Sean-nós song

Sean - nós singing ( sean - nós Irish " old style " ) is a Gaelic, unaccompanied and highly ornamented vocal form. It is the traditional song form of the Irish-speaking Ireland and the Gaelic Scotland.

Features

There are numerous regional and personally different styles. Nevertheless, let some general features of the Sean - nós singing call:

Sean - nós singing is generally unaccompanied solo singing in the Irish language. Tempo and rhythm are free, and the melody varies from verse to verse and from a performance to the next. Typical is a rather hard, sometimes heavily nasalized, but never " sweet " voice.

The consonants l, m, n and r are often stressed and stretched, resulting in a bordunartiger sound. A glottal stop, which is not common elsewhere in the Irish language, is often used.

The melody is decorated in various ways, eg by a single syllable several notes are sung (roughly comparable with double strike, Mordent or appoggiatura, cf Ornament ( music) ). On the other hand there are in Sean - nós singing no vibrato and no variation in dynamics.

The Sean - nós singing needs, much like a storyteller, a captive audience and a more intimate, quiet environment. Historically, it took place in more private meetings, in house Ceilis, dances, wakes or weddings. Only with the decline of such traditional occasions appeared the Sean - nós singing in pubs, at festivals and competitions.

History

Only after the founding of the Gaelic League in 1893, Sean - nós singing in the English-speaking world was perceived. The term sean - nós was introduced in 1904 as a translation of the traditional singing ( " old style ").

The age and the origin of Sean - nós singing themselves are unknown. Most of the songs sung today were created between 1600 and 1850.