Dermot Somerville and Shanua Musical Presentation in Hiram, Ohio

Sunday afternoon there was an amazing musical presentation in Koritansky Hall, on the campus of Hiram College. The performance was called "Sea Dreams," and it was put on by the group called "Shanua," which I think is composed primarily of Dermot Somerville, who is a native of Ireland, and his wife Ulle Laido, a native of Estonia. The name "Shanua" might come from the Irish word, sean, which means "old," and the Irish word nua, which means "new."

Dermot and Ulle were joined by several singers and musicians from Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy, where Ulle is music director (Can you imagine the wonderful music in that church!).  Becca Rhoades joined in on fiddle, and some singing; Tina Dreisbach, Music Professor at Hiram, played concertina, Irish flute, and also sang; Paul Dreisbach, also a Hiram prof, played oboe and uilleann pipes. Krista Parran was a featured singer; Tim Regan and John Clark were singers; and Rebecca Knab was the narrator (they used wonderful poems by Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare, and others). The performance had a story line that talked about the menfolk going to sea to hunt for whales, then returning home. The poems and songs (which were traditional sea shanties and other songs of the sea) told about the painful partings of men and women, the fear those at home and those on the sea lived with, and the joyful reunions when the men returned.

Can you imagine--this concert was presented to the public free of charge, with the underwriting of the wonderful Hiram Community Trust. What a generous gift, both by these fine artists and the Hiram Community Trust. Art is often an act of love, as this performance was. Thank you!

The entire cast of artists, singers, musicians

Dermot on low whistle, Krista Parran, singer, and Paul Dreisbach, who played Irish uilleann pipes and oboe

Dermot Somerville, left, with John Clark and Tim Regan

Tina Dreisbach, Becca Rhoades, and Ulle Laido

James A. Garfield (his head back on his body after an act of vandalism)

The beautiful old hall where the performance took place

Hiram Irish Music Session--Spring Version

Today we had the spring edition of the Hiram Irish Music Session. The word "session" (in Irish "Seisiun") is a term used among players of Irish music and it simply has to do with musicians getting together and playing Irish (and other types) of songs, jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas, marches, airs, planxties, etc. for two or three hours. Often sessions take place in pubs; this one takes place a few times a year in Frohring Hall, the music building at Hiram College. Tina Dreisbach organizes it and leads it, along with her husband Paul.

Today's session had about 22 musicians and 15 observers. There was a great variety of instruments. I counted about 4 fiddlers, 2 or 3 Irish flute players, many whistle players, 2 people with mandolins (one with a metal resonator), an Irish bouzouki player, a harpist, a bodhran player (Sheldon Firem), many guitarists, a ukulele player, a couple of concertina players, an autoharp player, a pianist, and perhaps other things I just missed. I knew some of the musicians, but certainly not all!

Sheldon on bodhran; Tina on Irish flute

Rob, on piano; he knows every tune and every verse of every song!

Nice view of many of the musicians

I will list many of the tunes played at today's session (my favorites in bold print)

Ash Grove
Augusta Waltz (Bob McQuillen)
Bride's Favorite
Greencastle
Friendly Visit Hornpipe
Keane O'Hara's 1st Air
Hewlett (O'Carolan)
Golden Keyboard
Sligo Maid
Amelia's Waltz (Bob McQuillen)
Sally Gardens (song)
Madam Maxwell (O'Carolan)
St. Anne's Reel
Boyne Hunt
Haunted House
Banshee's Wail
Haste to the Wedding
John Ryan's Polka
Raglan Road
Dennis Murphy's Polka
Ger the Rigger
Maggie in the Wood
Enchanted Lake
Eleanor Plunkett (O'Carolan)
Fanny Power (O'Carolan)
Morning Star
Longford Collector
Whiskey in the Jar (song)
Danny Boy (song)
Whiskey Before Breakfast

. . . and many more!

Garrettsville, Ohio--Downtown Fire

Mains Street, Garrettsville

Garrettsville--Main Street

The Village Bookstore, across the street from the fire

There was a terrible fire in Garrettsville, Ohio 8 days ago, burning down an entire block of old buildings. News sources said 13 businesses were destroyed and the fire was fought by some 35 fire departments. I was in nearby Hiram today for an Irish music session (organized by Hiram music professor Tina Dreisbach). One person who often plays at the session is harpist Ellen Eckhouse, who owns The Village Bookstore in Garrettsville. After the session I drove into Garrettsville to take a look. Ellen's store seemed untouched by the fire, but across Main Street everything was destroyed.

Garrettsville is a place important to me. James A. Garfield was around this town because of his studies and teaching at Hiram College. And Garrettsville is the birthplace of an influential American poet, Hart Crane. Hart Crane's father, Clarence Crane, had a huge maple syrup operation in town, said to be the largest in the world, and was the inventor of Life Savers candy.

Hiram Irish Music Session (#2)

Tunes played at Hiram College yesterday include:

1. Tom Hackett's Dream
2. Madame Maxwell (O'Carolan)
3. Morning Mist (James Keane)
[the above 3 tunes were new to the Hiram Session]

4. Eleanor Plunkett (O'Carolan)
5. Fanny Power (O'Carolan)
6. Golden Keyboard
7. Sligo Maid
8. My Cape Breton Home (Jerry Holland)
9. Ash Grove
10. John Ryan's Polka
11. The Butterfly
12. Maggie in the Woods
13. Si Beag Si Mor (O'Carolan)
14. Rights of Man
15. Off to California
16. Christmas Eve
17. Wind that Shakes the Barley
18. Haste to the Wedding
19. Frost Is All Over
20. Cliffs of Moher
21. St. Anne's Reel
22. Gaspe Reel
23. Over the Moor to Maggie
24. O'Carolan's Concerto
25. Gentle Maiden
26. Sally Gardens [we sang this song--WB Yeats wrote a lyric for an old tune]

Some of the musicians: Bob Coughlin (me--whistles, guitar); Ellen Eckhouse, harp; Sheldon Firem, bodhran, whistles, guitar; Paul Dreisbach, uilleann pipes, whistle; Tina Dreisbach, Irish flute, whistle, concertina; Robin Montgomery, grand piano; and Frank Krygowski, on fiddle and whistles. There were also 2 people playing button-box accordions;other fiddlers; another concertina player; an autoharp player; other whistle and guitar players--I don't know everyone's names, unfortunately.

P.S. Frank Krygowski has given me the names of a few other musicians present: Jean McGeary, John Sharp, Barb Montler, and Dennis Akers on button-box accordion.

Irish Music Session at Hiram College(1)

Sheldon Firem , bodhran (Irish drum) player extraordinaire, at the Hiram College Irish music session, organized by Tina and Paul Dreisbach, music profs at Hiram. At the harp is Ellen Eckhouse.

In the above video you can see Ellen Eckhouse playing an O'Carolan tune on her harp. You can also see many of the 14 musicians present, including Tina Dreisbach on flute

I will post one or two more short videos plus the tune list from this session--I'll do that tomorrow.

Hiram Irish Music Session Coming Up Soon!

Got this note from Tina and Paul Dreisbach, music profs at Hiram College:

SEAN MOORE IRISH MUSIC SESSIONS

at HIRAM COLLEGE

Fall date:  Sunday, October 6, 2013

Learn tunes: 2:00

Open session: 3:00

Potluck refreshments—All welcome

Frohring Music Hall Room 102 (recital hall)

11746 Dean St., Hiram Village

Other 2013-14 dates:  February 16, March 30

This is one of my all-time favorite things. I'll bring my whistles and guitar. And I hope we'll see other Irish musicians from the area with their bodhrans, whistles, concertinas, flutes, fiddles, harps, guitars, and other instruments (including Robin Montgomery on the piano).

Hiram, Garrettsville, and Hart Crane

There are two famous villages three miles apart in Portage County, Ohio: Hiram, home of the great little college where James A Garfield was a student, and later teacher and principal; and Garrettsville, where the great American poet Hart Crane was born and raised (and by the way, where his father invented Lifesavers candy).

Below are a few photos from these villages:

Hart Crane's home in Garrettsville, Ohio--about 40 miles from Cleveland

Beautiful old Christian Church in Hiram, where Garfield attended. Just across the street from Hiram College

O'Carolan's Beautiful Tunes

A couple weeks ago I attended the Hiram Irish Music Session organized by Professor Tina Dreisbach and her husband Paul. At this particular session Ellen Eckhouse played her harp. Among the songs she played was the O'Carolan tune "Eleanor Plunkett." I don't have a video of Ellen playing, but I found a nice video on Youtube of a fellow playing the tune, alterntating these instruments: Low D whistle; regular D penny whistle; and guitar. Here it is:


Turlough O'Carolan lived from 1670 to 1738 in Ireland. He was born in County Leitrim and grew up there and in County Roscommon. O'Carolan was struck with smallpox at age 18, which left him blind. To make a living, a patron apprenticed him to a harper. Three years later, with a horse and a guide, O'Carolan began traveling Ireland and playing and composing for his living. Often he would compose "planxties" to honor a patron--lots of these are extant and played throughout the world today. His tunes were accompanied by Irish lyrics. But what has survived to the present are the tunes; I've never even heard his lyrics sung.

It is said that his first tune was "Si Bheag, Si Mhor," which translates something like "Little Fairy Mound [or Hill], Big Fairy Mound." It is a magnificent tune, and one of my favorite. I first heard it around 1975 while at an old-timey fiddler festival near Union Grove, North Carolina--I was there with Timmy Jenkins (who, as far as I know, lives in Gays Mills, Wisconsin now). I can play this tune on piano, guitar, and whistle.

Other favorite O'Carolan tunes include:

Loftus Jones
O'Carolan's Draught
O'Carolan's Farewell to Music
Planxty Irwin
Hewlet
Fanny Power

I've heard these tunes on many recordings, including the works of Malcolm Dalglish and Grey Larsen, Joanie Madden and Cherish the Ladies, Patrick Ball, and many others. Many O'Carolan tunes are played at the Hiram session.

Dermot Somerville and "Shanua" in Concert in Hiram, Ohio

What a wonderful concert we heard last night! In the old and beautiful Hiram Christian Church we heard the group "Shanua" do a concert that featured songs in Irish  English, and Estonian (yes, Estonian). Dermot Somerville and his wife Ülle Laido are the creative forces behind this music, writing tunes and lyrics, and arranging for chorus and other instruments (oboe, double bass, viola, violin, piano, harp, etc).

Last night's program was entitled "Enchanment," and featured most of the music and songs from their latest cd by that very name (with a few bonus pieces thrown in, like their wonderful version of "Wild Mountain Thyme"). [more coming]

Irish Music Session at Hiram College

Yesterday there was another Irish music "session" at historic Hiram College (some 35 miles or so southeast of Cleveland). The sessions take place three or four times a year, on Sundays, 2-4 PM in Frohring Hall. Yesterday was a bitter cold winter day, which might have held down the number of participants a bit. Still, there were many fine musicians there and a few observers.

The organizer of these sessions is Tina Spencer Dreisbach--helped out by her husband Paul. Tina plays Irish flute (a simple-system flute) and concertina; Paul plays tin whistle and the uillean pipes (Irish elbow bagpipes). I'm pretty sure Tina and Paul play many other instruments too!

Also there was master bodhran player and whistle player Sheldon Firem (he lives a mile or so from me near Chardon, Ohio). We also had a piano player, a woman who played autoharp; an excellent guitarist; me, with my whistle and guitar; Bill Kennedy, emcee of the radio program "Sweeney Astray," on WCSB, 89.3 FM--Bill was playing a mandolin. There was also a fiddle player and the harp player, Ellen Eckhouse, of the Garrettsville Village Bookstore.

So not bad for a cold and snowy winter's day in Northeast Ohio! A wonderful Sunday afternoon of Irish music.

Irish Music Session at Hiram College

Yesterday we had a rather small but wonderful Irish music session at Hiram College (located in the small college town of Hiram, about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland). We have these sessions about three or four times a year, organized by Professor of Music Tina Dreisbach and her husband Paul Dreisbach. Tina plays several instruments, from whistle to Irish flute to concertina; Paul plays whistle and uilleann pipes (he is also a fine oboist, but doesn't bring out the oboe in the Irish session). Yesterday, to our surprise, another uilleann pipe player came--a fellow named David from Cuyahoga Falls (possibly David Daye). There were also two harp players, Ellen Eckhouse from Garretsville, where she owns the Village Bookstore, and one of her students. So two harpers and two uilleann pipers at the same place and same time--incredible!

We also had a piano player (his name doesn't come to mind--but he is very good; he must know hundreds of tunes) and the premier bodhran player, Sheldon Firem. Sheldon also brought his guitar and his bag of whistles. He can play the whistle as sweet as anyone and I can't imagine a better bodhran player. I was there with my homemade guitar and my Susato whistles. Another man, Denny (from the Akron area, I think) had a button box accordion. And a young woman was there with her fiddle. She is an excellent player and also seems to know many many tunes (she loved playing polkas).

So it was a small group, but well-balanced with the mix of instruments. And we had a wonderful two hours at this historic little college.

Wonderful Irish Music Session at Hiram College

Today around 25 musicians from all around Northeast Ohio met at Frohring Hall at Hiram College and played Irish tunes. Tina Dreisbach, music prof at Hiram, organizes this session, which meets three or four times a year.

Hiram is about 25 miles from where I live in Chardon and perhaps 40 miles from Cleveland. It's a beautiful place, a very small college with a long and important history. Here is what Wikipedia says of Hiram: "a private liberal arts college located in Hiram, Ohio. Founded by Amos Sutton Hayden of the Disciples of Christ Church in 1850, the institution has, since its first days, been nonsectarian and coeducational, and throughout its existence Hiram College has sustained this egalitarian tradition of educating men and women from diverse backgrounds. U.S. President James A. Garfield was a student, instructor, and principal of the institution while it was still the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute."

Of course the musicians weren't thinking too much of the college's distinguished history--we were thinking about making music! I wish I knew the names of all the musicians, but I know only a few: John Sharp, Robin (the piano player), Ellen (harpist), Tina's husband (uillean pipes, whistle) . . . .

There were 2 harpists there today, a piano player, 2 concertina players, 1 mandolin player, several classical flutists, several players of the Irish flute, maybe 5 whistle players, a player of the low D whistle, a few fiddle players, a few guitarists. Our regular bodhran player, Sheldon Firem, was unable to make it today (he was at the open house Chardon High School had for the community).

I will list many of the tunes played at the session: [coming]

Wonderful Irish Music Session at Hiram College

Last Sunday, February 13th, twenty-two Irish musicians, a couple of Irish dancers, and about 10 onlookers met at a Hiram College music room for a "session," organized by Hiram professor Tina Dreisbach. The musicians included a harper, a player of uillean (Irish) pipes, a mandolin player, several fiddlers, players of Irish and classical flutes, whistle players (including a "low D" whistle player), a bodhran player, a bongo player, two players of concertinas, guitarists, a piano player, and so on.

I sat on the edge of the circle, but was able to join in on a few tunes (this time with my guitar). We played a lot of traditional tunes, but were treated to two new tunes: "The Heights Hornpipe," by Dermot Sommerville (who also played guitar and flute during the session); and a beautiful tune called "Ottinger's Lament," played by fiddler and composer John Reynolds. Both tunes were spectacularly beautiful. Toward the end of the session, two fairly young girls did some Irish dancing. I was really pleased with the number of young musicians at this session--there is a future for this beautiful music!

Thanks to all the musicians and organizers: Tina Dreisbach (and her husband,Paul, the uillean piper); Ellen Eckhouse, harper who played O'Carolan's "Morgan Megan" so beautifully; Sheldon Firem, bodhran player extraordinaire; Mike Mazur, a cultural force in the Cleveland Irish community; and all the other wonderful Irish musicians whose names I do not yet know.

One of the beautiful tunes we played at Hiram was the slip jig "The Butterfly." I located a youtube version of this tune, which can be accessed below or by clicking on the title to this blog entry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKkeXBY-emA

Irish Music Session at Hiram College--April 11, 2010

There was a wonderful Irish music session at Hiram College on April 11th. The term "session" implies a rather informal gathering of Irish musicians, where tunes are played and songs sung for two or three hours. I think the organizer of the session was Tina Dreisbach, a music prof at Hiram. I caught the names of many, but not all, of the musicians. On harp was Ellen Eckhouse, who owns the Village Bookstore in nearby Garrettsville, Ohio. Tina's husband played uillean pipes (the Irish elbow bagpipes) and tin whistle. Mossie Moran, the well-known Irish musician and singer from Eastlake (and before that, from County Waterford or Wexford, Ireland), played his guitar. A fellow named Sheldon, from Chardon, played whistle, spoons, and bodhran. There were a couple of fiddle players; Tina played the simple-system Irish flute; a man played the Steinway piano; there were several guitarists and whistle players. I sort of hung in the background playing my whistle along with the 6-7 tunes I knew (there were probably 25-30 tunes played between 2 and 4:30 PM).

I'll list some of the tunes played at the Hiram session:

The Ash Plant
The Banshee
Cooley's Reel (one of my favorite)
Cronin's Hornpipe
The Bucks of Oranmore
Drowsy Maggie (a favorite)
The Frost Is All Over
The Geese in the Bog
Haste to the Wedding (a good one)
Fanny Power (O'Carolan)
Eleanor Plunkett (O'Carolan)
Sheebeg and Sheemore [Sí Beag, Sí Mór] (O'Carolan)
The Bride's Favorite
The Cliffs of Moher
Kean O'Hara
Lorfd Inchiquin (O'Carolan)
Harvest Home
Temperance Reel
Rights of Man
Swallowtail Jig
Old Favorite
Kesh
Rising of the Moon

Wow, what a wonderful afternoon of music at Hiram College!

Mick Moloney and Irish Session at Hiram College

There was a wonderful Irish music session at Hiram College yesterday, featuring Mick Moloney, the professor, musicologist, and musician. About 15 people or so were playing music, with about as many people just listening outside the circle of musicians. I recognized a few people there, including Mike Mazur (who didn't play any music, but told a wonderful story, in Irish brogue, about the late Tommy Makem). Also there was Dermot Somerville, a talented musician and singer, who knows song after song by heart, and played Irish flute and guitar. Somerville is a north Dubliner who has lived in America some 30 years or so. I have a CD he made with his group "Shanua" called Salmagundi. That album has the best version of "Wild Mountain Thyme" ever recorded. There were also a bodhran player, two harpists (one of whom also danced near the end of the session), several guitarists, a few whistle players, two people on Irish flute, and a fellow playing a ukelele. Mick Moloney played 4-string banjo and guitar. Probably 3-4 people were playing fiddles (including Gordon Keller), and a man played the Steinway piano there in the recital room. I jotted down the names of some of the songs and tunes I recognized: The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Drowsy Maggie, Maid Behind the Barn, The Rights of Man, Rocky Road to Dublin, Road to Lisdoonvarna, Roisin Dubh, and The South Wind, sung by Mick Moloney in Irish-Gaelic.

Check out youtube for a performance of The South Wind in Gaelic: http://www.youtube.com/. Search for "An Ghaoth Aneas"