Monthly Archives: August 2015

Proposals

Proposals for Pibroch (Performance and Judging)

4 Comments

There are four key areas where the pre-1841 manuscripts, books and scores reflect sometimes subtle, sometimes profound differences when compared to modern typeset arrangements and competition performances.

  • Cadences: different styles (held, trickling, streaming), different lengths (from one to 5 notes), different notes (start on high-A, on high-G; to F, to E, etc.; starting on high-G from a high-A theme note)
  • Genres: implications regarding tempo, particularly as a result of express indicators in the early material (“lively”, “somewhat lively”, “very slow”, “slow”)
  • Urlar Returns: “as a chorus of a song is to the verses, so is the ground of a piobaireachd to its variations…”
  • Movements/Motifs: half-grips; half-grip taoluaths and crunluaths; “redundant-A” taorluaths and crunluaths with full grips; half D-throws; crahinin (echo, double-beat)

We have explored these areas in some depth at LLP. We have also discussed the desire for different settings to be performed at recitals and allowed for at competitions. And it seems, at least among the Club members and those judges and competitors we have interviewed, that this desire is broadly supported.

Here, I am going to propose something a bit more radical. The desire is to solicit feedback from the community. The intent of the proposals is to open up possibilities for enlivened and enlivening performances by allowing the performer the chance to introduce her or his own unique creativity to the tune.

Proposal One: Cadences

All cadences in any setting are optional elements, according to the discretion of the performer. Consistency of style is not important, thus allowing the performer access to the full pallet of interpretive effects.

Proposal Two: Crahinins

All crahinins in any setting may be played in any style of the performer’s choosing. Instead of an echo beat, the performer may choose to play a double-beat, and vice versa, according to the interpretive intent and expression desired. Consistency in style selection is not important, thus allowing the performer access to the full pallet of interpretive effects.

All birls (hiharins) are also covered by this proposal, since they were originally crahinins.

Proposal Three: Urlar Refrains

The performer may choose to introduce urlar refrains after any doubling motion (urlar, suihal, dithis, lemluath, toarluath, etc.) of a tune.

The performer may choose not to introduce an urlar refrain at the end of the final motion.

Proposal Four: Taorluaths and Crunluaths

Fosgailthe crunluaths may be played open, at the discretion of the piper.

Redundant A movements are allowable in any setting.

Where manuscripts are unclear, either triplet (fosgailthe) or dot-cut (gearr) style taorluaths are allowed, at the discretion of the piper.

Proposal Five: Intent

The performer must be prepared to defend or explain their interpretive choices when asked to do so. This holds the performer accountable for the performance, necessitating thoughtful interpretive choices be made.

As stated above, the presentation of these proposals is intended to begin a discussion among members. Eventually, some year or decade from now, I would like to present the results of the discussion to Judging and Music boards for their consideration.

But for now: let’s talk!

Modern Traditional Piper, Proposals

Cycle and Motion

8 Comments

In place of the word variation, I use the word cycle in order to drop unhelpful cultural baggage generally attached to the idea of variation. I’d define a pibroch cycle as the fundamental unit of memorisation - the essential idea or framework from which the rest of the piece is generated. It is usually laid out in the Urlar and often corresponds to a single statement of a measure (e.g. 11OO1O11).

I use measure here in its medieval Welsh sense: a binary pattern of phrases and counter phrases, or sonorities and counter sonorities - elements of harmonic tension (B and low G) and resolution (A and C). Such measures were popular harmonic procedures, ones that enjoyed wide currency, both facilitating music making and catalysing musical enjoyment - much like an 8-bar blues. A measure is something shared by many works, although it may be well hidden by more crafty composers. In pibroch, a melodic theme may or may not be built on a measure, and measures can give rise to music that is more textural than tuneful.

So, in this usage, the Urlar is one cycle and what our transcribers call the “1st Variation” is the second cycle. In modern editions of pibroch, the cycles are numbered consecutively using roman numerals. Why not use the word ‘movements’ for these basic units of structure? The answer is that it would introduce ambiguity: ‘movement’ is probably the clearest translation of ludh - found in the pibroch terms Ludh na h-òrdaig, Ludh Sleamhuinn, Taoludh, Crunnludh - and these finger movements typically encompass more than one cycle (e.g. Singling and Doubling).

For these groups of cycles, I find it helpful use the word motion in the same sense as Colin Campbell when he writes “First Motion” or “Second Motion” - translating the Gaelic term Siubhal. In this usage, a motion refers to the whole section of music between restatements of the Urlar. So, a motion may consist of anything between 1 and 6 cycles. Why not use the word cycle for this larger-scale revolution? I have two reasons: first, Colin Campbell gives us a lovely word for the larger revolution (motion); and secondly, these larger revolutions have less stability and regularity - particularly with restatements of the Urlar being dropped in the 19th century - and the word cycle suggests regularity.

So, to summarise - a Taoludh Singling is one cycle, but a Taoludh Singling and Doubling is one motion. Distinguishing between and identifying with these concepts of cycle and motion - or micro and macro levels of musical structure - brings us into closer sympathy with this remote musical craft. It’s like day and night, high tide low tide, full moon new moon, summer winter: a musical embodiment of natural cycles that today we are much less in touch with than the men and women who shaped this tradition.

Many natural cycles are irregular - like heartbeat, in-breath out-breath, wind no-wind, sunshine rain, high spirits low spirits, good summer bad summer, birth death. Some of the best music in this tradition, I suggest, embodies these irregularities too. That’s where the association between pibroch and the form “Theme and Variations” is counterproductive to high-level music making. A moving performance and an enduring composition somehow plumb the depth and breadth of human experience. Pibroch used to be fundamentally more sophisticated than your average Theme and Variations, with multiple cycles spinning at different speeds. My contention is that it has become more stereotypical and trivial through Highland pipers’ use of the word Variation, on account of the preconceptions which that word imports from the lighter, popular music of Handel, Mozart and countless lesser composers.