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Music, Emotion and Identity in Ulster Marching Bands

Flutes, Drums and Loyal Sons

by Gordon Ramsey (Author)
©2011 Monographs XIV, 336 Pages

Summary

Ulster’s marching bands form perhaps the most vibrant participatory folk music tradition in contemporary Europe, and are one of the most significant and visible elements of working-class loyalist culture in the divided society of Northern Ireland. Their significance springs largely from the central place they have assumed in the lives of their members.
This book presents an ethnography of three County Antrim flute bands from the very different genres of ‘part-music’, ‘melody’ and ‘blood and thunder’. The author explores the emotional rewards of communal music-making and the way that identities are formed through the acquisition of tastes, competences and skills within specific communal contexts, paying particular attention to the impact of class position. These issues are examined in the context of the competitions, concerts and street parades that are central to the social lives of thousands of band members and supporters in Northern Ireland.

Details

Pages
XIV, 336
Publication Year
2011
ISBN (PDF)
9783035301571
ISBN (Softcover)
9783034307420
DOI
10.3726/978-3-0353-0157-1
Language
English
Publication date
2011 (August)
Keywords
Ulster Marching Bands folk music tradition in contemporary Europe loyalist political culture in the divided society of Northern Ireland County Antrim flute bands
Published
Oxford, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, New York, Wien, 2011. XIV, 336 pp.

Biographical notes

Gordon Ramsey (Author)

Gordon Ramsey holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from Queen’s University Belfast for his research into Ulster marching bands. He currently teaches at Queen’s and remains an active musician, performing with two flute bands.

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Title: Music, Emotion and Identity in Ulster Marching Bands