For those who commented on my posts, thank you very much for all the great suggestions. I think whenever some form of music is labeled as "traditional", it opens up a lot of questions as to what traditional means and to whom. Keeping these themes of "authenticity" in mind, I had many discussions with various patrons at the bar on my second visit and found a range of conflicting ideas regarding the music, some saying that it is "as it would be played in Ireland" while others saying that it sound like "Irish music being played in America". Though I had a lot of details from my first visit, the comments made on my blog got me thinking about why the idea of a traditional Irish seisiun would be important to people in Massachusetts. I asked around on my second visit and found that almost everyone I talked to was either originally from Ireland or believed that they were of Irish lineage. Though there was no consensus on the "authenticity" of the music being played, it seemed to me that those present at the seisiun found something important in the experience, as if the Saturday-night seisiun didn't need to emulate Irish tradition precisely to be a local tradition of their own. It was almost as if the "myth of return" could be accomplished by attending the seisiun, that it was as real to the people there as any mythicological Ireland could ever be. I also tried to pay more attention to the structural elements of the performance, such as how songs were selected, who was deferred to, and how the performers interacted with the audience. With all these helpful things to think about, I noticed a great deal more on my second visit than on my first, which I will detail in my paper and on my blog in the future.
Thanks!
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Ben, this project is really coming right along. Great attention to detail in your fieldnotes (e.g., the singer with two accents, the apparent leadership of the group, some tensions about how it’s done “in the rest of the world” vs. this venue, the apparent role of alcohol in creating a convivial atmosphere, etc.). You’ve also posted a nice acknowledgment of your classmates’ comments, and seem to have already put their suggestions into practice in a highly productive way. Your research materials post includes a good range of materials, though much of the scholarly work is on the old side. One of our advanced graduate students who works on Irish music is a Senior Library Specialist in the Orwig Music Library—you might try asking her for a few of her favorite recent references on this topic. Her name is Sheila Hogg (with the usual Brown email format, or ask for her at the circulation desk—she is often around). Great work! Keep it up.
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