Lilting
A traditional Goidelic singing style using non-lexical syllables.
Lilting is a form of traditional singing found in the Goidelic speaking areas of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man, with similar styles occurring in many other countries. It is also known by names such as diddling, mouth music, jigging, chin music, cheek music, puirt à beul, canntaireachd, or portaireacht bhéil. The syllables sung do not correspond one-to-one with notes, distinguishing it from sol-fa or sargam singing and resembling scat singing.
Quick Facts
- Alternate names
- diddling
- mouth music
- jigging
- chin music
- cheek music
- puirt à beul
- canntaireachd
- portaireacht bhéil
- Related styles
- tralling (Sweden), trallning (Norway)
- Festival featuring recital lilting
- Fleadh Cheoil
- Organizing body
- Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCE)
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- In Irish lilting, the rhythm and tone are intended to evoke the characteristic 'lilt' of traditional Irish music and instruments such as the Celtic harp.
- The lyrics in lilting are often meaningless or nonsensical.
History
The origins of lilting are unclear. It may have partly resulted from the unavailability of instruments, whether due to cost or bans. Similar non-lexical syllable singing appears in traditional styles worldwide, such as tralling in Sweden and Norway. The history is obscured because lilting is largely oral and has not had consistent names over time. An unverified legend, noted by modern folk musician Rowan Piggott, claims lilting originates from the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland from 1649–1653, when bans on musical instruments required songs to be passed down orally. At the turn of the 20th century, lilting gained popularity at local dances called house dances and crossroads dances. From the mid-1900s, it was increasingly performed as a recital or standalone performance rather than dance accompaniment. Recital lilting is now one of the events at the annual Fleadh Cheoil festival, held by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
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