Soundscapes Vol.3: Irish Music and Aural Awareness

Soundscapes is a series of compact classroom coursebooks for Leaving Certificate Music. This volume provides history, analysis, and listening for the Irish music and aural awareness components of the exam and is suitable for both ordinary and higher level students. The following topics are covered:

1. THE INSTRUMENTS Discusses the main instruments of traditional music and their history in Ireland, along with a select discography for each instrument and a listing of its most important players.

2. INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC Provides detailed descriptions of the types and forms of dance music, airs, marches and exhibition pieces, including such aspects as structure, ornamentation, modes and scales, regional styles, important collectors, etc.

3. SONG Covers the history and development of Irish song and singing styles, including sean-n?s, the ballad tradition and contemporary folk. Macaronic song, Child ballads and the many subjects of song are also dealt with, and a bibliography of song collections is provided.

4. THE LIVING TRADITION Students look at the evolution of Irish traditional music over the last century, including regional styles, c?il? bands, the influence of recording, the founding of Comhaltas Ceolt?ir? ?ireann and other organizations, Se?n ? Riada, the Ballad Boom, the rise of the supergroups and the influence of Irish music in the US and other countries.

5. THE EXAM Helps students with their preparation for the exam, looking at approaches to the listening and written sections based on past papers.

6. BEYOND THE EXAM Suggestions for projects or areas of research that students can develop for themselves.

INCLUDES
? a timeline of Irish music and comprehensive glossary
? tune, song and ornamentation examples
? numerous photographs and line drawings

NOTES ON AURAL AWARENESS (Arthur Sealy) Provides guidelines for the unprescribed question six on the Listening Exam paper. While helping students to condense some of the language already learned through their study of the prescribed works, these notes also introduce new language and terms for discussing other musical genres, forms and styles. An overview of exam-type questioning as well as questions from past papers are provided.