Nollaig, Yule and Hogmanay
Celtic Music for the Holiday Season
by Steve Winick
Hello, jovial readers. As always, we have a slew of albums competing for
the crucial Christmas music market this year, and more than a few of them
have Celtic or English folk roots. If you're the type who listens to the
Chieftains or the Watersons in front of the fire at Yuletide, this season
brings many opportunities to expand your library of carols, wassails and
other traditional holiday tunes. Let's take a peek in Santa's sack... Let's
see, there's...
...New Age...
Barrels of ink have been spent on the question of whether the Celtic/new
age crossover is a healthy step for the music into an artistically sound
and commercially viable niche or a disastrous foray into blandness and
mediocrity. One of the nice things about Christmas music is that we can put
all that aside; after all, we're too busy sipping egg nog, enjoying the
fire and, hopefully, catching up with friends and loved ones, to listen too
closely to the stereo. And if there's one thing the atmospheric sounds of
the Celtic/new age fringe do well, it's forming a fine backdrop to other
activities. Most of the releases here also include a few lively tracks that
will make you sit up and take notice.
Two very similar compilations are currently on the market, one from Windham
Hill and the other from Celtic Heartbeat. So similar, in fact, that many
artists (Altan, Brian Dunning, Cormac Breatnach, Áine Minogue,
Nightnoise...) appear on both of them. Still, there is no overlap in the
material, so you can buy both without duplicating any music.
The Windham Hill sampler, Celtic Christmas [Windham Hill
01934 11178 (1995)], also includes tracks by Phil Cunningham & Manus
Lunny, Triona Ní Dhomhnaill, Kevin Burke & Micheal Ó
Domhnaill, Liam O'Flynn, Luka Bloom, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill &
Donal Lunny, Carlos Nunez, Johnny Cunningham, and Loreena McKennitt. Most
of the album is slow, gentle "Celtic easy-listening" music
dominated by swooshing synthesizers and slick production. It's all very
pleasant to listen to, but not a bit exciting and often only marginally
"Celtic." Those who love the waiflike vocal style so popular now
for Irish women singers will be delighted; several pioneers of this
crystal-clear approach are on hand. The two Ni Domhnaills and Altan's
Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh all perform beautifully. Those expecting fiery
fiddling from Johnny Cunningham, on the other hand, will be disappointed;
although his melodies "King Holly" and "King Oak" are
beautiful and contemplative pieces, they are played primarily on harp and
oboe by Áine Minogue and Cathy Halverson. Celtic-jazz crossover
flavors several tracks, including Cormac Breatnach's tune, Nightnoise's
noodling, and Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning's straight improvisation. The
few truly uptempo moments include Burke and O Domhnaill's reel
"Christmas Eve" and Carlos Nuñoz's instrumental
"Galician Carol," which is really a sort of jig played on
whistles, fiddle, bagpipes and other instruments. This track, needless to
say, is the highlight for me.
As I think I mentioned, A Celtic Heartbeat Christmas
[Atlantic/Celtic Heartbeat 82929-4P (1996)] is very similar to the one
reviewed above. Indeed, I like it a bit better, and it can be seen as a
logical complement to Windham Hill's sampler. In addition to the tracks by
Nightnoise, Altan, Dunning, Breatnach, and Minogue, there are more goodies
in store. Two tracks are by the Celtic Choir Anuna, one of them a Latin
carol and the other an Irving Berlin style piece reminiscent of "It's
Beginning toLook a Lot Like Christmas." Fiona Kennedy's song "Na
Hu O Ho" starts out a little synth-heavy but is mostly backed by
well-played acoustic guitar. Similarly, Nightnoise's instrumental version
of "The Wexford Carol" begins with a lot of keyboard drones but
turns into a mostly acoustic piece with wonderful fiddling. Thomas Loefke's
"The Snowy Birch Trees" is a lovely harp melody, played with an
acoustic ensemble. The dance music on the album is mostly restrained;
Altan's set of jigs, Breatnach's meandering, jazzy reels, and Declan
Masterson's slow jig are all examples. But Ashley MacIsaac breaks this rule
with a great acoustic version of "The Devil in the Kitchen," a
totally wild, foot-pounding set. The only tracks that left me cold were
Clannad's warmed-over TV theme (even Maire Brennan's voice sounds like a
synthesizer these days) and Benita Hill's "Wind, Fire and Snow,"
which makes you wonder if "Celtic" means anything at all
anymore.
Two people with tracks on the above compilations have fuller selections of
seasonal music available; both happen to be harpers and singers.
Áine Minogue's album To Warm the Winter's Night
[Evergreen EM-014 (1995)] is another one that's better for sleepy
winter evenings than for getting the blood flowing. Minogue opts for a
chamber music sound, incorporating cello, oboe, fiddle, uillean pipes and
whistle in addition to her clear, high singing and poetry readings by
herself and producer Johnny Cunningham. Nice versions of "The Abbot's
Bromley Horn Dance," and the Breton carol "Noël
Nouvelle" are highlights, nicely restrained but still lively. Several
carols sung in Irish are also pretty. However, I must say the greatest
moment is Cunningham's reading of a ninth-century Irish poem, beautifully
evocative of the coming of winter. And if Minogue's arrangement of
"Greensleeves" dances around the melody, striving a bit too hard
for novelty, at least it's not boring.
Finally we get to Loreena McKennitt's 5-track EP A Winter
Garden [Warner Bros. 9 46096 (1995)]. I'm not sure why McKennitt always
comes under such fire from Celtic music purists - I find her music to be
dense, complex and enjoyable. This, her latest recorded work, continues the
trajectory of her past few albums, with Arabic, African, Celtic, classical
and new age influences all coexisting quite comfortably. Her versions of
"Good King Wenceslas" (featuring Dan Ar Braz on guitar and Waiel
Abo Baker Ali on violin) and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (with
a complex percussion groove set up by Hossam Ramzy, Donald Quan and Rick
Lazar), are certainly more stirring than much of the other Celtic new age
holiday fare. The only track that does nothing for me is "Seeds of
Love;" I prefer the traditional melody to McKennitt's dramatic
rendering. Of course, this album could have been improved by having more
music, but what's there is quite nice.
...Old-Fashioned...
Of course, old-fashioned Celtic and English music is often just the ticket
to warm a cold night, and this season has a fine crop of acoustic
traditional music with not a synth in sight.
For rural English Christmas traditions, the best album of the season is
Magpie Lane's Wassail! A Country Christmas [Beautiful Jo
BEJOCD-8 (1995)]. A seven-piece acoustic folk band that features all manner
of voices and instruments - concertina, flute, recorder, guitar, fiddle,
mandolin, pipe and tabor, cello, and more, Magpie Lane perform a wide
selection of Christmas carols, wassails and dance tunes. Many of the
selections are quite unusual - clearly, they enjoy researching some of
England's out-of- the-way folk songs. One outstanding and uncommon song on
the disc is the lament of gardeners, who were always frozen out of work in
wintertime. Another, better known lament commemorates a flock of sheep that
was smothered beneath a heavy snowstorm in the Isle of Man. Thespooky
story of "Herod and the Cock," the ominous ballad of the
"Standing Stones," and a humorous eighteenth century satire
called "Stuff your Guts," along with several generally cheerful
wassails and jaunty dance tunes, make for a great mix of moods. Instruments
are handled tastefully and deftly, with lots of nice guitar playing and
guest fiddling by Chris Leslie.
If you want an Irish Christmas album, you might try The Armagh
Rhymers [AR00 CD (1996)]. This fascinating and fun self-titled CD
by a group of Northern Irish entertainers presents a Mummers' play, richly
interspersed with musical selections. The Mummers' play is a traditional
drama of death and resurrection that is performed by roving bands of
amateur actors, singers and musicians to while away long winter evenings in
Ireland, England, Canada, and other places where English is spoken. This
recording contains an unusually long rendition of the play, in which St.
George faces the Dragon and the Turkey Champion, St. Patrick faces Oliver
Cromwell, the Wren boys sing their song and a host of supporting players,
including Slick Slack, Big Head, Jack Straw, King Puck, Big Bellied Ned,
Mrs. Funny, Beelzebub and Divillee Doubt enter and sing, say or play. Even
urban songs like "The Wee Faloorie Man" and "I'll Tell My
Ma" are smuggled into the Mummers' format, along with jigs and reels
played on concertina, whistle, fiddle, guitar and bodhrán. Don't
expect an engaging plot; the Mummers' play is much more an opportunity to
rhyme, sing, play, dance and visit than it is a piece of high drama. This
recording does a good job of capturing the sheer fun of mumming; imagine
yourself living in rural Ireland, where one winter night is much like
another, and you'll see why the mumming was looked forward to with great
anticipation by so many country people. On the other hand, this album is
considerably more focused on music than traditional Mumming rituals,
proving that the Rhymers are able to adapt their work to the CD format.
On to Scottish music, of which two very different CDs are available. The
disc Nollaig Chridheil [B&R Heritage Enterprises BRCD 0004
(1995)] features a loose group of performers from Nova Scotia called An
Còmhlan. Incorporating song, instrumental music, and spoken word
selections, the disc is a treasury of Gaelic lore. Several of the
performers on the recording, including storyteller Rosemary McCormack and
singer Catriona Parsons, are emigrants from the Hebrides. The others are
natives of Cape Breton who remember old times. Among the instrumental
selections are a set of jigs by Highland piper Barry Shears, several
beautiful slow airs from the fiddle of Winnie Chafe, and a rousing set of
tunes from fiddling patriarch Buddy MacMaster. Spoken selections include a
story of St. Bride, told by McCormack, and several reminiscences from Sadie
Poirier, Lawrence MacDonald, and Effie Rankin, oldtimers from the island.
One discussion of Christmas trees is backed, rather oddly, by "O
Christmas Tree" played on the piano. Excellent singing by Parsons,
Jeff MacDonald, Margo Carruthers and the Cape Breton Gaelic Choir, enhanced
by the sterling guitar work of producer Al Bennet, caps off a very
enjoyable listen.
If your appetite for Caledonian Christmas tunes isn't sated by An
Còmhlan, consider getting A Scottish Christmas by Bonnie Rideout,
Maggie Sansone, and Al Petteway [Maggie's Music MMCD215 (1996)]. Rideout is
one of the country's top Scottish fiddlers, Sansone is a top hammered
dulcimer player, and Petteway is a mind-boggling guitarist in the
contemporary Celtic style. Together with piper Eric Rigler, they have
produced a pretty album of mostly subdued holiday tunes. Rideout's vibrant
fiddling and Petteway's rich, round guitar tone contrast in interesting
ways with Sansone's crystalline tones, and Rigler's use of Highland pipes,
Scottish smallpipes and uillean pipes complements every mood. My favorite
tracks include a version of "Adeste Fidelis" played on the
Highland bagpipe, and a flowing introduction to "Here We Come
a-Wassailing." And just in case you were afraid it wasn't going to
show up on any of our Celtic Christmas albums, "Auld Lang Syne"
is here. But listen carefully; there are three very different versions of
the tune here, from different periods of history. They are led by Sansone,
Petteway and Rideout in succession, for an unusual finale to a fine
disc.
Pan-Celtic superstars the Boys of the Lough released their holiday
offering, The Day Dawn [Lough006 CD (1994)], a couple of seasons
ago. For those of you who have spent the last 20 Christmases on the moon,
the Boys of the Lough have been anchored all that time by Fermanagh flutist
and singer Cathal McConnell along with Shetland fiddler Aly Bain. Dave
Richardson (concertina, accordion, mandolin, cittern) and Christy O'Leary
(uillean pipes, whistles, song) round out the foursome. With driving
rhythms from guest guitarist Chris Newman and guest pianist Henning
Sommero, the group performs a lot of beautiful dance music from Ireland and
Shetland. They also sing two carols and a heartbreaking version of
"The Hare's Lament," a hunting song told from the point of view
of the prey. Interesting twists include some Swedish tunes and one tune
that is said to have come from Yaki Eskimos. Bain's strong fiddling, a
preponderance of Shetland tunes (including the well-known "Da Day
Dawn," "Christmas Day in the Morning," "The Papa Stour
Sword Dance," "Da Trowie Burn" and "Da Fields of
Foula," all of which have appeared on previous Boys of the Lough
albums) and a long section in the notes about "Yule in Shetland"
make this an album focused on Bain's native islands, and who can complain?
It's all quite lovely.
...and Blasts of
Christmas Past.
Whether you're newfangled or old-fashioned, chances are you like a touch of
nostalgia now and again, especially around the holidays. Two CDs came my
way this year that might remind you of younger days.
Horslips' Drive the Cold Winter Away [Homespun MOOCD 009] is
the re-release of a mid-1970s Irish album, which makes interesting but not
compelling listening today. Although Horslips were a rock band with
traditional influences, the album is mostly acoustic; it was therefore
"a Horslips Christmas" and "Horslips Unplugged" all
rolled into one. The material they cover includes several Gaelic carols and
the original Manx version of "The Sheep Beneath the Snow," as
well as a lot of dance tunes, of which the title track is one. The album
also features several O'Carolan tunes and a nice version of "When a
Man's in Love," a well-known love song set in wintertime. The guys in
Horslips weren't instrumental virtuosi, and this becomes clear on the
album. However, they did have fun with their music and the spirit of
exuberance comes through. Fans of the band and those who want a piece of
history will want this.
Speaking of history, here's a touch of it for you: in 1969, the three
member singing group The Young Tradition got together with sisters
Shirley and Dolly Collins to record an album of Christmas songs.
Since The Young Tradition broke up a few weeks after the sessions, the
album never got released, until Fledg'ling records brought it to light over
25 years later as The Holly Bears the Crown [Fledg'ling Fled 3006
(1995)]. The disc is a terrific collection of English traditional carols,
sung beautifully. It includes a lot of unaccompanied singing in striking
harmonies, both by the Young Tradition, and by the full fivesome. In
addition, there are several songs sung by the Collinses, to the
accompaniment of Dolly's portative organ. Probably the best track is the
title carol, sung in harmony by all five singers. Other well- known carols
include "Shepherds Arise," "The Boar's Head Carol,"
"The Coventry Carol," "Lullay my Liking," and "The
Cherry Tree Carol."
The Holly Bears the Crown is also important as a testament to some fine
singers and musicians whose influence on the English folk revival was
immeasurable. Royston Wood and Peter Bellamy of the young tradition died in
1990 and 1991 respectively, and Dolly Collins died in 1995.
Which brings home, on a somber note, one of the central ideas of the
season: singers come and go as winters pass, but sometimes the song
remains. Happy Holidays!
This article is from the current issue of Dirty Linen #67.
The Dirty Linen Pages are all copyright ©1996 by Dirty Linen,
Ltd, Baltimore, MD
You can read more articles by Steve Winick on his Homepage.
![[Return to Dirty Linen]](/linen/gif/67icon.gif)
