist that the tradition needs new material. Based in the fact that society has changed, and the content of the lyrics should reflect this. On the other hand some singers say that only older, "traditional" songs represent the essence of the sean nós deserve a special place in the collection of sean nós songs.

ee also

*An Góilín
*Lilting
*Traditional Irish Singers

References

ources

Hast, Dorothea, E., Scott, and Stanley. "Music in Ireland: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture". New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 84-136.

External links

* [http://www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/inart378.htm Sean-nos singing - A Bluffer's Guide] by Anthony McCann in "Living Tradition" magazine
* [http://www.youtube.ie/TG4gaeilge Many videoed examples of sean-nos singing on YouTube]
* [http://www.tg4.ie/ TG4 occasionally has music programs featuring sean nos]