MTU Library Catalogue

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Music in Irish cultural history / Gerry Smyth.

By: Smyth, Gerry, 1961-.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 2009Description: xix, 196 p. ; 24 cm.ISBN: 9780716529842; 9780716529859 .Subject(s): Music -- Ireland -- History and criticism | Folk music -- Ireland -- History and criticism | Popular music -- Ireland -- History and criticism | Music -- Social aspects -- IrelandDDC classification: 306.484209417
Contents:
Introduction: In search of Irish music -- Listening to the future : music and Irish studies -- Betrayal as theme and influence in Thomas Moore's 'On Music' -- Music in James Joyce's 'The Dead' : sources contexts, meanings -- Paddy sad and Paddy mad : music and the condition of Irishness -- Bringing it all back home? The dynamics of local music-making in 'The Commitments' -- Celtic music : from the margins to the centre (and back again?) -- Listening to the novel : the role and representation of traditional music in contemporary Irish fiction -- No country for young women : Celtic music, dissent and the Irish female body -- 'The same sound but with a different meaning' : music, politics and identity in Bernard Mac Laverty's 'Grace Notes' -- 'Sing your melody, I'll sing along' : Mimetic and diegetic uses of music in 'Once'.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Barcode
General lending MTU Cork School of Music Library Lending 306.484209417 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00148623
General lending MTU Cork School of Music Library Lending 306.484209417 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00147169
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This collection of essays, on the subject of music and Irish identity, covers a number of different musical genres and periods, produced in a coherent volume representing a significant intervention within the field of Irish music studies. The main articles include the (re-)establishment of music as a key object of Irish cultural studies, the theoretical limitations of traditional musicology, and the development of new methodologies specifically designed to address the demands of Irish music in all its aspects. With chapters ranging from the politics of betrayal in the songs of Thomas Moore to the use of music in the award-winning film Once, the book offers an analysis of key moments from Irish cultural history considered from the perspective of music. Winner of the 2010 ACIS Michael J. Durkan Prize for Books on Language and Culture.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-189) and index.

Introduction: In search of Irish music -- Listening to the future : music and Irish studies -- Betrayal as theme and influence in Thomas Moore's 'On Music' -- Music in James Joyce's 'The Dead' : sources contexts, meanings -- Paddy sad and Paddy mad : music and the condition of Irishness -- Bringing it all back home? The dynamics of local music-making in 'The Commitments' -- Celtic music : from the margins to the centre (and back again?) -- Listening to the novel : the role and representation of traditional music in contemporary Irish fiction -- No country for young women : Celtic music, dissent and the Irish female body -- 'The same sound but with a different meaning' : music, politics and identity in Bernard Mac Laverty's 'Grace Notes' -- 'Sing your melody, I'll sing along' : Mimetic and diegetic uses of music in 'Once'.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Also author of Noisy Island: A Short History of Irish Popular Music (CH, Feb'06, 43-3318), Smith provides a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary look at Irish music and its role in Irish culture. The ten essays examine Irish music through analysis of specific works of art, including the Broadway musical James Joyce's "The Dead" (2000) and the musical film Once (2007), and also through discussion of the social, political, and historical roots and meanings of music in Ireland. The author draws from the language and scholarship of diverse fields, including musicology, literary criticism, and cultural studies in his investigation; however, despite the sometimes-dense academic language, he manages to keep the essays readable and engaging. This volume complements such recent works as Helen O'Shea's The Making of Irish Traditional Music (CH, Jun'09, 46-5529) and John O'Flynn's The Irishness of Irish Music (2009) in their investigation of how Irish music both defines and is defined by Irish cultural identity. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. B. A. Hunter University of Idaho