Tune Collection
History
Original recordings for the collection were made with equipment on loan from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. All 500 tunes in the collection were recorded during December 1994 and January 1995, when a temporary field recording studio was set up in the O'Brien household. Each tune on the tapes was played through several times on solo accordion, in a catalog-style presentation. Master tapes were then duplicated onto cassettes, and compiled with a booklet of background notes.
As staggering as 500 tunes may seem, the Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection only scratches the surface in the repertoire of this singular interpreter. Its 400 reels and 100 jigs are taken from a personal store of astonishing depth, encompassing more than 3,000 reels, jigs, hornpipes, set dances, clan marches, and harp tunes.
Not since Captain Francis O'Neill of the Chicago Police compiled The Music of Ireland in 1903 has a collection of this size and scope been made available to the general public. Previous collections, like O'Neill's, are written transcriptions of Irish music. Transcriptions present two distinct problems: first, they are not accessible to many traditional musicians, who must learn by ear; secondly, they cannot truly capture the flavor of the music, or the blás , as it's called in Irish, which is expressed in grace notes, the emphasis in rhythm, and other various and subtle ways. What really sets the Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection apart from previous efforts is the fact that it was created for traditional musicians (like Paddy O'Brien himself) who learn music by ear, and the subtle variations contained in many of the settings.
In addition to his remarkable memory, Paddy O'Brien's special gift is also that of a great ear, not only for variations and interpretation, but for techniques and even notes peculiar to certain regional styles, instruments, and players. His store of lesser-known regional and personal versions of tunes includes three settings of "The Moving Cloud," four of "Drowsy Maggie," and three of "The Wild Irishman," for example. Many of the versions included in this collection have never before been recorded or transcribed.
This collection is also set apart by the written materials which accompany the tunes. Paddy O'Brien's phenomenal memory extends not only to notes and variations, but to titles, and to the history that accompanies the tunes—when he received them and from whom; when and by whom they were composed or first introduced into the popular tradition. Keeping the learner in mind, the written notes on the music also include suggested keys, information on techniques used, and some basic ideas on how the tunes are arranged into selections. These considerations are as much a part of the tradition as the tunes themselves, and gives the learner a depth of knowledge about Irish music and culture not available from commercial recordings.
In sponsoring this project, the Minnesota Folklife Society and the Twin Cities Irish Music & Dance Association hope that the Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection Project will serve as an invaluable and very accessible resource to Irish traditional musicians and scholars all around the world.
Copies of the Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection have been placed for public use in the Archive of Folk Culture at the Library of Congress, the Archive of Folk Culture, the Archive of Traditional Music at Indiana University, and the Irish Traditional Music Archive in Dublin, Ireland. A complete set is also on file with the Folk Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts, whose support for this project is gratefully acknowleged.
For more information
on
the Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection Project, write or call:
Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection
1367 Highland Parkway
Saint Paul MN 55116 USA
+1 651-698-2258
paddyobrien@qwest.net
About The Project Sponsors
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The Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection was supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.Additional support for the project was provided by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature. |
The Minnesota Folklife Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization whose mission is to study, promote, and preserve the folklore and folklife of Minnesota through various media and public presentations. Its board is composed of both academic and public folklorists, resident in Minnesota, and membership is composed of individuals, libraries, and cultural organizations across the state.
The Irish Music & Dance Association is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to promoting greater understanding and appreciation of Irish traditional music and dance. Since it was officially formed in 1983, the organization's board has been made up of a broad cross-section of the Twin Cities Irish community and its many constituent cultural organizations. The Irish Music & Dance Association's monthly newsletter has provided a cultural link within the community. In addition, the group sponsors sessions, concerts, and ceili dances, and the region's premier celebration of traditional music and dance for Saint Patrick's Day in downtown Saint Paul. Other services include recordings, and an annual directory of Irish traditional music and dance groups.