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Celtic music Celtic music is a term utilized by similarities between the various musics record companies, music stores and music called "Celtic" derive more from a magazines to describe a broad grouping common origin in the vernacular music of of musical genres that evolved out of late mediaeval and early modern Europe the folk musical traditions of the than from any innate Celticity.[citation Celtic peoples of Western Europe, though needed] But some call that giving too there are considerable doubts whether much importance to basic material, any of said peoples actually shared a saying that the originality of a music genetic or cultural origin. As such is in the subtle transformation, by a there is no real body of music which can people or a group of peoples, of be accurately be described as Celtic, material shared by larger communities. but the term has stuck and may refer to Many critics of the idea of modern both orally-transmitted traditional Celtic music claim that the idea is the music and recorded popular music. The creation of modern marketing designed to latter sometimes has barely even a stimulate regional identity in the superficial resemblance to folk music of creation of a consumer niche; June any of the Celtic cultures, but on the Skinner Sawyers, for example, notes that other hand it sometimes represents "Celtic music is a marketing term that I sincere work towards adapting Celtic am using, for the purposes of this book, traditions for modern, global culture. as a matter of convenience, knowing full Celtic music means two things mainly. well the cultural baggage that comes The first: the music of the peoples with it". If we look at it closer, we calling themselves Celts (a non-musical, see that the so-called "marketing" or more political definition), as opposed "show-business" creation was born in the to, say "French folk music" or "English mind of an idealistic man who first(late folk music." The second: whatever 60s) blended the music of all the Celtic qualities may be unique to the musics of countries with a modern touch in his the Celtic Nations (a musical recordings and concerts: the Breton Alan definition). Some insist there is Stivell. actually nothing in common, such as Forms Geoff Wallis and Sue Wilson in their Identifying "common characteristics" of book 'The Rough Guide to Irish Music', Celtic music is problematic. Most of the whereas others (such as Alan Stivell ), popular musical forms now thought of as say there is. characteristically "Celtic" were once Often, the term Celtic music is applied common in many places in Western Europe. to the music of Ireland and Scotland, Jigs were adapted from Italian because both places have produced music,[citation needed] for example, and well-known distinctive styles which polkas have their origin in Czech and actually have genuine commonality and Polish tradition. clear mutual influences; however, it is On the other hand, there are musical notable that Irish and Scottish genres and styles specific to each traditional musicians themselves avoid Celtic country, due in part to the the term "Celtic music," except when influence of individual song traditions forced by the necessities of the market. and the characteristics of specific They are famous too because of the languages. Strathspeys are specific to importance of Irish and Scottish people Highland Scotland, for example, and in the English speaking world. The music mimic the rhythms of the Scottish Gaelic of Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, language. Brittany, Northumbria, Galicia, Festivals Cantabria and Asturias and Northeastern The Celtic music scene involves a large Portugal are also frequently considered number of music festivals. Some of the a part of Celtic music, the Celtic most prominent include Festival tradition being particularly strong in Internacional do Mundo Celta de Brittany, where Celtic festivals large Ortigueira (Ortigueira, Galicia), Celtic and small take place throughout the year Colours (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia), and because of Alan Stivell's recordings Celtic Connections (Glasgow, Scotland) and tours. Finally, the music of and Festival Interceltique de Lorient ethnically Celtic peoples abroad are (Lorient, Brittany). also considered, especially in Canada Modern adaptations and the United States. The first modern adaptations in the 60s In Celtic Music: A Complete Guide, June were those of artists such as the Skinner Sawyers acknowledges six Celtic English Jethro Tull, Steeleye Span and nationalities divided into two groups Fairport Convention, Horslips in according to their linguistic heritage. Ireland, and Alan Stivell in Brittany, The Q-Celtic nationalities are the who made some of the first attempts at Irish, Scottish and Manx peoples, while creating pan-celtic modern popular music the P-Celtic groups are the Cornish, and some of whom are still now exploring Bretons and Welsh peoples. Sawyer also new kinds of Celtic fusion. In 1982 with mentions the Celtiberian languages as The Pogues invention of Celtic part of P-Celtic. folk-punk, there has been a movement to The Breton musician Alan Stivell uses a incorporate Celtic influences into other similar dichotomy, between the Gaelic genres of music. Bands such as Seven (Irish and Scottish) branch and the Nations and Needfire do American Brythonic (Breton and Welsh) group, adaptions in the form of Celtic Rock. which differentiate "mostly by the Composer Ciarán Farrell extended range (sometimes more than two blends classical influences with rock, octaves) of Irish and Scottish melodies jazz, folk and traditional Irish styles, and the closed range of Breton and Welsh using different combinations of melodies (often reduced to a instruments and orchestras to play his half-octave), and by the frequent use of music. Marxman, an Irish-Jamaican hip the pure pentatonic scale in Gaelic hop group that gained notoriety in music." Britain in the late 1980s and was banned Definition debate from the BBC for including I.R.A. At issue is the lack of many common slogans in their music, sampled threads uniting the "Celtic" peoples traditional Celtic instruments in listed above. While the ancient Celts several of their songs. undoubtedly had their own musical Sinéad O'Connor has styles, the actual sound of their music also been active in the fusion movement remains a complete mystery. and incorporated a wide range of modern There is also tremendous variation and traditional influences into her between "Celtic" regions. Ireland, music. Scotland, and Brittany have living In Scotland Gaelic punk bands such as Oi traditions of language and music and Polloi and Mill a h-Uile Rud that write there has been a recent major revival of and perform in Scots Gaelic have interest in Wales. However, Cornwall and recently gained popularity as well. the Isle of Man have only small-scale The Welsh language is less well revivalist movements that have yet to represented[citation needed], though the take hold. Galicia has no Celtic lyrics of such bands as Ceredwen, which language (Galician is a Romance language fuses traditional instruments with closest to Portuguese), but Galician trip-hop beats, are sung entirely in music is often claimed to be "Celtic." Welsh. The same is true of the music of Today there are Celtic-influenced sub Asturias and that of Northeastern genres of virtually every type of Portugal (but Portugal has a stronger popular music, from House to Trance, hip Arabic influence). Thus traditionalists hop to Punk Rock, New Age to Pop. and most musicological scholars dispute Collectively these modern that the "Celtic" lands have any folk interpretations of Celtic music are connections to each other. sometimes referred to as Celtic Fusion. A strong case can be made that the 1 A B C 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101