Puirt à beul
Encyclopedia
Puirt a beul is a traditional form of song native to Scotland
, Ireland
, and Cape Breton Island
, Nova Scotia
.
for such a tune is port à beul: "a tune from a mouth—specifically a cheerful tune—which in the plural
becomes puirt à beul. In mainland Britain they are usually referred to as puirt a beul but a variety of other spellings and mis-spellings also exist, for example port-a-beul, puirt a bheul, puirt a' bhéil etc. These are mostly due to the fact that a number of grammatical particles in Gaelic are very similar in nature, such as the definite article
a, the prepositions "of" and to" which can both be a and the preposition á "from" which can appear without the acute accent
.
Modern Irish
dictionaries give port(aireacht) béil, translated as "mouth music" also referred to as lilting
. Older dictionaries, such as Dinneen, only give portaiḋeaċt, portaireaċt or portonaċt.
Once this prohibition was lifted, and instruments were legalised, Puirt a beul still remained as a musical from in the Celtic regions and remains so until this day.
In puirt a beul, the rhythm and sound of the song often have more importance than the depth or even sense of the lyrics. Puirt à beul in this way resembles other song forms like scat singing
. Normally, puirt are sung to a 4/4 or 6/8 beat. Performances today may highlight the vocal dexterity by one or two singers, although four-person performances are sometimes made at mods
.
Some elements of puirt a beul may have originated as memory aids or as alternatives to instrumental forms such as bagpipe music.
A well known example of puirt a beul is "Brochan Lom", which is sung in the film Whisky Galore!
, and occurs as background music in the film The Bridal Path
.http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_audio.jsp?item_id=24493
Quadriga Consort
has been the first ensemble to bring puirt a beul into the Early Music Movement.
Most recently, the Cocteau Twins
from the 1980s to late 1990s utilized this technique with Elizabeth Fraser
's colorful singing style.
, and bluegrass
, from where it spread into many forms of American music.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
Name
The Scottish GaelicScottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
for such a tune is port à beul: "a tune from a mouth—specifically a cheerful tune—which in the plural
Plural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
becomes puirt à beul. In mainland Britain they are usually referred to as puirt a beul but a variety of other spellings and mis-spellings also exist, for example port-a-beul, puirt a bheul, puirt a' bhéil etc. These are mostly due to the fact that a number of grammatical particles in Gaelic are very similar in nature, such as the definite article
Definite Article
Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...
a, the prepositions "of" and to" which can both be a and the preposition á "from" which can appear without the acute accent
Acute accent
The acute accent is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek scripts.-Apex:An early precursor of the acute accent was the apex, used in Latin inscriptions to mark long vowels.-Greek:...
.
Modern Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
dictionaries give port(aireacht) béil, translated as "mouth music" also referred to as lilting
Lilting
Lilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Gaelic speaking areas of Ireland and Scotland. It goes under many names, and is sometimes referred to as "mouth music", diddling, jigging, chin music or cheek music), puirt a beul in Scottish Gaelic, Canterach, or portaireacht bhéil in Irish...
. Older dictionaries, such as Dinneen, only give portaiḋeaċt, portaireaċt or portonaċt.
Origin
Puirt a beul originates in Scotland and Northern Ireland where, the traditional cultures of the countries were repressed. All musical instruments were banned. Puirt a beul was invented as a substitute for instruments when music was required for entertainment - and especially for dancing.Once this prohibition was lifted, and instruments were legalised, Puirt a beul still remained as a musical from in the Celtic regions and remains so until this day.
Characteristics
Usually, the genre involves a single performer singing lighthearted, often bawdy lyrics, although these are sometimes replaced with meaningless vocables.In puirt a beul, the rhythm and sound of the song often have more importance than the depth or even sense of the lyrics. Puirt à beul in this way resembles other song forms like scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
. Normally, puirt are sung to a 4/4 or 6/8 beat. Performances today may highlight the vocal dexterity by one or two singers, although four-person performances are sometimes made at mods
Mod (Scotland)
A mod is a festival of Scottish Gaelic song, arts and culture. Historically, the Gaelic word mòd refers to any kind of assembly. There are both local mods, and an annual national mod, the Royal National Mod...
.
Some elements of puirt a beul may have originated as memory aids or as alternatives to instrumental forms such as bagpipe music.
- We also have puirt a beul or mouth music - songs in which the rhythm of the words is meant to replicate the rhythm of certain dance tunes. Some of these songs may have been composed to assist fiddlers, and occasionally pipers, in learning a tune. Others may have been composed as a means of remembering tunes when the playing of the bagpipes or fiddle were proscribed or frowned upon.
A well known example of puirt a beul is "Brochan Lom", which is sung in the film Whisky Galore!
Whisky Galore! (film)
Whisky Galore! was a 1949 Ealing comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Compton MacKenzie. Both the movie and the novel are based on the real-life 1941 shipwreck of the S.S. Politician near the island of Eriskay and the unauthorized taking of its cargo of whisky...
, and occurs as background music in the film The Bridal Path
The Bridal Path (film)
The Bridal Path is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Bill Travers, George Cole and Bernadette O'Farrell. It is based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Nigel Tranter...
.http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_audio.jsp?item_id=24493
Quadriga Consort
Quadriga Consort
Quadriga Consort aka Quadriga Early Music Band is an early music ensemble from Austria. Founded in 2001 by harpsichordist Nikolaus Newerkla, the ensemble plays rearranged early British and Irish traditional music....
has been the first ensemble to bring puirt a beul into the Early Music Movement.
Most recently, the Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
from the 1980s to late 1990s utilized this technique with Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser is a Scottish singer best known as the vocalist for the pioneer alternative rock group Cocteau Twins...
's colorful singing style.
Mouth music in the Americas
When they came across the ocean the ancestors of modern Scottish Americans brought their music with them, including mouth music, which was often incorporated into the lyrics of songs. It became an integral part of Appalachian music, roots musicOld-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
, and bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, from where it spread into many forms of American music.
See also
- LiltingLiltingLilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Gaelic speaking areas of Ireland and Scotland. It goes under many names, and is sometimes referred to as "mouth music", diddling, jigging, chin music or cheek music), puirt a beul in Scottish Gaelic, Canterach, or portaireacht bhéil in Irish...
- Waulking songWaulking songWaulking songs are Scottish folk songs, traditionally sung in the Gaelic language by women while waulking cloth. This practice involved a group of people beating newly woven tweed rhythmically against a table or similar surface to soften it...
- Mouth Music (band)Mouth Music (band)Mouth Music is a Scottish inspired musical project founded in 1988, whose combination of traditional Gaelic songs and music with contemporary instrumental and technological settings led them to international fame in the early 1990s....
- Scat singingScat singingIn vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
- Non-lexical vocables in musicNon-lexical vocables in musicNon-lexical vocables, which may be mixed with meaningful text, are a form of nonsense syllable used in a wide variety of music. A common English example would be "la la la".-Traditional music:...
- CrimpingCrimp (song)A crimp is one of the humorous a cappella nonsense songs sung by Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt in the comedy television series The Mighty Boosh. A crimp is sung in a scat style featuring lyrics characterized by non-sequiturs that are rhythmically similar to beatboxing...