{"id":13778,"date":"2022-07-14T07:09:56","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T07:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booksofall.com\/vi\/?post_type=product&p=13778"},"modified":"2022-07-14T07:11:08","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T07:11:08","slug":"jigs-and-reels-exploring-the-irish-traditional-music-archive","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.booksofall.com\/vi\/jigs-and-reels-exploring-the-irish-traditional-music-archive\/","title":{"rendered":"Jigs and reels: exploring the Irish Traditional Music Archive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we\u2019re going Irish! To celebrate the Irish Presidency of the European Council, the Digital Agenda Assembly which is taking place this week in Dublin, and the associated Europeana Conference tomorrow at Dublin Castle, we have a guest blog from Grace Toland, Librarian of the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA). 2,000 items from the fantastic ITMA collections are now\u00a0available in Europeana<\/a>. Here’s what Grace has to say about it…<\/em>\u00a0Welcome to the Irish Traditional Music Archive, the world\u2019s largest multimedia collection of\u00a0 Irish traditional music material. Through our\u00a0Digital Library<\/a>, we invite you to discover the rhythms, melodies, voices and instruments of this vibrant expression of Irish culture.\u00a0 ITMA, now celebrating its 25th year, is proud to share with you the unfolding story of Ireland\u2019s traditional music via the Europeana portal. To help you along your musical journey, ITMA staff have selected some of their personal song, instrumental and dance favourites from the sound recordings, videos, images and texts available. We also recommend browsing the various\u00a0media playlists<\/a>\u00a0which are curated and introduced by ITMA Director, Nicholas Carolan. Updated bi-monthly, there will always be something new to discover, as well as the pleasure of returning to favourite pieces.<\/p>\n

SOUND<\/h3>\n

The development of sound technology can be followed in our audio playlists, from wax cylinders to contemporary digital recordings. From this timeline, Brian Doyle, our Digitisation Officer, has selected dance music, polkas played by\u00a0Killoran\u2019s Pride of Erin Orchestra<\/a>. These \u2018crackling\u2019 78 rpm disks transport us across the Atlantic to 1930s New York and the new life of emigrant Irish musicians.<\/p>\n

IMAGE<\/h3>\n

Composition and colour prompted Treasa Harkin, our Melodies & Images Officer, IT, to choose\u00a0They Love Music Mightily<\/a>, an image gallery of musicians and singers photographed in their own environments by Paul McCarthy. Photographs, paintings and drawings richly evoke the era and roots of the music and musicians.<\/p>\n

VIDEO<\/h3>\n

Elaina Solon, ITMA Sound Recordings Officer, has chosen contemporary Irish dance videos. While group dancing is also practised in Ireland, this particular video shows a solo genre sean-n\u00f3s (old style) which has seen a revival among younger dancers in recent times. Witness the symbiotic relationship between dancer and musician (and even sweeping brush) as well as the considerable \u2018support\u2019 from an admiring audience.<\/p>\n

PRINT<\/h3>\n

The passing of music and songs orally from generation to generation is characteristic of Irish traditional music. The 19th century saw the emergence of the antiquarian collector and the transcription of tunes and songs in manuscript and printed works. From our George Petrie Collection (ca. 1790\u22121866) Maeve Gebruers, ITMA Printed Materials Officer, has selected a\u00a0manuscript tune transcription<\/a>. Musical literacy and the oral tradition continue to play central roles in music transmission and education. Our online\u00a0Interactive Scores<\/a> are among the range of newly emerging teaching tools, enhancing older printed sources for a new generation……<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"