May 10, 2007

Gaelic psalm singing Yale music professor Willie Ruff thinks it might be the roots of gospel music in America. Whatever the truth of that, it's one of the most glorious sounds on God's good earth, a profound spiritual happening.
posted by Abiezer_Coppe 17 years ago
  • Grgeorgeous! It does indeed sound like Southern psalmody.
  • Haunting!
  • The link to Willie Ruff's site is fascinating.
  • The precentor in "Stornaway" (third link in post) sounds like Ralph Stanley singing "O Death". Of course _I_ knew immediately that this is a lineal descendant of the Jewish cantorial tradition, directly from the priestly tradition in the Temple, via Jewish converts in the Church of Antioch, missionaries to Ireland, and the Irish monks to Scotland. Any fool with half an ear can hear that.
  • That should be "salm psinging".
  • vitalorgnz - best copyright that précis before Dan Brown's cod version hits the book stands with the thud of bad prose.
  • This is lovely, A_C. It reminds me very much of Ceol an Aifrinn (music of the mass) by Seán Ó Riada. This is a sung predominantly Gaelic mass that you can hear in a lot of churches in Ireland every Sunday.
  • This is lovely. Thank you, Abiezer!
  • Magic stuff. Thanks Abiezer!