Hello Dru,
Although the tune on page 44 of book 2 is a really nice tune, it isn't the
same one that caused my original enquiry. However, your tune (Slievenamon)
agrees with a tune identified as "Sliabh na mban" in the Roche Collection of
Traditional Irish Music, which I have always found to be a pretty authentic
book. I am working from a version that appears in print in the old Billy
Pigg's Compositions and a Selection of his other Repertoire that was
produced some years ago by Adrian, Colin, Julia and G Warren (who I
unfortunately do not know). Adrian recorded it on his cassette Jane of
Biddlestone and called it "Sliabh na mban" but with the English subtitle of
The Iron Man and attributed to Scott Skinner. I have a vague recollection
that Pauline Cato has also recorded this tune under the title The Iron Man
but I haven't had time to check my CDs yet. Sliabh na mban translates
roughly as Hill of the Women so it would appear that Billy did get it wrong
as Adrian says.
Bart Blanquart very kindly sent me a link to a YouTube rendering of the air
I am working on, which was introduced, in Gaelic, as "Sliabh na mban". The
pronunciation agreed with versions that several other people sent me. So
there seem to be two melodies wandering around with the same title. All
rather confusing really :-))
My grateful thanks to all those who responded to my original query. I now
know how to pronounce the title that could be either the right or the wrong
name of the tune I will be playing. There's never a dull moment!
Cheers,
Richard
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dru Brooke-Taylor" <[email protected]>
To: "nsp" <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 05, 2010 2:19 AM
Subject: [NSP] Re: Gaelic Pronunciation
Is this a version of tune on page 44 of book 2? If so, it's a great tune,
and as far as I know, the title is pronounced Slievenamon, as Adrian says.
It's a mountain. There's a lot of variation in the way it is sung, from an
air, to a belter. But I think it may have got into the repertoire either
from people listening to Radio Athlone or from a tune book published in
Glasgow about 80 years ago.
There's a youtube of Maureen Hegarty singing a particularly attractive
version at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NraclF8vRX8 , with a link to her
own youtube with her singing a lot of other Irish classics.
Dru
On 5 Feb 2010, at 00:28, inky adrian wrote:
Billy got it wrong.
Slieve na whatever is not what Billy played, unless there is another tune
with same title.
But that title, I've always pronounced it sleeve na mon.
see http://www.irishpage.com/songs/slevmoan.htm
Adrian
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