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Píobaire, An, Volume 2, Issue 32, Page 7

Píobaire, An, Volume 2, Issue 32, Page 7
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periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
Píobaire, An
volume Number
2
issue Content
It is perhaps ironic, given their history, that thepipes should be regarded i ii many quarters as thequintessentially Irish instrument: there is. indeed, aschool of thought which holds that all Irish tradi-tional instrumental music should aspire to the condi-tion of the pipes. and that any form ol decoration orornamentation is illegitimate unless it can be doneon the pipes.This, of course, is a matter of taste and prejudice;but it has to be admitted that, for those who seek toembody the spirit of the nation in a physical object,the pipes are an ideal hobby-horse. They are thing).complicated: they are a conversation-piece- Reeds,regulators. drones, comparative length of chanters,beeswax, drones, hemp, rushes, pads, popping pads.valves, drones, can be discussed until the COWS comehome -According to the late Seamus Ennis one of thegreatest pipers of modern timesi there are threestyles ofpiping: the real close fingering ofthe North;loose or open fingering and the norma! or DrawingRoom style from an interview in Treoir vol. 5, no.2j. He goes on to say, There are far too many piperstoday who think they have it and they havent evenstarted yet. Tradition has it that it takes? years prac-tising and 7 years playing to make a piper. After 21years I wasnt as able as I am now and if my fatherwere alive today 1 would still be learning from him.Interestingly. Ennis gives fingerings for E and Fsharp in the third octave notes that may have beenuseful for playing some Drawing Room pieces, butwhich never occur in traditional music, thoughmaybe Ennis, being Ennis, occasionally threw themin just to show they could be done. Showmanshipseems to be a trait in some pipers: Finbarr Furey,asked why he played so fast, is supposed to havereplied, Because I can.Until comparatively recently the pipes seemed indanger ofextinction: however. organisa ions such asNa Piobairi Uilleann, formed in 1968 underthe chair-manship of the late Breandn Breathnach, havehelped to ensure their survival, and there are prob-ably more pipers now than in any time in history,though perhaps, if we are to take Ennis at face value.many ofthem may not have even started yet. f l s .-t .4;:piobaire, a piper; a kind of eel; piobairefraoigh, a grasshopper.uilte an elbow, anything resembling an elbow,an angle, a structural knee or elbow, a knee-timber, the elbow or base angle ofa spear-head,the angie of a shield, a corner or a nook, aninclination; poverty.Rev. Patrick S. DinneenAn Iris h -English DictionaryAn Irish-American writer named Barry,,speaking of the modern Irish bagpipes, says,In its original form it had nothing like therange of capabilities which now enables MrBohan to perform on it not only the HumorsofBallinahinch,ShaunODheiran Gleanna,Paddy OCarroll, The Fox Chase-and TheBlackbird, but serious prod uctions such asCorentinas song from Dinorah and BachsPastorale in F major. . . , A Dublin correspon-dent adds. In the use ofthe regulators, Bohanwas far aheadofall otherplayersoihisday.In his old age. the minstrel was evidently farfrom prosperous, and he was indebted for manyfavours to the generous John Hingston, stew-ard of Trinity College. The latter, who wasCanon Goodmans particular friend, fitted himout with a presentable suit of clothing andplayed in concert with him at the ViceregalLodge before the Prince of \Vales, afterwardsKing Edward VII.Francis ONeillIrish Minstrels and Musicians2. Ancient In s / i IJaRpipe2. Cu,, /ean or Bei/oii,.s Ppe.s3. Primitive Union Pipes4. Egon.w Improved 1 ) 51 0 , 1 Pipes7
issue Number
32
page Number
7
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
1986-10-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

Píobaire, An, Volume 2, Issue 32

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