Celtic Music: A Complete Guide

Rating:
Summary: A potentially misleading guide
Review: I am very disappointed by the number of inaccuracies, inconsistencies and contradictory statements that this book contains. It appears that no one proofread the manuscript for content before it was approved for publication. On page 10 we are told that "Irish music falls into primarily two broad categories: songs and dance tunes. Of the latter, marches constitute the largest class." Surely if we consider the published collections and the predisposition of today's players this largest class must be reels? Page 25 includes the assertion that "Irish music is primarily modal, in contrast to the more harmonic characteristics of Western music; notes appear in clusters, as in chords or in harmony singing." This appears to tell us that Irish music notes are grouped in chordal clusters, although I am sure that the opposite must have been intended. The sentence that immediately follows, "Traditional Celtic music largely depends on a single melody line," does little to clarify this once the initial confusion has been established. The harper Rory Dall is referenced on page 37 with the statement that "Unfortunately, none of his harp music has survived, just his reputation." However, on page 50 we learn that Alison Kinnaird's recording The Harp Key "features music of Rory Dall... the great highland harper." On page 39 the Welsh triple harp is summarized with the observation that "Unlike the pedal harp it is fully chromatic." Since pedals render the pedal harp fully chromatic, if there is another distinction to be understood from this statement I don't know what it might be. We learn on page 28 that the Brian Boru harp was "named after the Irish high king who died ... at the Battle of Clontarf ... It actually dates from the fourteenth century and thus could not have been played at the battle scene." However, on pages 36-37 we are told that the Scottish Queen Mary harp "is said to resemble the harp of Brian Boru (now in Trinity College, Dublin), slain at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Scholars tell us that there was little difference between the Scottish and Irish harps at that time." Which time would that be, exactly?
I finally decided to take this book as the work of an enthusiast in the act of enthusing, but I would not recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in traditional music. To call this a "Complete Guide" is a misreprentation, and a better subtitle would have been "A Personal Guide." I'm sorry to have to file such a negative reaction. I harbor no ill will towards the author but simply feel sufficiently distressed by what I have read that I am compelled to speak up.

Rating:
Summary: Foundations of Celtic Music from early to modern times
Review: The foundations of Celtic Music from early to modern times is revealed in Celtic Music: A Complete Guide, a history of the genre which considers all aspects of the music; from its roots to its contemporary development. From the artists who have produced the sound to lists of Celtic publications and festivals which have fostered its growth, Celtic Music: A Complete Guide packs in a fine history.