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Wheels of the World: How Recordings of Irish Traditional Music Bridged the Gap between Homeland and Diaspora

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2010

SCOTT SPENCER
SCOTT SPENCER*
Affiliation:
[email protected]
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Abstract

At the dawn of the twentieth century and the height of the Recording Age, Irish American musicians began to record Irish traditional music on both commercial and subcommercial recordings. Circulated within the diaspora during a changing sense of Irish identity and sent home to a nationalist revival, these recordings had a profound impact on both traditional performance practices and modes of transmission. Quickly accepted by many at the heart of the tradition, these recordings were used by practitioners to bridge vast geographic distances and solidify vital lines of communication, allowing the diaspora to engage actively with the larger tradition.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Society for American Music , Volume 4 , Special Issue 4: Irish Music in the United States , November 2010 , pp. 437 - 449
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Music 2010

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