Preab Meadar

The band is comprised of Daire Bracken and Lorcán Mac Mathúna who both come from Dublin, Ireland. Preab = dance. meader = metre. The dancing patterns of language have proved a fascination for the great majority of people since time began. If you search, you can still find places where language is the source of movement; where the impulses of dance come from play of rhythm in word meters and from finely nuanced shapes of syllables, elision and percussive cascades of words. In poetry there is music, but what is the music and can we dance to it? By the 17th Century Gaelic poetry had reached astonishing levels of metric perfection and had exponents of exquisite skill. Syllabic in nature, its metric and literary rules could easily be transposed into realms of musical composition of theory.

Lorcán is a singer, writer, and arranger whose work confounds categorization. Working extensively in the realm of improvised music, with many stylistic inspiration derived of sean-nós vocal techniques and philosophy, his music is tonally rich; nuanced; and dynamic. His work has included: the creation of new tune typologies in a traditional idiom, based on the meter patters of Old-Gaelic poetry; arrangements based on airs in the oral vocal tradition; contemporary and traditional music composition; writing collaborations and performances; improvisational and electronic music. He is also known as a soloist singer and singing teacher. Commissioned awarded compositions have included: 1. The Arrows that murder sleep (2008); love songs of the Irish medieval period. Performed at the IMRAM Irish literature festival. 2. Tásc is Tuairisc (2009); a tense and atmospheric depiction of the doomed Franklin voyage. Co-written with Simon O Connor. 3. An Táin from the Book of Leinster (2010). 4. “Derry to the Sea,” (2010) which opened Fleadh Ceol na hÉireann on August 11 in st. Columb’s Cathedral, Derry. 5. The Battle of Clontarf the accounts of Njal and Brian (2013), premiered at the Temple bar Trad Fest, 24/01/2014 in St. Michan’s Church. 6. 1916 – Visionaries and their Words. Commissioned by ART:2016 for the centenary of the Easter Rising.

Daire is a Professional and Part-‐time Fiddle Player who has been playing for 15 years. He is also a Music Teacher of theory, fiddle and business. In bands he spends his time composing arrangements of music and song. His focus was the business of Artist and Tour Management. He is the Founder of the bands Danú, the David Munnelly Band and Slide. His achievements have included: !. Music Network’s Young Music Wide Award Winners as part
of the band Slide when selected in a competition with numerous young Irish bands. 2004 – 2007. 2. Irish Music Magazine Best Newcomers as part of the band Slide. 2001. 3. Irish Music Magazine Best Overall Traditional Act as part of the band Danú. 1999. 4. Numerous County and Provincial Fleadh titles on Solo Fiddle, Duets and Groups. 1991 – 1996. 5. All Ireland Oireachtas titles on Solo Fiddle and Duets. 1995 – 1996. He has an extensive list of discography ranging from 1996 - 2011 and has Performed and/or toured with many artists and acts.

Preab Meadar's most recent CD consists of poetry and dance movements ranging from the 7th century up to the 1800's. It took 4 years for them to write and learn to play the music of Preab Meadar but the word-craft that went into it took over 3,000 years to construct. This is a fascination at the core of the band and has lead to an elaborate puzzle, a conscious shaping of musical meters and style from language.

Séadnadh Mór - "The Lion and The Fox" Suite - Fast rhythmic violin plays in dance step while words are spoken fast in a loud whisper. When the phrases are finished, the song is sung out loud. Tadgh Dall ó Huiggín was a poet of exquisite skill who wrote for the period in the service of the Breifne chieftain, Brian Maguire. This 1588 poem in praise of his patron, "The Lion and Fox", uses the device of an old fable to comment on the treacherous political landscape leading up to the 9 year war, in which the place of the 'File' would be eraticated.

'Sé Dúirt Sé - A plucking and pulling of the notes to bend the sound most beautifully. This song was written for a Slide album back in 2002 and was composed from Daire's father in law's point of view when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Rannaighneacht Ghaird - Tapping beats of wood. The violin sound builds momentum. A complex tune follows. Music "Loch Dá Dámh" by D. Bracken & L. Mac Mathúna. Words "Dramatis Personae" by an Unknown Author. The very earliest Gaelic writings appeared on the edges of sacred manuscripts. It was imagined that the early scribes, perhaps jaded by the painstaking work of the scriptorium, indulging in a creative flourish on the edges of his page, or perhaps recounting a fragment of a well known poem.

Captain Rock - A story with the music and words in tension. Something was going to break. I love the phrasing and build up of the song. bad harvests between the years 1819 and 1822, coupled with an international depression in agricultural prices, precipitated a period of severe and widespread social unrest bordered in outright rebellion. In 1821 on the estate of William Courtenay in Newcastle west, Co. Limerick, disgruntled tenants attacked the bailiffs and so the powder keg was ignited.

Cladach an Bháis - A lonely solitary expression as the words seem to carry into the night. Music slowly creeps in with a heartfelt plea. The music becomes stronger and this is what takes over. the winter night descended on Beechy island off Northern Canada and ominous portents jutted through its chilly silence. Two members of the crew of the Franklin exhibition were left in its frozen soil when the ice broke to release the Erribus and the terror on their journey. The reprieve was temporary and they would soon be swallowed by the ice again, along with all their crew.

Farraigí an Tuaiscirt - A bold and clever violin tune. The song is sung steadily against the musical attitude. Onward. The expedition started with its share of pomp and conceit. Eagerly anticipated by the press, it was seen as another manifestation of how far man and science had come under the British Empire. The waves had been conquered and the age of exploration had arrived. The new frontier was the wild and untamed places, the heart of darkness and the icy waste. Nature itself would be tamed.

Do Shaoileas Nár Bhaoil Dom - A marching into a battle with the violin playing in step. Expressions of discordance and discontent are shown within the words but are tempered by their strength. Faction fighting was a common social scourge in Ireland in the early 19th century. A symptom of a deeper malaise in society, faction lines were drawn along class divides. Kerry poet, Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabháin (1785-1848), describes how he was set upon by a faction as he returned from a fair. Although he was a small man he had a greater strength than those who had given him the beating.

Amergin - A slow building of a breeze with the violin Then the spell begins. The words are spoken in English then in Gaelic. The violin holds in variations of one tune. The musical journey begins then fades. The Leabhar Gabhala (the book of invasions) tells that when the sons of Míl arrived in Ireland, they struck a bargain with the inhabitants of the land, the Tuatha Dé Dannan. It was agreed that if they would sail to sea beyond the ninth wave and return, they could claim half of the country. A sorcerous mist and ferocious wind drove the Millesian ships beyond sight of the land. Amergin's incantation dispelled the magic and the Millesians made their second landing.

Deachnadh Bheag - Slow as to ready. Then the violin takes on a lively dance beat. The words for the poem called 'Summer' are put with music. "Summer's come, healthy free, That bows down the dark wood, The slim, spry deer jumps And the seal's path is smooth". - Translation by Kuno Meyer.

Deibhide "Teacht Slán as Anfa" - A tune making you want to move to the beats. This is an instrumental piece based on the form provided by the Deibhide poem on track 12 "The Tempest". Its construction is a variation of the 7 syllable line, the most common Gaelic syllabic metre. Its rocking metre suggests some interesting grooves in a 7/8 time and the cinquain pattern in this case lends itself to further interesting musical phrasing.

Aoibhinn - A strong yet gentle tune filled with what is positive and beautiful. A Swedish tune about admiration and happiness dwelling on reflective moments, where the eyes crease in gratitude and you are thankful for what you have.

Deibhide "Tempest" - Base violin as grooving in the steps. Another violin sasses along with it. Clicking is added as if snapping fingers to the various beats. Strange emphasis in the notes drawing you and holding you there against your will. "When the wind blows from the north, the dark fierce wave longs to attack the southern world, to battle against the wide sky and to listen to the music of swans".

Snéadhbhairdne - The violin plays in broken various syllables while the words to the tune are spoken gently. Stronger and louder the words come as if forming a plan wishing to carry it out. The violin becomes more self assured of these plans. This poem by 'By Gofraidh Fionn Ó Dálaigh (c1357) is pretty fiery stuff in support of his patron, Muiris McCarthy, with his critical sights set on his Saxon enemies.

The more I listen to this CD full of enchanting music, the more I grow to love it and will keep this volume of music as one of my favorites. "An unprecedented and electrifying pallet of contemporary rhythms, deep-rooted in ancient Irish history, expertly delivered using innovative sounds of fiddle and vocals only." To find out more about Preab Meadar go to:

http://www.preabmdr.com/

Denise L. @DL7855 2017