Musical Concept and Realization

MY MUSICAL ART does not belong to me alone. Many, throughout the ages have had a hand in creating it. Even my original compositions owe their structure and style to a broader form which was forged in tiny increments over a span of several centuries.

If ever there were an art form which was spawned from the organic, elemental fabric of the earth itself, that is traditional Celtic music. Somewhere in the streams and tilled rows and fluttering Aspens plays one long, continuous reel; I merely tap into it for awhile.

A beautiful and remarkable thing happens as traditional music is passed down through the ages: it becomes imbued with the sentiments of the collective culture that crafted it. Unlike music from the pen of a single composer, traditional music reflects the spiritual and emotional condition of Thousands, spanning as many years, with each successive generation adding something of its own experience to the music before passing it along to the next

Music-making begins from being steeped in a specific genre -- listening to it, playing it, living the lifestyle associated with it, dreaming it. After awhile the line between learning and expressing starts to blur. Instead of just playing the music in the way one was taught, or in the way it is “supposed” to be played, one begins to address it with authority. Mannerisms develop which shape the musical approach. Often this affect is referred to as “style.” So-and-so plays in a such-and-such style.

The moment one’s personal style is born is the moment one has joined the evolutionary process of traditional music. Traditional music, therefore, is not a “stuck” form, but is in constant flux. The art of any age is a fusing of tradition and innovation.

Scottish and Irish melodies are to a very large extent dance melodies. Long before there were internet cafes or skiing holidays, before people went out to rock concerts or stayed home with their Blue Ray home theatre systems, before football and hockey games were conjured or sports bars in which to broadcast them, before any of the newfangled entertainments of our age, there was dance. Ordinary people living in the rural countryside enjoyed dance just as villagers and tenants in cities did. Old codgers and school boys, fair maidens and married couples. Everybody danced. It was cheap, healthy, fun,anybody could do it, and there wasn't much else to do for amusement anyway!

Celtic music is structured on the 16-count patterns which give dances their symmetry. Any average Joe can contribute a dance tune to the repertory of dance tunes. The authors of many tunes have become nameless after a generation, while the names of others are remembered in association with the timeless melodies which are played and enjoyed even today.

I begin by digging through mountains of tunes and enjoy occasionally striking upon a real gem. Perhaps it’s been around for ages, or it may be a new tune inspired by and old one.
What then ensues is the arranging or modeling of one or more tunes into a larger work -- and this is where inspiration plays a vital role. After living with a tune for a time it begins to beckon for a specific treatment, and one must listen to this call with great sensitivity. Two melodies may complement each other, or one may create tension when contrasted with another. The mood of a tune may offer a suggestion for new harmonic treatments, rhythmic variations, or texture changes. And what about the overall architecture of the arrangement? Is it telling a story?

Gradually the music becomes subtly stylized. Emotions of everyday life come into play. What began as a modest medley of tunes coalesces into a larger work which stands up in performance. I’ve been known to take as long as two years to craft an arrangement.

A later stage of the development of the work is the contribution made by the listener who influences the music -- directly or indirectly -- by the simple act of enjoying it.

It is both inevitable and desirable that traditional music reflect the temperament of the individual performer and the circumstances that surround him or her. Music thus becomes a conduit through which our experiences today are communicated aurally throughout time.