This is a talk I gave this summer based on my book, Celtic Song, From the Traditions of Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales.
Celtic Song is not a book of musical scores. You will not find sheet music inside. What it is is a historical exploration of why music was so important to the ancient Celtic people and how it is passed down today. This historical exploration will look at Celtic poetry, sayings, prayers–all musical in their original expression. The book also takes a look at the ancient musical instruments and some of the old songs that are still sung today.
From page 1:
Let us go over the murmuring sea,
Away from the jarring world,
Back to the peace of the Irish hills,
In the mists of morning curled.
Let us hark to the song of the fairy folk
In a moonlit glen at eve,
And the half-heard patter of fairy feet
While their intricate dance they weave.
~From Celtic Memories, “The Exile” by Norreys Jephson O’Conor
As this poem sets our imaginations soaring, let’s think about why music was so popular then and now to the Celts. The tunes are lost, but the rhythm and beauty remain. Alexander Carmichael, a 19th century collector of some of these sayings and poems, once claimed that the people did their tasks in rhythm. Another thing that is well-known is that intervals of three were important. We know the people observed in nature the order of the seasons, the movement of the sun and moon. The cycle and rhythm of life was noted.
Speaking of nature, think a moment about the old hymn This Is My Father’s World. There is a line: “All nature sings, and round me rings, the music of the spheres.
The hymn was written in 1901, but goes back even farther than the Celts. the Greek philosopher Phthagorus (570-490 BCE) believed that music emanated from the heavenly bodies as they moved in space. And you know what? The ancients were right! NASA has recorded some of the sounds of the planets. I’m not scientifically minded, but it has something to do with the electromagnetic waves that are able to be heard by the human ear.
So the ancient Celts translated into their life and words rhythm or song.
As I mentioned, three intervals were important. They created what is called triads, the comparison of three related things. An example from page 9:
The three greatest gifts of music and song are:
The pleasure it brings the assembly,
The pleasure it gives the listener, and
The pleasure it brings to the maker.
Poets
Poets in Ireland were highly revered. The highest level of poet was called an ollav. He was sometimes equal to the king. Sometimes even rated above the king. He held the knowledge of history, genealogy, and the old tales in age before books. He was sometimes also feared for having the power of satire. That sounds amusing to us, but what it meant was that the people feared the poet’s words could bring about a curse on their cattle, destroy their crops, or otherwise affect their lives negatively. And so they were compelled to give the poet shelter and food, along with the poet’s entire traveling company. This got to be too burdensome. St. Columcille helped make peace, but that’s another story. (If you’d like to read some fiction about St. Columcille and his mother, check out Enya’s Son.)
Poets were important in all the Celtic regions. In Wales the earliest surviving literature is a book titled, The Early Poets, which dates to the 6th century.
Learning by Heart
Memorization was important. Why? Here’s a quote from Christine Valters Painter (page 13-14 in the book). She is speaker about the Irish tour guides who led some of the tours she was on.
“Painter says that the guides recite memorized poems during their guided walks. ‘Indeed, it seems to be very much part of the ongoing Irish tradition to commit poems to heart, to bring them intimately into oneself for remembering. the words seem knitted into our guides’ consciousness in ways that makes the speaking of the words feel transcendent.’ Transcendent. Divine. Words given to us rather than words we produce. Many times these words have a rhythm or a pattern that helps to ingrain them into our consciousness.”
Think about it. How do children learn their ABC’s? Through a song. There is a rhythm that helps me when I’m trying to unscrew or screw something: Rightly tightly, lefty loosey. Learning by heart is important and useful. Traveling monks used to recite verses to pass the time. Today, if we’re delayed at our departure gate or traveling as a passenger we don’t recite things we’ve learned to ourselves. Not usually. We watch YouTube or read a book. I wonder…are we missing something?
Monks were scribes. They had books, but memorization was still important. In this example from page 19 in the book, note how the words have a rhythm.
Pangur Ban (Old Irish for White Cate)
Translated by Robin Flower
I and Pangur Ban my cat,
Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
Better far than praise of men
Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will,
He too plies his simple skill.
Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur’s way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.
‘Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
‘Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
When a mouse darts from its den
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!
So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.
Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.
The monk who wrote this strayed from his usual duties, showing us some creativity and humor. The ancient Celts memorized more than just religious texts. Columcille had not just religious training but he also learned old tales from a bard, or poet, in the druid tradition.
Psalters, books of Psalms, were common while the whole Bible was not. Psalms were written as songs and are a good example of how even though the tunes no longer exist, we can feel the musical expression through the words (even through translations!). Psalms were recited day and night and during tasks.
Prayers
A lorica or breastplate prayer was a prayer for protection, distinct in its style or rhythm. Here is a portion of St. Patrick’s breastplate from page 30:
I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to see before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me.
Circling Prayers or Caim Prayers have a rhythm fit for walking or making rounds around sacred wells or other sacred spots. The Celts would walk sun-wise once, three times, or even twelve times around while reciting the prayer.
–Continued in Part Two
