Lilting

Lilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Gaelic speaking areas of Ireland and Scotland. It goes under many names, and is sometimes referred to as "mouth music", diddling, jigging, chin music or cheek music), puirt a beul in Scottish Gaelic, Canterach, or portaireacht bhéil (port a'bhéil) in Irish Gaelic. It in some ways resembles scat singing.

Features

Lilting often accompanied dancing^[1]. Features such as rhythm and tone dominate in lilting. The lyrics thus are often meaningless or nonsensical. Because of this, translations from Gaelic often do not exist.

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 dear or were banned. However peasant music in other Indo-European cultures was subject to similar constraints, and lilting did not develop.

Notable lilters

• Paddy Tunney, Bobby Gardiner, Seamus Brogan, 1998 All-Ireland Fleadh runner-up Katherine Burke, Seamus Fay, M. J. O'Reilly, the McPeake Family, Len Graham, Joe Holmes, Micho Russell, Christine Primrose, Audrey Saint-Coeur, and Elizabeth Cronin.

{many of the above are illustrated on a CD, Celtic Mouth Music, ASIN: B0000059U2 (1999)}

Karen Matheson and Mary Ann Kennedy demonstrate lilting on a BBC 2005 television series, The Highland Sessions, filmed in Killiecrankie, Perthshire.

The music group, Rua, develop lilting into an orchestral and vocal extravaganza, with Dum Dumda Diddle.^[2]

See also

• List of All-Ireland lilting champions
• List of traditional Irish singers
• Sean-nós song, unaccompanied Irish traditional singing.
• Puirt a beul, Scottish Lilting.

• diddling, alternate term for Lilting or Puirt a beul

• Waulking song, unaccompanied Scottish traditional singing done while working.

References

1. ^ Article on Gaelic puirt-a-beul, by Craig Cockburn
2. ^ Rua, ASIN: B00005M2B0

External links

• Article on Gaelic puirt-a-beul (mouth music)
• Seamus Fay, Cavan's lilter