Lilting
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Lilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Goidelic speaking areas of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Mann. It goes under many names, and is sometimes referred to as diddling (generally in England and Scotland), mouth music, jigging, chin music or cheek music, puirt à beul or canntaireachd in Scottish Gaelic, or portaireacht bhéil (port a'bhéil, "mouth-singing") in Irish. It in some ways resembles scat singing.
Features
Lilting often accompanies dancing. Features such as rhythm and tone dominate in lilting and in the case of Irish lilting in particular, is intended to evoke the characteristic 'lilt' of traditional Irish music.[1] The lyrics thus are often meaningless or nonsensical.[2]
History
The origins of lilting are unclear. It might have resulted in part from the unavailability of instruments, whether because they were seen as too expensive or were banned.[3][4] Peasant music in other Indo-European cultures was subject to similar constraints, and lilting did not develop.[citation needed] However, non-lexical syllables also feature in various traditional musical styles worldwide.[4]
The history of lilting may be obscured in part because lilting is a largely oral tradition and has not been referred to by consistent names over time.[4][5]
Notable lilters
- Jimmy Ward
- Paddy Tunney
- Bobby Gardiner
- Len Graham
- Christine Primrose
- Karen Matheson and Mary Ann Kennedy demonstrate lilting on a BBC 2005 television series, The Highland Sessions, filmed in Killiecrankie, Perthshire
- Dolores O'Riordan, singer of Irish rock band The Cranberries
- Siobhan Owen, Welsh-born Australian celtic and classical singer, harpist
See also
- List of All-Ireland lilting champions
- List of traditional Irish singers
- Sean-nós singing, unaccompanied Irish traditional singing
- Puirt à beul, Scottish lilting
- Waulking song, unaccompanied Scottish traditional singing while fulling cloth
References
- ^ "The Lilt of Irish Music". thecelticroom.org. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ Covenant College; Mullins, Catherine (2014-11-04). "Blah, Blah, Blah: Making Sense of Nonsense in Irish Vocal Music". Musical Offerings. 5 (2): 87–117. doi:10.15385/jmo.2014.5.2.2.
- ^ "Whistling And Lilting". RTÉ Archives. Hall's Pictorial Weekly. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ a b c The companion to Irish traditional music. Fintan Vallely. New York: New York University Press. 1999. p. 50, 215. ISBN 0-8147-8802-5. OCLC 40869642.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Williams, Sean (2010). Focus : Irish traditional music. New York: Routledge. pp. 210–211. ISBN 0-203-87089-1. OCLC 496099293.
